Jenna Patteson

This past summer, the Faith and Sports Institute hosted the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity at Truett Seminary. This event brought together a wide range of people passionate about the intersection of faith and sports. From scholars and educators to coaches and sports ministers, the Global Congress was an enriching time of learning, connecting, and encouragement among people from a variety of disciplines.

Over the course of three jam-packed days, I had the opportunity to listen to fantastic keynote speakers and panelists, meet great people from all over the world, and share some of my own work. I could talk for hours about how much fun and how impactful this experience was, but to be brief, here are my top three highlights of the weekend.

1. Having the opportunity to meet some of the scholars and academics that I have read during my time at Truett.

As a seminary student up to my eyeballs studying the connections between faith and sports, the Global Congress felt like an all-star lineup. From Nick Watson, one of the founders of the Global Congress, to Steve Waller, co-editor of the Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sport Studies, I was able to meet the people behind the names on the books and articles that have shaped how I understand sports. They say never meet your heroes, but I for one am glad that I did.

I was also able to reconnect with scholars that I have met before. I had the opportunity to meet Sabrina Little earlier this year, and I was excited to see her again and catch up at the Global Congress (and see her sweet baby!).

I also got the chance to see a handful of my former professors, which was such a joy! When I was an undergrad at Baylor three years ago, I took a religion and sports class with Dr. Andrew Meyer, which was my introduction into the beautiful world of academic scholarship in this space. Dr. Meyer is just as fun and energetic at an academic conference as he is in the classroom, and he was even kind enough to attend my panel presentation.

In many ways, the whole conference felt like a fun family reunion. One of my favorite things was observing the joy as old friends from all over the country and the world spent time catching up in the hallways and collaborating on panels.

2. Meeting people from across the world and learning about their work.

I also loved getting to meet scholars and practitioners doing amazing work across the globe. I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Hansson Labisig, a professor at the University of Santo Thomas in the Philippines, share a fantastic paper about the virtue of hope and how that relates to sports. Hearing an international perspective and learning about Dr. Labisig’s work on faith and sports in a different context was fascinating.

I got to meet thoughtful practitioners doing sports ministry work as well, including Brooke Kapetyn, a chaplain with Athletes in Action in Canada. I loved getting to hear her story and learn about the work she is doing. These connections have lasted beyond the three days of the conference, and it is so fun keeping up with my new friends.

3. Learning about new ideas, practices, and research related to faith and sports.

Attending the Global Congress felt like getting an update on the state of the field, a glimpse into the great work that is happening in the world of faith and sports. Through panel breakout sessions, I learned about the ways sports ministries are engaged with All Ability Sports, the implications of new research on virtue formation in athletes, and the work being done to teach high schoolers how to integrate faith and sports.  Not only did I learn about things directly relevant to my studies and the specific work I want to do, but I was exposed to the breadth of work going on in areas beyond my own specialties.

And I got to share some of my own ideas, too. My presentation on Sabbath and sports was part of a panel exploring the importance of rituals and rhythms for identity formation in sports. My research looked at the purpose of Sabbath and how practicing Sabbath is a way for athletes and coaches to embody their Christian identity.

This was my first time attending the Global Congress, and I came away filled with fresh excitement about the work being done at the intersection of faith and sports.

My friends and I are already making plans to attend the 5th Global Congress in Vancouver in 2028. You should too, and you can follow along to stay up-to-date here.

Jenna Patteson is a residential sports ministry student (MDiv) at Truett Seminary. She serves as FSI’s graduate assistant, and will be graduating in May 2026.