Trewett-McConnell Should Use Athletics to Spread the Gospel

The title of this blog may sound unfair because I'm sure that Trewett-McConnell College, a small Southern Baptist college located in the mountains of North Georgia in the town of Cleveland, is using their Intercollegiate Athletic Department as an outreach tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Up until recently, TMC was a Junior College athletically. they were a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The college already had 4 year degree programs in Music and other disciplines. However, just last week, TMC became a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association). Trewett-McConnell is now a full-fledged 4 year school both academically and athletically.

However, I've heard from the grape vine that since this move has taken place, there are more requirements for admission into the school than before. According to this source, prospective students must now show proof that they have accepted Christ as their personal savior by providing a Certificate of Baptism, or something of that nature. In other words, they must be a Christian in order to be admitted. I can understand that they don't want students who do not represent the personality and character of the school. In the past, the school has had student-athletes getting involved in drugs, alcohol and other things that no Christian college wants on their campus. My Alma mater, Bryan College, has had similar instances with its student-athletes and has dealt with the problem with suspension and/or expulsion.

All that having been said, I don't see how you can determine who is a Christian and who isn't. Anyone can fake a conversion story and millions of people have been baptized and believe they are on their way to Heaven when in fact they aren't. Also, 18-22 year olds will be just that. young people. They do stupid things, ungodly things at times. I'm not making an excuse. I was once a college student, in fact, a student-athlete (for one year). They like to have fun, test themselves, that sort of thing.

Another thing, while there are excellent high school athletes who are also dynamic, committed Christians, not all high school Christian athletes are capable of competing at the college level. To be competitive as an intercollegiate athletic program, you have to have good athletes, and unfortunately, not all of them are Christians. For example, at Bryan, a Christian college in Tennessee which has the same calling as TMC: to train Christian students to make a difference for Christ in today's world, they do not demand that the prospective student be a Christian to be admitted. Other than the usual academic requirements, they only want the student to be respectful of the school and follow the school's rules and regulations. The student knows it is a Christ-centered college.

Dr. Sanford Zensen, the Athletic Director at Bryan College and the Men's Head Soccer Coach, recruits and signs players who are not believers, but are excellent players because he has to compete. Dr. Zensen, along with the rest of the Bryan faculty, will do everything in their power to point those student-athletes to Christ. They use it as a missionary tool. How else will these young men and women see the love of God exemplified to them. How else will they hear the Gospel of Christ?

I hope that Trewett-McConnell College is very successful in athletics now that they are a 4 year school. But by having these new restrictions, they are limiting the kind of athlete they can get, therefore, limiting their success in athletics. Also, they are missing an opportunity to win non-believing athletes to Christ. Your comments please!