About BSMN
VISION STATEMENT
Create a spiritually healthy and inclusive community of athletes, coaches, support staff, and chaplains where individuals may thrive in their respective sports transcending the challenges of race, gender, politics, or faith tradition.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Black Sports Ministry Network is to develop ethical leaders in sports, beginning with athletes, coaches, chaplains, and support staff of the African Diaspora. We center spiritual care and support resources rooted in Black culture, spirituality, and theology, affirming the lived experiences of those we serve. Our work nurtures holistic well-being while addressing the unique joys and challenges of being Black, an athlete, a coach, and a person of faith (or even no faith at all).
Guided by a sports ethic for care and community, our impact moves beyond the foundation of our name, as we seek to advise, support, partner with, and come alongside all social and spiritual identities—envisioning and creating a more just and inclusive sports world, regardless of religion, sexual orientation, intellectual or physical abilities, race, or politics
The Black Sports Ministry Network fulfills this mission through strategic consultation and collaboration with Black pastors, chaplains, scholars, health professionals, and others—cultivating a distinctive platform for education, empowerment, community, and social advocacy within the world of sports..
Through dynamic dialogue, resource sharing, and intentional community-building, we create transformative spaces that advance ethical leadership, resilience, and social change within athletics and beyond.
OUR HOW
Empowerment and Advocacy Through Education: Our online programming and initiatives (open to all social and religious identities) utilize theological education and other interdisciplinary subjects to empower athletes, coaches, support staff, sports chaplains, and sports enthusiasts provided by professionals from professional sports, church, and the academy.
Spiritual Care and Support Resources: Spiritual Well-Being is integral to overall physical and mental health. We are working to provide holistic support to athletes, coaches, and support staff of the African diaspora through building our network of sports professionals (psychologists, physical therapists, dieticians, etc.) and chaplains, facilitators, and pastors.
Investing in Innovative Initiatives for the Future of Sports: By aiding in the development of a faith-based network– rooted in the Black experience, It’s our goal to foster a community of athletes, coaches, and support staff that advocates for social justice within sports and society that leads to ethical leaders becoming a catalyst for change while honoring their athletic ancestors.
The Black Sports Ministry Network was selected as the recipient of a $15,000 Pastoral Study Project Grant from the prestigious Louisville Institute. This grant will be instrumental in supporting the BSMN in their year-long 2024 project “A Womanist Sports Ethic of Care.” This project is multifaceted and is set to explore the intersectionalities faced by Black women college athletes and offer guidance on navigating the complex roles of being Black, an athlete, and a person of faith.
The Louisville Institute’s Pastoral Study Project Grant provides skilled and innovative clergy, lay leaders, and staff working in diverse Christian contexts in North America with grants up to $15,000 to support independent or collaborative projects — engaging study of the Christian life, religious practices and institutions, or significant issues for the church, our communities, and the wider world. Funded by the Religion Division of Lilly Endowment, the Louisville Institute’s mission is to bridge Church and academy through awarding grants and fellowships to those who lead and study North American religious institutions, practices, and movements, and thereby promoting scholarship that strengthens the Church.