Filling the Gap - The Story of ADs for Christ
Lee De Leon
There are athlete ministries, and there are coaching ministries. Some are so well-known that we recognize them simply by abbreviation: FCA. AIA. Cru.
Over 1,000 NCAA athletics directors (ADs)— and exponentially more athletics administrators on their staffs— serve these athletes and hire these coaches. Yet there has long been a gap where no specific ministry existed to pour into this large group of professionals who impact so many.
Not anymore.
For many years, my good friend Tommy McClelland, AD at Louisiana Tech, and I talked about the need to fill this gap and possibly start a ministry that could connect Christian athletics directors at the collegiate level to help them grow through fellowship with one another. However, we were two of the youngest ADs in the country and weren’t sure we had the clout to launch such an important ministry.
Fortunately, I had recently asked a man of God named Jay Jacobs, who was the AD at Auburn University at that time, to mentor me. Jay and I had monthly phone calls that blessed me tremendously and helped me grow both personally and professionally. After a year or so of Jay pouring into my life and showing me what it looked like to be a big-time AD who loved the Lord and lived out his faith, we had a conversation that made a profound impact on my life, and hopefully, our entire industry.
Out of nowhere during one of our monthly calls, Jay said, “Lee, I really enjoy our relationship. How can we do this on a bigger scale?” That was all I needed to hear! I immediately told Jay that Tommy and I had been thinking about something for a while, and that if he just promised me that he would show up, I would put together a weekend event with other young ADs and administrators who love Jesus and were desperate for Christian fellowship and mentorship. Jay told me that he was in, and we were off to the races!
In just 30 days during the summer of 2017, we put together our first “ADs for Christ” annual event in Dallas, and 20 collegiate ADs and senior-level administrators from across the country came together to grow spiritually and encourage one another. Our group was small, but the event was powerful. God definitely showed up and showed off!
Jay, Tommy, and former Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton spoke to our group of attendees. We also heard from Abilene Christian University President Phil Schubert, Dallas Cowboys legend Chad Hennings, and Houston Rockets chaplain and Christian rapper Malcolm Marshall. It was challenging, inspiring, and refreshing. We knew we were onto something and that God was moving.
During the event, executive search firm icon and author Bob Beaudine hosted us at his office and had everyone in attendance sign a baseball. He handed me the ball at the end of the event and told me, “This is the start of something special. You’re going to want to keep this.” I have that ball in my office today and will cherish it forever.
A year later, back in Dallas, we had our second annual ADs for Christ event. We grew to 30 attendees and heard from more incredible ADs and speakers, including the Executive Director of the College Football Playoff, Bill Hancock. The sports architecture firm HKS hosted us in their gorgeous offices downtown and at a Texas Rangers suite. Despite the 107-degree heat, we had an unforgettable experience, but knew that we might need a cooler venue— especially if we were keeping our event in July. We ended up moving our next annual event to Nashville, and that’s when things started to take off.
In the months leading up to our Nashville event, ADs for Christ became a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We developed bylaws, assembled a Board of Directors, and elected officers (Tommy as Secretary, Jay as Treasurer, and me as President). Then, we created a mission statement: to connect, encourage and equip current and aspiring athletics directors who love Jesus and are committed to making an impact for Him through college athletics. We also launched a Facebook page and opened up our own bank account. We were now officially official!
At our Nashville event in 2019, we grew to 85 attendees and had to order a second bus to get our group from place to place. Lipscomb University hosted us on their beautiful campus and the Nashville-based design firm Advent hosted us at their offices for meals. Despite our Texas roots, this felt like home, and we look forward to coming back again in 2020.
Because of our generous sponsors, we’ve been able to keep our annual event free for all our attendees. The only cost for people to cover is their travel and hotel. Starting this year, our Board of Directors is offering grants to attendees who need financial assistance in order to participate in our annual event. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to share in what God is doing through ADs for Christ.
Now, in addition to our 14-member Board, we also have the Servant Leadership Team— a group of 8 volunteers (including my wife Lacey) who work behind the scenes to help run this ministry and organize all the logistics surrounding the annual event. Outside of Lacey, these are young administrators who are striving to become Christian ADs themselves later in their careers. It literally “takes a village” to run this thing, and our village is strong.
Our database of Christian athletics directors and senior-level administrators (mainly Associate, Senior Associate, and Deputy ADs) has expanded to 250 brothers and sisters in Christ throughout college athletics. We keep in touch all year long through monthly e-devotionals for past event attendees and gatherings at industry events like the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention and the Collegiate Athletics Leadership Symposium (CALS). We also utilize Facebook posts, set up Prayer Partners, and encourage texts/calls/emails with your small group from the previous summer. Like it says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” and that’s exactly what we’re aiming to do.
For this summer’s event, scheduled for July 24-25, we’re expanding our ministry for spouses and adding more programming about parenthood and marriage. We’re also encouraging all attendees to bring their spouses to Nashville and connect them with others who can relate to the unique experiences that come with having a husband/wife who works in college sports.
Jay recently started a new monthly Zoom call that we’re calling “Friday Fellowship.” Tommy spoke during the first one in April (on Good Friday), which had 116 participants. Then, Jay’s good friend and world-renowned pastor Louie Giglio spoke in May, and we had 128 participants. These hour-long times of prayer, worship, and preaching are geared towards the 250 people in our database, but are open to everyone. Hope you can join our next one!
God continues to amaze us with how he has grown this ministry and used it to impact the lives of current and future ADs in college athletics. Now that we have it, it’s hard to remember what life was like before ADs for Christ existed.
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” My prayer is that God will use our group to shine so brightly in the world of college athletics, through our love and encouragement of others, that we inspire people to draw closer to Him and bring glory to His name. May we continue to fill the gap in a way that honors Him.