Competing for Christ: Faith and Christian Athletes at Grace College

By Leah Heim (BA 27)

At Grace College, athletics are more than just competition. Across every team and season, student athletes are learning what it means to pursue excellence while keeping their identity rooted in Christ. Grace College Christian athletes get to experience how faith and sports work hand in hand, whether it is through prayer before a match, representing Christ on the field, or encouraging teammates in difficult moments. These athletes share how competing for Christ has shaped their athletic journeys and strengthened their relationship with God.

At Grace, faith is not something separated from sports. It is the foundation for how our athletes live, represent themselves, and build community at Grace College.

Addison Swope – Women’s Tennis

Q: How has your relationship with God shaped who you are as an athlete?

“My relationship with Christ through athletics has made me more gracious and welcoming to other athletes. We pray before and after matches and with the other team, making it less competition-focused and more focused on being grateful for the opportunity to play. I see it more as a blessing to play, not purely focused on winning.

My life verse is Isaiah 40:29-31. To paraphrase: when you’re losing or low on strength, God empowers us to pursue through Him. ‘They who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.’ I come back to those verses mid-match and remind myself that I have God, my teammates, and I don’t have to go through it alone.”

Q: How do you keep your identity rooted in Christ instead of your athletic performance?

“Every day, I have to be reminded that I am not the source—God is, and He has provided. I constantly ask in prayer for God to use me as intended for His will.”

This practice of daily surrender is vital when it comes to the day-to-day competitiveness of sports. It is easy to celebrate when things are going well, but an athlete’s heart posture is always revealed during moments of intense pressure, failure, or unexpected disappointment.

Jake Keiser – Men’s Golf

Q: How do you handle pressure, failure, or disappointment in your sport?

“I think it goes down to the question, ‘Why are you playing?’ Over the years, I’ve learned to develop the mindset that God already knows who I am and I don’t have to prove myself to anyone else. Instead, I try to show gratitude for the opportunity to play and glorify Him through the gift He’s given me.”

By shifting the focus away from external validation, Christian athletes can play with a real sense of purpose. Shifting the focus from proving oneself to glorifying God fundamentally changes how athletes play the game.

Q: How has God used athletic setbacks in your life?

“God has a way of setting our priorities straight when they’re not. When I was younger, I cared more about shooting good scores on the course rather than my relationship with Him. It wasn’t until recently that God helped me get my priorities back in line. He helped me realize why I play the sport and that regardless of the end result, the glory still goes to Him.”

Alex Pinkleton – Men’s XC / Track

Q: How do you make time for faith during a busy athletic schedule?

“I invite the Lord into everything I do—prayer, reflections, and worship on runs. It means sacrificing our leisure time for the Lord to make sure we are prioritizing Him above our earthly treasures. What really helped me was inviting the Lord into my everyday activities, even while showering, just to show intentionality and dedication to my faith journey.”

Q: How do you stay spiritually disciplined during your competitive season?

“You gotta know where your priorities are. You need to make space for God and be disciplined enough to spend intentional time with Him. In the same way as running, we prioritize what’s important for our sport, but we also need to prioritize what’s important in our personal lives.”

Maintaining this discipline is what allows Christian athletes to thrive. By intentionally putting faith first, an athlete’s performance stops defining who they are.

Noah Dininger – Men’s Baseball

Q: How does your team integrate faith in sports?

“For the baseball team, we have team chapels every week in our locker room with the whole team in attendance. We talk about what verses stood out to us in the chapters we were asked to read. It is a great time to get into the Word with the team, and it’s a meaningful time to have fellowship.

I think that time also helped bring the Holy Spirit into the hearts of some of the guys—so much so that a couple of them got baptized a couple of weeks ago! On top of that, we pray before and after practice, and after games. We also do team church sometimes, where the whole team goes to Mission Point Church for the service. Again, it’s just more time for us to have fellowship with each other.”

This culture of Christian fellowship can shift a team’s motivation and make a lasting impact. When surrounded by brothers or sisters pursuing the same goal, playing for validation fades in comparison to playing for the Lord.

Q: What does it mean to you to play for an “audience of one”?

“For me, playing for an audience of one means giving 100% to God no matter what. Going at everything with 100% focus, confidence, and effort is all that we can ask of ourselves, and it’s all that God asks us to do. Obviously, success is something that we want for ourselves, but even if the outcome isn’t how you thought it would be, knowing that you gave 100% effort is all you need at the end of the day. Colossians 3:23 is a favorite verse of mine to back up this idea of giving 100%.”

Rylee Burns – Women’s Soccer

Q: What has been the biggest spiritual lesson sports has taught you?

“The concept of living life for God’s glory, not my own. It’s the idea of living and playing not for myself, or even my teammates, but for God’s glory. That idea is big in our team culture, and it’s fun and exciting to get to grow athletically and spiritually with the other girls on the team.”

Leaning on God through both the busy schedules and long days helps athletes grow not only in their sport, but in their faith as well.

Q: What advice would you give younger Christian athletes trying to follow Christ?

“It is good to be competitive, and working hard and giving your best is a reflection of God’s glory. But being able to surrender success and results to Him, regardless of the outcome, is what’s more important at the end of the day.”

Through every practice, match, race, and game, student athletes at Grace College are constantly learning what it means to glorify God with their gifts and hard work. Their stories reflect the heart of Grace College Athletics: developing athletes who compete not just to win, but to pursue Christ both on and off the field. This mission is lived out daily through their hard work and a shared commitment to faith in sports.