Rod Hairston has a unique preaching assignment. On most Sundays he preaches to his local church, but four months out of the year he also serves as the chaplain to the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. It's not your typical Sunday morning crowd. But in the process of pastoring and preaching to some of the finest athletes in the world, Rod has learned some valuable lessons that apply to ministry anywhere and anytime.

PreachingToday.com: Rod, what's your basic job description as the chaplain for the Baltimore Ravens?

Rod Hairston: My job description is to serve as a pastor for the guys on the team, the general manager, and the coaching staff. So in one sense I do what any pastor would do for his flock—discipling, teaching Scripture at our regular chapel services, writing and leading Bible studies, helping guys come to know Christ and then get a foundation for their faith, training Christians to become spiritual leaders. I also do premarital and marital counseling. In other words, I provide the spiritual resources for continued spiritual growth and to reach out to unbelievers.

How do the guys respond to your ministry?

Well, just like any other setting, you get all kinds of responses. But I've noticed that no matter where guys are coming from spiritually, they'll listen to me if I respect them and respect their craft. But you have to walk beside the guys and respect them as men no matter how they respond. Some of my warmest long-term relationships have been with guys who didn't become believers until after they left the Ravens.

For example, I knew one guy who was our starting safety when we won the Super Bowl back in 2001. He definitely wasn't walking with Christ. But last year I bumped into him at a conference for Pro Athletes Outreach and he told me, "You know, Rev., I remember all those times you invited me to chapel and I wouldn't come. I wanted you to know that since I've been out of the league I've really found my relationship with Christ. I want to thank you for inviting me even when I kept turning you down."

So how do you pastor guys who seem to have it all? They're amazing athletes. They're young and strong. They have fame and million-dollar contracts. How do you shepherd and preach to guys like that?

It's a misconception that these guys "have it all." There are only a few marquee players in every locker room who make in the millions. It's true that the NFL's minimum salary is around $270,000, but the majority of guys are just like most of us—they're trying to get or stay established in their careers. They're searching for value and significance. They're afraid of failure. They're concerned about what they're going to do after their football career is over—which could end any day because it's a violent game. They've got challenges as fathers or husbands or sons and brothers. So they have the same needs that you and I have. As a result, they just want somebody who can speak to them as men and who will give them the truth of the gospel and not some watered-down version.

Can you think of an example when you were gut-level honest with one of the players?

Sure, I could think of 50 of those conversations, but I'll share two stories that come to mind. A few years ago we were flying back from a road trip and as the flight was landing, I noticed the player sitting next to me making plans on his cell phone. He was lining up a string of flings with young women. I leaned over and said, "Listen, man, I've been around this game long enough to know that as a rookie you're not going to make it if you keep living this way." He looked at me and said, "Rev., I can't believe you'd come at me like that." I said, "Trust me, I'm only telling you this because of what I know. God has greater things in store for your life, and if you continue down this road, you'll regret it." By the end of the week he was cut from the team and never played in the league again.

On another occasion (and this is public knowledge), I had to be gut-level honest with Terrell Suggs. At the time he and his wife weren't married and Terrell clearly wasn't following Christ. So I told him, "Terrell, God wants all of you not just a part of you. You've been giving him just a part of you. When you give God everything, you'll begin to live." He went through some hard times but eventually he came back to me and said, "I want to thank you for that challenge, Rev. I heard exactly what you said, and my wife and I are trying to get our lives on track with Christ."

Are some of the guys surprised that you're that blunt with them?

No, they've learned to expect it from me. They know that I love them, and that I want to be a tender shepherd in their lives. But when I see a guy headed down the wrong road, he doesn't need me to be soft with him. He needs me to shoot straight with him. But, again, that depends on my relationship with the guy. I have to earn the right to be that blunt.

You preach to your Sunday morning congregation at Messiah Community Church and you preach at the Ravens chapel. What's unique or challenging about preaching to pro athletes?

First of all, they're all men. So I'm always trying to challenge them to see God's view of their potential as men—not simply as athletes, although that's certainly part of it. I want to inspire them to get God's perspective on their role as a father and a husband. My messages often focus on the impact they can have as a leader in their family and in their community. They can set the tone for their environment.

So the basic message is this: God is calling you to step up. You have potential because of who you are in Christ. Sometimes the message is a more basic challenge for guys to grow up. I tell guys, "If you're 26-years-old and you're still switching from one girlfriend to the next, you haven't grown up. You need to start thinking about taking a bride and loving her for the rest of your life."

I also try to walk them through some of the big issues they're facing. Football is filled with fears: Will I get injured? Will I make the team? Will I have my job next year? So I try to open the Scriptures and show them that when you're intimately connected to Christ, you don't have to fear anything or anyone. I try to show them the sovereignty of God that helps ease our fears and uncertainties.

Do you think men in general are hungry to hear a similar message from preachers—that is, the challenge to step up and live up to your potential?

I think you're absolutely right. The local church needs to give men something to fight for together—some goal or some task. Men need a battle that's worth fighting for, something that we can either win or lose. There needs to be something real at stake. Because even if we lose in the battle, at least we can come back and say, "We fought well but here's where we can improve." We're made for a worthy battle against a real opponent. And the church could do a whole lot more to help us develop a sense of camaraderie and then to fight the right battles.

Is there a difference in your delivery between your two preaching contexts?

Not really. The sermon content is different but the delivery is the same in both settings. People appreciate me being me. That means that my delivery is very passionate. On the one hand, I'd like to think of myself as a cerebral guy and a deep thinker, but I can't share God's Word without being passionate. The guys on the team like that because the game of football is passionate. The last thing they want is a message that has good content but it's boring and dry. So my sermons have to be pointed, clear, and very practical for their lives.

As a pastor, what do you say when a player has a career-ending injury on the field?

One of the guys was an outstanding running back with a great attitude and an amazing work ethic. But after a series of concussions and other injuries, he had to face a tough decision: Should he stay in the game or not? I had the chance to walk with him and his wife as they made their decision. Fortunately, he had made some wise financial decisions along the way and he trusted in the sovereignty of God so he decided to leave the game for good. Now he's serving on staff at my church as the youth minister.

The reality of injuries brings up an interesting point. Christianity isn't just about winning. Sometimes it's about embracing failure and weakness. Do these pro athletes respond positively to the message of a crucified Savior?

Absolutely. The players usually resonate with that message. In fact, one of my messages this year was based on 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul says, "When I'm weak then I'm strong, for his strength is made perfect in weakness." My sermon focused on how we learn something profound about God when we're weak, when we don't have all the resources or all the answers within ourselves. That's when we discover how awesome God really is. That's when we really see the power of Christ at work within us. We have to depend on someone greater than ourselves.

Keep in mind that we lost three games in a row before we made it to the Super Bowl, and we also had some really ugly wins. So it's not all about winning and being the champions. I think losing provides some of the best lessons in life. The losing streak humbled us and made us realize that God really gets the glory, not us.

How do you prevent the guys on the team from viewing you and maybe even God as a kind of good luck charm?

I think all of us—and not just football players—are naturally bent toward idolatry and making God our genie in a bottle. So, yes, I have to address that tendency. That's why I always challenge guys to make God a priority in their lives on a regular basis, not just when it's crunch time and they're suiting up for the game. I had a situation recently where a couple of the guys on the team were trying to grab me right before game time. I had to say to these guys, "Look, I'm not going to drop in and pray for you now. You know when we have our prayer times. You know when we have our chapel times. I'd like to see you make those times a priority."

Some of the believers on the team were upset with me, but I don't like the practice of ringing up the Rev. so he can touch you before the big game, especially when they don't show up for anything else. I have to explain to guys that we're not going to rub God like a good luck charm. It's like telling God, "Please God, help me in my critical moment, but I don't want you in the rest of my life."

One more question, Rod. You were right on the sidelines in the Super Bowl. It's fourth and five on your own goal line. San Francisco has one last chance, and it's an incomplete pass. Give me an honest answer: was there defensive holding?

Was it defensive holding? Probably. But do you make that call in that game? Absolutely not. The refs were consistent all night. They let a lot of things go. So they made the right call.

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Rod Hairston is the pastor of Messiah Community Church in Maryland and the chaplain and leadership coach for the Baltimore Ravens.