One hundred people surveyed. Top six answers are on the board. Here’s the question: “What would you say is the goal of athletic competition?” Can you picture yourself lunging for the button, then confidently saying, “Winning championships!” Of course.

If you are involved in a sport or the fan of a team, winning championships matters. After all, that is society’s scoreboard. It records wins and losses! Those wins and losses show up on websites, league standings and seed championship tournaments. Oh, and if you are a coach and don’t want to win, you should likely find a new vocation.

But is that really all there is—or is there something more?

There is more. It’s found in the Lancaster Bible College Athletic Department mission of “pursuing excellence in athletics and cultivating Christ-centered relationships that impact others.” Of course, we want to experience success on society’s scoreboard. We pursue championships. But our main push is a second scoreboard—maybe a lesser known but profoundly important one that matters most to God.

At LBC, this means that we want to live “set apart” in our approach to athletics. In addition to being about the business of winning championships, we first want to be about building championship-level human beings and followers of Christ. You see, if we’re not careful while pursuing society’s scoreboard, we may also begin to find our identity in sport instead of firmly rooted in our relationship with Christ.

That’s why we make sure that certain elements are part of every Charger student-athlete’s experience. This aligns with overall LBC student experiences that are “formative,” “thriving” and “memorable.”

Formative experiences are opportunities for students to engage in experiential, formational learning outside the classroom, including mentorship programs, retreats, and leadership and service experiences. These integrate the intellectual, social and spiritual side while also encouraging students to ask deep questions, step outside their comfort zones, take risks, learn from those around them, and grow in their faith and self-awareness.

In athletics, what do these formative experiences look like? They are one-on-one sessions with coaches, opportunities to grow in leadership, team retreats and service projects, missions trips, teachable moments during practices and games, apprenticeship programs, team Bible studies and devotionals, and the chance to participate in student groups like the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Next, the thriving environment within the student experience helps students feel a sense of belonging through group activities, collective worship, deep friendships and knowing where to reach out to help feel known, heard and supported.

Student-athletes experience these thriving environments through orientation activities, opportunities for character development, worship nights and knowing the college’s—as well as the Athletic Department’s—mission, vision and values.

Finally, memorable moments are core memories that stay with a student long after graduation, such as those that foster a culture to build excitement and engagement among students. Whether taking shape through intramural sports programs, outdoor recreation, student activities and college traditions, these memories help build friendships and hopefully enable students to leave LBC as enthusiastic and connected alumni.

From the athletics standpoint, these memorable moments include team bonding times, celebrations and awards banquets, team room and game day experiences, and even time spent on the bus to and from away games, whether after a big win or a disappointing loss.

Regardless of where they fall within the “formative,” “thriving” or “memorable” categories of the overall LBC student experience, LBC Athletics is grounded in these “Super 7” Formative Experience Initiatives:

1. Monthly one-on-one connections with coaches and other student-athletes are centered on a promise to always put “person over player.”

2. Two service opportunities per team per year enable players to become the hands and feet of Christ in community, whether at home or abroad.

3. Weekly team times focus on character development and Bible study.

4. Charger Care is a program funded by an NCAA grant to provide development and oversight to greater care for student-athletes’ mental health and well-being. Efforts include routine check-ins, awareness, education and programming.

5. The Chargers Leadership Institute is comprised of 45 team captains from LBC squads. With curriculum based on John C. Maxwell’s “The 5 Levels of Leadership,” student-athlete leaders are equipped to: “Learn” (an Invitation to Grow); “Earn” (an Invitation to Serve); and “Return” (an Invitation to Disciple). LBC desires to multiply leadership on athletic teams and across campus by investing, developing and empowering emerging leaders, as Christ did with His disciples during his journey on earth.

6. Character Coaches help support the LBC coaching staff in the area of discipleship and mentoring. These volunteers work with specific teams, attend occasional practices, lead devotions and are available to meet one-on-one with student-athletes.

7. Making the Most of the ‘114.’ The NCAA allots 114 competitive days for most LBC Charger sports teams. Coaches and Athletic Department leadership believe that each of these 114 days presents a live, hands-on classroom offering advanced training in handling adversity and clarifying identity.

With all this information, you may be thinking to yourself: “Athletics certainly seems different at Lancaster Bible College.” And you would be exactly right! Attend a game, follow sports action and news at lbccchargers.com, get to know a Charger student-athlete, volunteer, or give financially to a team or program, and you’ll see why LBC Athletics are “set apart.”