2025 Coaches Time Out

Coaches TimeOut (CTO) is FCA’s marriage ministry, prayerfully designed to help coaches and their spouses grow deeper in their walk with Jesus Christ while strengthening the covenant of marriage He has established.

In the high-stakes world of competitive sports, coaches are often pulled in every direction working long hours, traveling, and facing relentless pressure to win. Though many strive to leave the stress of the job at the gym or on the field, it often follows them home. But God never intended for marriage to take a backseat to success.

At CTO, we believe that with Christ as the foundation, coaches can pursue both their calling and a Christ-centered marriage. FCA staff and their spouses come together to help CTO events focus on helping coaches and their spouses to reinvest relationally, rest meaningfully, and renew spiritually.

Practice schedules and scoreboards tend to dictate so much of a coach's life and the craziness of coaching can weigh on one's marriage. At CTO we get back to the fundamentals of a coach's relationship with their lifelong teammate. We intentionally spend time centered on quality conversations and we prioritize investment of time in what matters most – each other. 

One coach who attended CTO this summer said, “Coaching pulls me apart from my spouse so it’s refreshing to do something together especially when it allows us to focus on our marriage." Another coach commented on being encouraged to share their heart with their spouse while others experienced a realignment of their spiritual life with their spouse.

This year coaches and their spouses learned practical ways to communicate better in their marriages while also discussing real life communication barriers. After each session coaches and spouses gathered in small group huddles to discuss session material together.

Small group huddle conversations are paramount to connecting with other coaches and their spouses on the topics covered in large group sessions. FCA staff and their spouses facilitate conversation within the huddles and focus on engaging each couple to share and learn. Tim Elrod shared, “Asking a lot of questions about each of the coaches and their spouses along with being a great listener creates trust and builds meaningful relationships. Sharing about our own failures as a couple seems to encourage the younger married couples. When they realize that others have dealt with some of the same things they are dealing with and have experienced growth, it gives them hope that they can be successful in their marriage too.” Tom Ness agrees that “Sometimes just realizing that others are struggling with the same issues can be an encouragement.”