Philosophy of Athletics

The purpose of the Lighthouse Preparatory Academy athletics program is to help fulfill its mission – “to strengthen families by partnering with parents to develop witnesses for Christ through academic excellence and character development” which includes providing students with an opportunity to glorify God in the athletic arena by:

• Exhibiting the splendor of God’s creative power evident in the unique capabilities of the human mind (Phil. 2:3), body (Rom. 12:1), and spirit (Prov. 16:18-19).
• Developing and exhibiting a strong work ethic (Rom. 5:3-5). Athletes must learn to give every practice and game their best efforts as though working for God in their pursuits (Col. 3:23-24).
• Developing and exhibiting exceptional unity and teamwork (Eph. 6:8). All players will learn to work together as a team, valuing the contributions of others and seeking to benefit the team rather than himself/herself (Rom. 12:4-6).
• Developing and exhibiting self-control. Students will learn to be self-controlled in even the most heated competition (Gal. 5:22-26).
• Loving the opponent. Students will hold the opponent in higher esteem than themselves, seeking to promote peace, to look first to the needs of the opponent, and to speak only words that encourage him/her (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:5; Matt. 5-44; John 15:12; 1John 4:7).

Although one of the collective goals of our sports programs is to win games, and although we expect that players, coaches, and fans should eagerly desire to win, the desire to win games will never supersede the principle purpose stated above – for we are convinced of what the Lord teaches us in 1 Timothy 4:8 and 1 Corinthians 9:25.

Building a program based on 1 Corinthians 10:31 requires each coach, parent, player, teacher, and the administrator to understand and adhere to the fact we “do all to the glory of God.”

Participation teaches the important life lesson of placing group goals ahead of personal goals, how to make personal contributions to the welfare of the team, and that we should treat all team members with respect and dignity.