Coaching as Ministry
For Brad Bass, serving others has never been limited to the walls of a church. Over the years, God has used his family, his marriage, and his calling as a baseball coach to show him that ministry can happen anywhere, even on a field.
Brad and his wife, Sally, have been involved in church since before they were married. Sally has faithfully served through music, either singing in the choir or serving as church pianist in each church they have attended. Her example helped Brad see his work in a new way.
“She was really the one that showed me that being a coach was a ministry,” Brad shares. “I just wanted to be a baseball coach, but after we started dating, that part of my life slowly turned into a ministry.”
That realization changed the way Brad led, served, and invested in the young men entrusted to him.
Raised to Serve
Brad’s foundation of service began at home. His parents raised him in the church and were active members who gave their time and energy wherever they were needed. They helped keep a thrift store running that raised money for their church and the surrounding community.
For Brad, church involvement was not treated as something separate from everyday life. It was simply part of what the family did.
“If we were not doing something at home, we were doing something for our church,” Brad says. “It was just something we did.”
That early example shaped Brad’s understanding of faith, responsibility, and service. It also prepared him for the way God would later use coaching as a platform for ministry.
Bringing Faith to the Field
Before he and Sally started dating, Brad says he “did a very good job of separating church from the field.” But once he became a head coach, that began to change.
Service became something he intentionally worked to build into the culture of his teams. If the team was not working on their facility or volunteering to help with something on campus, they were finding ways to serve in the community.
Over the years, Brad’s teams have participated in disaster relief efforts, community projects, mission trips, and events to raise support for their program. Through these opportunities, students learned that baseball was about more than competition. It was also about character, humility, teamwork, and using their gifts to serve others.
Brad’s coaching ministry became a way to shape lives beyond the scoreboard.
Connecting Students to Service
Brad’s move to ABU became a natural fit. Since students are required to complete community or Christian service hours, Brad began helping them find ways to serve in and around Arlington.
“When I found out about Men Serving God, it seemed like a perfect fit for things I like to do, things that ABU required, and Men Serving God’s purpose,” Brad shares.
Over time, Brad and his students have gotten connected with a variety of Men Serving God opportunities, including Central Storehouse, The Salvation Army, the annual MSG BBQ, the annual golf tournament, Miracle League, and Midwest Food Bank.
Through these opportunities, Brad has watched students move from required service to meaningful service. They have had the chance to work alongside faithful men, meet real community needs, and see what it looks like to live out faith through action.
Brotherhood in Men Serving God
Brad has also found encouragement through the relationships he has built within Men Serving God. He especially values the connection he has with the Bear Team, a group of men committed to serving together and supporting local ministry efforts.
“I enjoy the relationship I have with the members of Men Serving God, and especially the Bears group,” Brad says.
For Brad, those relationships matter. They provide brotherhood, encouragement, and shared purpose. Serving alongside other men who love the Lord and care about the community has strengthened his own desire to keep showing up wherever God opens a door.
Serving Beyond the Field
In addition to his work with Men Serving God, Brad has completed training with Texans on Mission and has served through several opportunities with chainsaw crews. He has also connected with fellow Texans on Mission member Mikey Osborne near Crockett, Texas, where he occasionally helps at a church camp called Waters Edge.
Brad’s team has also traveled there to help prepare a baseball field for summer camps, another example of how God continues to connect baseball, service, and ministry in Brad’s life.
Family, Hospitality, and Legacy
Brad and Sally have three grown children, two grandchildren, and one more grandchild on the way. But their family influence extends far beyond their own household.
After 45 years of serving as baseball coaches, Brad and Sally have poured into countless young men through their teams. Many of those players have spent time in their home for Bible studies, prayer, encouragement, Sally’s good cooking, and more chocolate chip cookies than Brad can count.
That kind of hospitality reflects the heart of their ministry. They have opened their home, their lives, and their faith to generations of students and athletes.
A Life of Faithful Investment
Brad Bass’s story is a reminder that ministry often begins with what God has already placed in our hands. For Brad, that has included a baseball field, a team, a family, a church, and a willingness to serve wherever needed.
Through coaching, community service, Men Serving God, and faithful hospitality, Brad continues to invest in others with humility and purpose.
His life shows that when a man brings his faith into the places God has called him, ordinary opportunities can become lasting ministry.
