Greg Linville

Assistant Professor of Sports and Youth Ministry

Education:

B.A., Malone University
M.A. and D.Min., Ashland Theological Seminary

Experience

One year in student development at Geneva College
Nearly 15 years as urban director for Young Life and YMCA
More than 25 years as a scholastic and collegiate basketball coach
15 years as the director of sports outreach at First Friends Church
10 years as an adjunct professor at Malone University, Ashland University
Briercrest Seminary; a South African theological seminary
10 years as a full-time professor at Malone University.

Recent Scholarly Work

2007 - Sport & Spirituality Symposium - York St. John University York, England - I presented a Featured Presentation Entitled: "Who was Right: Eric Liddell or Jonathon Edwards: A Historical and Biblical Reflections of the Sport on Sunday Dilemma 2007/8 - CSRM's Sport Outreach Summit Symposium - Moderator 2007 - CSRM's Sport Outreach Summit - Two Seminars: a) Don't let the dust on the cover fool you - Historical Models of Local Church Sports Outreach; b) Preserving the Family in Ministry 2009 Christ Presbyterian Church - downtown Canton February 28 - A light supper and presentation of the movie Chariots of Fire - sharing the background of the movie and life of Eric Liddell March 1 - Presentation on the life of Erik Liddell including information from interviews with those who knew Liddell including his daughter, a Presbyterian missionary who was held in a POW camp with Erik, biographer and more March 8 - Presentation on Lord's Day issues from Eric Liddell's perspective April 4 - Presentation on Palm Sunday Passages WHLO 640 AM - Interview on the Matt Patrick Program March 11 - A "March Madness" interview about the inventor of the game of basketball - James Naismith Sports Outreach Summit April 22 - Academic Symposium - Simple Church and Sports Outreach April 23 - Seminar - Sportsmanship, Gamesmanship or Christmanship: A Template for Determining Biblically Defensible Sports and Sporting Actions April 24 - Seminar Sports outreach Summit - Seminar: Game Day vs. Lord's Day: Who Was Right - Eric Liddell or Jonathon Edwards Christian Society for Sports, Kinesiology and Leisure Symposium June 12 - I Can't Get No Satisfaction - Why Experiencing True Fulfillment in Sport is So Rare June 13 - Sportsmanship, Gamesmanship or Christmanship: A Template for Determining Biblically Defensible Sports and Sporting Actions Lakeside Chatauqua - Education Program: Sport and Faith Week June 22 - Sportsmanship, Gamesmanship or Christmanship: A Template for Determining Biblically Defensible Sports and Sporting Actions June 23 - I Can't Get No Satisfaction - Why Experiencing True Fulfillment in Sport is So Rare Writing: Christmanship - Toward a Theology of Competition and Sport. A series of articles featured on the CSRM website.

Teaching Assignments

I teach 80 percent of the sports outreach courses offered at Malone University.

Other courses I teach include:
Marriage & Ministry
Personal Faith & Ethics
Leadership & Staff Dynamics
Strategies for Evangelism
Communicating the Christian Faith
Leading a Christian Ministry
Introduction to Theology
Proposed courses:
Through the Wardrobe: the Life, Times and Writing of C.S. Lewis

Awarded the first honorary Doctorate of Divinity in Sports Ministry from Briercrest Seminary in 1999 and in addition has earned a Doctorate of Ministry degree with a concentration in Sports Outreach. Other degrees include: a Master of Arts degree, a Master of Divinity Equivalency and a Bachelor of Arts degree. * Wrote the Salt Lake City Olympic Bible insert given to all Olympic athletes. * Has been invited to lecture and present papers on three different continents and seven different countries including being a regular presenter at the CSRM Academic Symposium, CSKLS Symposia. Individual presentations include venues such as: the York St. John's University Symposium on Spirituality and Sport; Christians in Sport Symposium in Oxford; and the ISC Church Sports Gathering in Cairo, Egypt. * Served as chaplain for various professional, collegiate and scholastic sports teams and has been the chaplain for the Akron Aeros, an AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians for over 15 years. * Married with two adult children. * Served for 13 years on the urban staff of the YMCA and Young Life in Canton, Ohio where he ministered to center city kids and gangs through sports and recreation. * Served as a consultant for leadership development for the Central Stark County YMCA recruiting, training and encouraging YMCA staff. * Has more than 25 years of coaching experience at the Junior High, High School and Collegiate levels and over 30 years of coaching in Rec Leagues. Currently a volunteer assistant coach at Canton Heritage High School where he received the Ohio State District IV coach of the year award for 2006 and the District IV assistant coach of the year in 2005. * Served 15 years at an Evangelical Friends Church as Sports & Recreation Minister. * Currently Assistant Professor of Sports Ministry at Malone University. * One of the founders of the association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministers (CSRM); served for four years on its board; was CSRM Board President in 1999; and has served as the Executive Director of CSRM since 2000. * Has composed many articles on the Theology of Competition, the Ethics of Competition; The Theology of the Human Body; and other pieces dealing with various aspects of Youth, Sport and Recreation Ministry. Has written chapters in Sports Ministry textbooks and is working on a book on The Biblical View of Sport and Competition. He is the editor for numerous other Sports Ministry Manuals; and has written manuals such as: How to Initiate a Sports Ministry in a Local Church and a Devotional for Athletes and Coaches. * Is a consultant to local churches and to para-ministries such as FCA and continues as a presenter for various Sports Ministry conferences and symposia. * Current research focuses on the effectiveness of local church sports outreach