For five days and four nights in May, SportsLife Leadership’s Leadership Team held its first-ever retreat at Petty Creek Ranch in Alberton, Montana. Located 30 miles outside Missoula, the Christian-owned, 700-acre facility offered a unique space for the staff to pray, plan, and play.

According to President Dan Britton, this retreat was an inspired fulfillment of Psalm 18:19:

“He brought me out to a spacious place;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.”

“Being in such a beautiful and isolated setting allowed us to create space for productive moments of creativity, clarity, and vision-casting,” Britton said.

As SportsLife Leadership approaches its two-year anniversary in September, this retreat marked the first time the entire leadership team gathered in person.

“We’ve never been together face to face. We wanted to begin shaping our team culture and the only way to do that was to be face-to-face. It’s the power of presence.” – Dan Britton

A key goal for Britton was to establish a foundation for SportsLife’s future through a process called “The Standard.” Chief Leadership Officer Jimmy Page was tasked to facilitate the development of “The Standard” for SportsLife and lead training sessions to deepen the ministry’s core values.

“Jimmy did a great job setting the table for us to connect, dig deeper, and figure out how we’ll unite as a team,” Britton said. “We have strong leaders and will take specific steps to move forward together, agreeing on how we’ll do life and ministry as a cohesive team.”

Much of the material for “The Standard” was developed by Page over the past 12 years, drawing from his experiences with Navy SEALs.

“The training aimed to galvanize our team in a condensed time,” Page explained. “Every individual, family, team, and organization has a unique culture. That culture is the environment made up of beliefs, behaviors, expectations, agreements, and commitments. A healthy culture ensures an environment where everyone can flourish.”

Page extended this training into team-building exercises, including flipping tires, carrying sandbags up a mountain, and low ropes activities.

“We wanted to get below the surface,” Britton said. “Pushing ourselves physically helps peel back the layers and allows us to truly know each other as leaders.”

For Page, these physical challenges fostered “unity in culture.”

“Great organizations with strong cultures share suffering and success,” Page said. “People remember the teams they played on because of shared blood, sweat, and tears. We’re using the ethos of sports to shape our own culture. Exceptionally successful teams create an environment of personal ownership, responsibility, and mutual accountability.”

After hiking to the top of a mountain called Chapel Rock, Mark Ellis, Field Director of Sports Operations, encouraged the group to spend five minutes in silence, listening to God’s creation. For Brandon Slay, Executive Director of Wrestling, it was a retreat highlight.

“It was a beautiful day, and we realized we sat in silence for an extended time of 12 minutes,” Slay recalled.

“It was spiritually refreshing to just listen to the birds and the wind rustling through the trees. Back home, there’s always noise, so it was nice to experience quiet.” – Brandon Slay

Alongside meetings and planning, the week included activities like fly fishing on the Clark Fork River, shooting sporting clays, and enjoying meals together.

“We covered important topics for moving ministry forward, but the biggest impact came from enjoying each other’s company and building relationships,” said Chief Sport Officer Carl Perry. “Those moments are irreplaceable.”

Petty Creek Ranch owner Wayne Williams’ commitment to Christian organizations made this retreat possible. Executive Director Chad Clemons noted, “The facility’s goal is to provide an uninterrupted space to connect.”

“We watched the SportsLife team fully engage in this workshop,” he said. “What emerged was amazing—confidence, determination, and a clear vision for what’s ahead.” – Chad Clemons, Petty Creek Ranch

Tina Snover, Director of Training, described the retreat as “an excellent time to grow in unity and be with the Lord.”

“It was a beautiful setting that allowed us to bond, strategize, and grow as a unified group of leaders,” she said. “I left excited to be part of a powerful team that desires to work hard and serve others for the glory of the Lord.”

Mike McDonald, Executive Director of Faith RXD (the CrossFit ministry of SportsLife), echoed these sentiments: “This retreat was a chance to step back and genuinely connect with my teammates, strengthening us as a SportsLife team.”

Britton plans to utilize Petty Creek Ranch annually to “reset, reposition, and retool.” He believes SportsLife Leadership is ready to grow from a place of strength as it dives deeper into its vision and mission.

“We often discuss ROI (return on investment) but don’t talk enough about ROR (return on relationship),” Britton concluded. “We solidified key relationships within our team, creating trust and elevating our impact.”