Career
Tronson was trained in theology at Morling Baptist Theological College in Sydney, 1977-1980. Following pastorates at Croydon Park and Warragamba (1979–1983), he served as a part-time industrial chaplain until 1992. Inspired at an international congress on sports mission in Hong Kong (1982) he pioneered the Sports and Leisure Ministry, in association with the Australian Heads of Churches.
The Australian Cricket Board was the first to adopt the idea of a Sports Chaplaincy with the appointment of Tronson as their chaplain.
Over the next 18 years he extended this ministry also to many other Australian professional sports associations - involving the placement of 150 chaplains - and developing networks of Christian athletes. Kevan Gosper, the Australian Olympic Committee President, invited Tronson to be a Chaplain at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
At subsequent Olympics, Tronson has appointed Australian Olympic chaplains. In 2000 Tronson was invited to the International Olympic Committee Lausanne Switzerland to assist in the development of an Olympic Villages Religious Services protocol.
Tronson has undertaken numerous study tours on sports mission, speaking at seminars and engaging in evangelism in United States, United Kingdom, South of Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Israel, Turkey, Italy and France.
In 1984-1986 he wrote a doctoral dissertation on sports mission, which earned him a Doctor of Philosophy from Louisiana Baptist University in association with Morling College. In 2000 due to ill health, the Heads of Churches released Tronson from the Sports and Leisure Ministry, establishing a new venture - ‘Well-Being Australia’. He continues to network with athletes, especially Australian cricketers and developed athlete respite facilities, Basil Sellers Moruya and Basil Sellers Tweed.
In 2005 Mark Tronson was voted as one of Australia’s 25 most influential Evangelicals by the national evangelical newspaper New Life.
( Sports Chaplains are well established and since May 2005, SLM has undergone significant changes and is now known as Sports Chaplaincy Australia Incorporated.
