New Trend? Churches using Fight Teams to Reach Men

Posted on February 11, 2010
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(66) comments

From the New York Times: In the back room of a theater on Beale Street, John Renken, 37, a pastor, recently led a group of young men in prayer. “Father, we thank you for tonight,” he said. “We pray that we will be a representation of you.” An hour later, a member of his flock who had bowed his head was now unleashing a torrent of blows on an opponent, and Mr. Renken was offering guidance that was not exactly prayerful.

“Hard punches!” he shouted from the sidelines of a martial arts event called Cage Assault. “Finish the fight! To the head! To the head!”

The young man was a member of a fight team at Xtreme Ministries, a small church near Nashville that doubles as a mixed martial arts academy. Mr. Renken, who founded the church and academy, doubles as the team’s coach. The school’s motto is “Where Feet, Fist and Faith Collide.”

Mr. Renken’s ministry is one of a small but growing number of evangelical churches that have embraced mixed martial arts — a sport with a reputation for violence and blood that combines kickboxing, wrestling and other fighting styles — to reach and convert young men, whose church attendance has been persistently low. Mixed martial arts events have drawn millions of television viewers, and one was the top pay-per-view event in 2009.

Recruitment efforts at the churches, which are predominantly white, involve fight night television viewing parties and lecture series that use ultimate fighting to explain how Christ fought for what he believed in. Other ministers go further, hosting or participating in live events.

The goal, these pastors say, is to inject some machismo into their ministries — and into the image of Jesus — in the hope of making Christianity more appealing. “Compassion and love — we agree with all that stuff, too,” said Brandon Beals, 37, the lead pastor at Canyon Creek Church outside of Seattle. “But what led me to find Christ was that Jesus was a fighter.”

Comments

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CS on Fri, February 12, 2010

Leonard:

“He is not using this as a replacement for church.”

This is a straw man argument; I never called it a replacement for church. I said that it was being used as a draw card to get people into church.

“I like it and see nothing wrong with it.”

I think you’re wrong, and you think I’m wrong. I’m fine that we disagree.

—
CS
CS on Fri, February 12, 2010

Peter:

“Somebody pinch me� I disagree quite a lot with Leonard and yet agree (strongly) with CS on something.

A combo I don�t see very often.

That said, it�s not a salvation issue is it�”

Don’t make me take you down and slap a kimura lock on you, Pete. =)

—
CS
Jerry on Fri, February 12, 2010

True wisdom knows which fights to be in and which to avoid. There are those who enjoy a good fight, while others do not.

I believe this church is trying to reach men in a different way than most. Some, unfortunately, will attack them just for being out of the norm and not acting within the box churches are supposed to operate. Others find the fighting offensive purely because of the physical violence involved, regardless of the mindset of the participants, who, in most cases, are NOT acting out of hate for one another, but because they enjoy the sport.

Psalm 144:1 says “Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” We are certainly not in the same situation as David was, but we have battles to fight daily. This church is trying to show men that going to church doesn’t make you a wussy.

Besides, this isn’t their worship service.
Peter Hamm on Fri, February 12, 2010

CS writes [Don�t make me take you down and slap a kimura lock on you, Pete. =)]

Yeah, and I’ll pull a gun and get all Indiana Jones on your sorry butt.

Blessings,
Peter
Christopher Fontenot on Fri, February 12, 2010

If this pastor wants to reach the men of this sport as well as the spectators, then why not stand outside the arena and engage the fans in the parking lot or preach open air to the crowd waiting in line to get in? Works for me. They usually stay for the whole message since they don’t want to leave their place in the line. The message gets delivered and no one can bring reproach on the Church for participating or condoning an activity that may be morally questionable.
Robert Winkler Burke on Wed, February 17, 2010

See David’s fighting style, as in… King David…

http://www.russianmartialart.com
http://www.battlebornsystema.com

Breaking Off Adhesions
By Robert Winkler Burke
Of inthatdayteachings.com
Copyright 1/27/09

Matthew 24:28
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Breaking off adhesions,
By all rights,
Strange requires bruising,
Tender fights.

You need, in fact,
A friend,
In temp as enemy,
To rend.

To break adhesions,
Off ego,
Then perchance, per spec,
We grow.

Thank friend enemy,
Who the cycle ends,
Parting soul from ego,
Stopping selfish sins.

Breaking off adhesions,
Isn�t nice to do,
Eagles pick off our flesh,
An ugly task true.

Only a friend you fight,
Can likely do it right,
Excising selfish blight,
To spark godly light.

Usually you break his wing,
His beak or talon,
It�s the onerous job due,
He who was carrion�

Who is now eagle,
No more cannibalic,
Picks sin sinew from bone,
Ending ties satanic.

Some day you might be eagle,
Breaking off sticky, bad adhesions,
From a friend you sadly fight,
Destroying popular delusions.

Don�t fear the fight, the friend,
Or all what you will see,
Better to see the ugly truth now,
Than in eternity.

We think we are so good when so bad,
And evil the friend who proves us wrong,
But only a friend as kind eagle,
Without mercy beats our weakness strong.

Breaking off adhesions,
By restoration right,
Requires that we lose,
Ego�s last breath fight.
Tony Scialdone on Thu, February 18, 2010

Wow…that’s quite a list of reactionary comments. I’m a little surprised.

Some committed Christians are MMA fans (yes, that’s entirely possible and not necessarily a moral compromise). When I go to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch a UFC per-per-view, I invite others to go along. I’ve made new friends, strengthened existing relationships, and begun an outreach opportunity.

This is ENTIRELY consistent with the Great Commission. It says “Go”...but a better English translation might be “As you go”. I represent Jesus Christ in ALL I DO, everywhere I go. If I’m going to watch a football game or mixed martial arts or auto racing, or go to the grocery store or the mall or the office supply store, I’m going to look for opportunities to spread the Gospel at the same time.

There’s nothing odd about that for a follower of Jesus Christ. If you don’t like auto racing, you don’t have to go. If you don’t like fight sports, you don’t have to take part…but the idea of using our hobbies as witnessing opportunities isn’t new.

It’s just underused.
Brian Hutchinson on Thu, February 18, 2010

Tony….that was very well put! I totally agree.
Shawn Wilson on Sun, February 21, 2010

While I am not a big fan of MMA or UFC I do agree with Tony on using every opportunity to be light. I tend to find peeps like CF tend to be big Way of the Master peeps who only think that their way of witnessing is the only way to do it! I find that drips with pride. I also checked out the Word and find that Jesus only did that once in the Bible so, maybe…...nevermind.
As far as Jesus being one bad dude…...I think the chuch as a whole looks at Jesus as a wuss. I like Mark Driscoll’s view that Jesus is King of all Kings which means that every other king with either bow down are be destroyed!! I would think that makes him a fighter…..
CS on Mon, February 22, 2010

Tony:

“I’ve made new friends, strengthened existing relationships, and begun an outreach opportunity.

“This is ENTIRELY consistent with the Great Commission. It says “Go”...but a better English translation might be “As you go”. I represent Jesus Christ in ALL I DO, everywhere I go. “

But the Great Commission doesn’t say, “Go into all the world and make new friendships, strengthen existing relationships, and begin outreach opportunities.” It says to go and preach the Gospel. According to Romans 10, this requires telling people it directly and not, “living it out.” No one will ever get saved only by seeing your commendable life; you must tell them. And if you haven’t told someone, but you’re trying to get close to them with, “friendship evangelism,” you haven’t done the Great Commission.

Shawn:

“I tend to find peeps like CF tend to be big Way of the Master peeps who only think that their way of witnessing is the only way to do it! I find that drips with pride.”

It’s not the only way, but it is a biblical way, as opposed to many of the other mechanisms out there like the one in this posting.

—
CS
Peter Hamm on Mon, February 22, 2010

CS writes [But the Great Commission doesn�t say, �Go into all the world and make new friendships, strengthen existing relationships, and begin outreach opportunities.� It says to go and preach the Gospel.]

Minor sticking point, brother, but it doesn’t say to preach the Gospel, it says to make disciples… That can certainly happen in the context of relationship evangelism, imho, and not only in a church-ey western church-style gospel presentation.
Tony Scialdone on Mon, February 22, 2010

CS:

>> But the Great Commission doesn’t say, “Go into all the world and make new friendships, strengthen existing relationships, and begin outreach opportunities.” It says to go and preach the Gospel.

You’re correct. It does NOT say that. However: I’m sure you’d agree that Jesus should be our example in this area. Jesus didn’t go into all the world by any stretch…but wherever He went, He DID make new friendships (as with Zaccheus), strengthen existing ones (as with Peter, James, and John, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, etc), and created outreach opportunities (a la the woman at the well, feeding the crowds, etc). Christians engaging in such activities generally don’t consider them a REPLACEMENT for preaching and teaching, but an opportunity to gain a hearing.

>> According to Romans 10, this requires telling people it directly and not, “living it out.” No one will ever get saved only by seeing your commendable life; you must tell them. And if you haven’t told someone, but you’re trying to get close to them with, “friendship evangelism,” you haven’t done the Great Commission.

Not yet, no…and nobody has suggested such a thing. Instead, I’m suggesting that we use Scriptural principles to guide us, as in Luke 16:9: “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” That’s not ‘doing the Great Commission’ either…but it’s a good idea. Don’t assume that Christians who strategically foster relationships with non-believers are going to pretend that that’s the goal. It’s a means to an end, and a Biblical one at that.
CS on Mon, February 22, 2010

Peter:

“Minor sticking point, brother, but it doesn’t say to preach the Gospel, it says to make disciples…”

No, it says both. Matthew uses the word, “teach,” and Mark and Luke both use the word, “preach.” But you can’t make disciples unless the Gospel is first clearly shared, as it indicates in Romans 10, again.

—
CS
CS on Mon, February 22, 2010

Tony:

“Christians engaging in such activities generally don’t consider them a REPLACEMENT for preaching and teaching, but an opportunity to gain a hearing.”

Just curious, do you ascribe to the belief that you have to forge a relationship to share the Gospel with someone? Would you say that, “people won’t care what you know until they know that you care?”

—
CS
Tony Scialdone on Mon, February 22, 2010

CS:

>> Just curious, do you ascribe to the belief that you have to forge a relationship to share the Gospel with someone? Would you say that, �people won�t care what you know until they know that you care?�

I try to use Scripture as my guide, CS. We see both the ‘street preacher’ and the ‘relationship’ or ‘reputation’ model throughout. At the inception of the church, it was mostly preaching, and at the places in town where that was expected: in the synagogue and in the marketplace. As the church grew, fostering relationships for the sake of the lost became just another way to get the job done. Playing tennis or watching MMA isn’t preaching the gospel…but if it gives us opportunities to preach the gospel that we otherwise might not have had, it makes sense to do so.

Nobody has suggested that a hobby group, by its existence, is ‘preaching the gospel’. I’m glad that nobody has suggested the opposite: that we should consider ‘street preaching’ (or simply ‘pulpit preaching’) as the ONLY way to introduce a hurting world to Jesus.

You’re not suggesting that, are you?