Martial Arts Ministry?

A recent article in The New York Times profiled a Memphis church that has implemented a mixed martial arts program as part of its ministry in an effort to reach young men, a group with low church attendance. The piece highlighted a small but growing trend among evanglical churches.

"The outreach is part of a larger and more longstanding effort on the part of some ministers who fear that their churches have become too feminized, promoting kindness and compassion at the expense of strength and responsibility.

These pastors say the marriage of faith and fighting is intended to promote Christian values, quoting verses like “fight the good fight of faith” from Timothy 6:12. Several put the number of churches taking up mixed martial arts at roughly 700 of an estimated 115,000 white evangelical churches in America. The sport is seen as a legitimate outreach tool by the youth ministry affiliate of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents more than 45,000 churches."

Is your church expanding/adjusting your ministries to reach this particular group? I'm always interested in hearing from you.