Featured image above is courtesy Debbie Brown. Used by permission. Free use Doughnut photos below are from Pexels.com.

Debbie got donuts the other day. She didn’t buy them – they were a gift. Funny how something as simple as a box of yummy goodness can get you thinking about strategies to market your fitness and lifestyle ministry.

Her friend must be the master of marketing. He knows good and well that fitness is her passion. She thought, “Seriously?” And yet, wow, what an amazing way to personally connect.

Debbie’s donuts help us see that today’s marketing is about good strategies and a commitment to classic values and outcomes. New textures and flavors are constantly evolving but the work of simply satisfying hunger never changes.

NOTE: The following 9 marketing goalf7f49a headings came from, The 9 Goals To Consider When Creating A Marketing Strategy. The remainder of the content except where noted is from Brad Bloom and Lifestyle Media Group. [For the complete COURSE KEY POINTS, NOTES AND RESOURCES tap the graphic below and enter the password. We want to help you and your ministry develop and apply each of these 9 strategies.]

CAN YOU KEEP UP WITH FAST?

Marketing is changing – Fast! Himanshu Sisodia on LinkedIn says that marketing in the last decade has evolved and adapted through:

• Digital Transformation and Multi-Channel Marketing
• Data-Driven Decision-Making and Personalization
• Influencer Marketing and User-Generated Content
• Shifting Consumer Behavior and Customer-Centricity

Over at adwhite.com they note just how fast it is changing. They proclaim that “2023 could be a transformational year for marketers”. They share that the HubSpot marketing report highlights four of the biggest changes for marketing in 2023 include AI and automation, economic concerns and marketing budgets, data privacy concerns and video continues to dominate and drive business.

It’s really quite crazy how fast marketing is evolving – trying to keep up with technology and the many vying elements of a schizophrenic culture that affects how people think, feel and behave – how they interpret reality.

MARKETING AND LEADERSHIP BY THE BOOK

Whats needed, especially for Christian entrepreneurs, churches, businesses and organizations who deliver fitness and other lifestyle ministries is to not just stay abreast of best marketing practices but to be strong in the core competencies of the Christian faith. It may sound old fashioned even naive among the many ‘pros’ relentlessly driven and hustling in business, but the Bible is packed with Godly truths that stand the test of time and forever work.

The 9 strategies below should be considered and exercised with a keen eye on knowing God. The “WWJD – What Would Jesus Do?” mentality may be early 1900’s but God is the ultimate creator, innovator and agent of change. Inevitably, no matter how fast we push and how progressive we become by applying knowledge and technology, God is always light-years ahead of all of us. To the one who will listen and obey there is both wisdom and intrinsic vision given to lead in culture and thus market fitness and lifestyle ministry in compelling, effective and totally on-point ways.

• Marketing – The activity of promoting and selling a product or service. Marketing your fitness and lifestyle ministry is the intentional work of connecting with people so that they enthusiastically buy into a Christ-focused mindset and ethos. They’re 100%.
• Fitness Ministry – A Christian ministry helping people grow strong in Christ utilizing various modalities of physical fitness training and wellness services.
• Lifestyle Ministry – A program, service and fellowship for a community of people who share an interest in or passion for a particular lifestyle activity. A lifestyle ministry helps them understand, make and then keep Christ central to that lifestyle.

Make some noise so people start saying, “I’ve heard about you.”

Do you customers and your community know who you are and what you do? Actually the first question you have to ask is do YOU know? To INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS you need to ask a lot of quesitons: As an organization what’s your mission? What are the values you want to nurture? What are the outcomes you want to achieve? What defines your culture? You need to drill down (pray and discuss) on these and more. Then define exactly what that looks like. Clearly outline, communicate and celebrate it on your website, marketing tools and all aspects of your branding and design. Then annually train staff on it.

The Bible talks about “not just being hearers of the Word but Doers”. To increase brand awareness you want everyone to hear, understand, embrace and passionately share who and what you are as a community/church. BUT – it starts with hearing. If people are going to hear what you’re about and what you do then you have be CLEAR.

Keep it pure. Faith & Fitness Magazine has identified 5 qualities for our Fitness Ministry Award recipients. One of those is CLARITY.

Your highest quality leads come from your members. Create a member-owned mentality for them.

Want to high GENERATE HIGH-QUALITY LEADS? You can get them best through your existing clients/members. You can find all kinds of article online like:

Manage the acquisition of referrals as a process. Get a system in place and follow it consistently. Measure to improve – not to prove. For both clients and staff it’s about genuine relationships not numbers.

Existing client referrals are only going to happen when you deliver a great customer experience. Be honest with yourself. Know the CX of your ministry and know what God wants it to be.

What are the stories being told? Your members and clients can be influencers.

Meeting spiritual needs is perhaps the only real way to get and keep new customers.

Perhaps one of the main reasons churches and Christian businesses do not, will not, (refuse) to ACQUIRE NEW CUSTOMERS is because they find customers with whom they are familiar and comfortable and then stop. NEWness is a big God-originated and God-driven concept. God isn’t just the author of new – new is God’s MO. Nobody does new like God.

That means that if you want your lifestyle ministry to truly acquire new customers you’ve got to be ready for new and different customers. Roll with God!

Yes, that means the work is ongoing. In Bible terms it’s called discipleship.

Explore the range of people God could call you to serve. Everyone needs Christ. Acquiring new customers requirers being observant, gaining understanding and identifying how you can meet specific needs.

Your website isn’t an extra task, it’s part of your ministry. Make it THE place where people can first find you and then want to return to experience you.

How do you INCREASE WEBSITE TRAFFIC? OK, well first you have to have a website. And for those that do, let’s be honest many churches and ministries have appallingly inadequate sites. They lack information (useless), aren’t well designed (ugly), don’t capture attention (boring), are difficult (complicated) to use and don’t help the user (don’t deliver). What to do?

Ask your members (pay them even) to give you an honest evaluation. What sites do they frequent? What features do they find helpful and find to be really cool? What would make them want to use your site more often? That’s right you need to be like every other site – wanting to get as many people coming to your site and staying on it for longer periods of time.

Figure out how to make your website useful, beautiful, engaging, easy and THE site that delivers 100% for you members and everyone else.

Deliver excellence in all you do. And in your faithfulness to God – give it all.

Let’s make this real clear: If you’re not Google you’re not the authority on search engines. If you’re not McDonald’s you’re not the authority on fast food. If you’re not Nike you’re not the authority on athletic shoes. To ESTABLISH INDUSTRY AUTHORITY we’re not talking about you being the industry authority on Zumba, Les Mills, yoga, strength training, pickleball, nutrition, senior wellness or whatever other fitness service you provide.

You want to gain a reputation with the programs and services you provide. Sure, work toward them being second to none in your community. But what defines your business – your ministry is — Jesus.

We’re talking about you becoming the industry authority on fitness ministry and lifestyle ministry.

What do people really want? Give ‘em what they want.

INCREASING CUSTOMER VALUE is taking the strengths God has given your ministry and growing it – making it better. It is giving those you serve God’s values in a valueless world. Extending grace. Not just demonstrating but thoroughly embracing humility. If you want to increase customer value blow them away with God’s values.

The value of your ministry is about helping your customers discover that they can be like Christ. Market that and you’ve delivered what no other business can.

Therefore go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them.

When you want to BOOST BRAND ENGAGEMENT think about these 3 things: Are your members aware of your brand, engaged with your brand or loyal to your brand?

You have achieved BRAND AWARENESS when people know what you do, what makes it distinct and can articulate that accurately to others.

Take that to the next level and you have BRAND ENGAGEMENT. When this happens people form an emotional or rational attachment with your brand.

You’ve reached the sweet spot when you achieve BRAND LOYALTY. This is when people make a long-term commitment to make repeat purchases. They’re sold!

But, as a ministry you can go further. You can steward members to be a disciple. A DISCIPLE: is one who embraces the brand so much that they become active in spreading the teachings.

Manage assets to increase yield. Build on the foundation, invest and prune.

The obvious goal of every business is to INCREASE REVENUE. Maybe it’s not quite so obvious for a church or ministry but it should be especially in this context:

BUILD ON THE FOUNDATION: What makes any job worth doing is the God we are serving. Read 1 Corinthians 3: 5-15 to better understand that God is the only one who brings growth.

INVESTMENT AND RISK: It’s good to start by asking you and your team these questions and considering your answers: What do we sell? How much is our revenue? Why do we want to increase revenue? Consider other questions like this that you should ask. Matthew 25: 14-30 MSG A terrible way to live is cautiously. You can’t increase revenue by playing it safe.

PRUNING: John 15: 1-17 NIV Cut off (stop doing) what doesn’t bear fruit. What does bear fruit, prune it (promote healthy growth).

The 3 C’s of building a strong team: Communicate, Cultivate, Commit.

Every business and ministry needs to keep in mind that their team is their first customer. So, as was stated above, focus on the needs and wants of your customers. It’s how you IMPROVE INTERNAL BRAND. It doesn’t matter if you’re an employee owned business or not, your employees and team own the relationship they have with your members, clients, customers and community. If you don’t get it right with your team you can’t have success with your customers.

FINALLY – BE EVEN MORE STRATEGIC IN A NOT SO OBVIOUS WAY

As you exercise these 9 strategies keep in mind that marketing is like fitness: the growth comes in the rest. Marketing done well is intense. You need to budget rest time for you and your team. That’s not a quarterly business retreat where you plan strategy. It is an intentional break from all aspects of the business to allow for recovery.

Be like God and let your team see what great love you can lavish on them (1 John 3:1NIV) Yep, that’s right, discover how something as simple as a box of yummy donuts can contribute to your team being sold on being the life of Christ to others.

SHARE THIS WITH OTHERS

The post 9 Strategies To Market Your Fitness And Lifestyle Ministry appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

FEATURED IMAGE ABOVE: Family – Eduardo, Jose, and Lucy (Loya), provided by Fran Poloni, Special Strong, West Valley, Arizona.

ARE YOU ADAPTIVE?

Can the fitness culture at your gym, training studio, church fitness ministry, school, group class or even your own home workout be adaptive? Specifically, if you were to intentionally exercise with someone who has special needs could YOU “adapt”: adjust what you do, how you think and behave and become suitable and useful for that particular relationship? Could you get beyond it being a 1-time special experience and instead build it into a consistent and ongoing passion to nurture, in both you and that other person, abundant life in Christ?

Special Strong is a nationally recognized innovator and industry leader for changing lives through adaptive fitness. They help people with mental, physical and cognitive challenges including Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, rare genetic conditions and many more conditions.

This story is meant to inspire you, call you to pray, seek God and use your fitness lifestyle to BE LIFE to others. That could ultimately be you making a difference in your community with a rewarding Special Strong gym franchise or it might simply be you following God’s Spirit to be the influence someone needs. Whatever it may be, the time is ripe for you to adapt to what God wants.

We all have life and that’s a great gift to have. The person who is active and fit AND has experienced and knows the strength of God has an even greater gift. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! Go beyond your routine and what you think your agenda is and respond to the special call of being faithful to God by being strong with someone else.

THE BEGINNING, THE MISSION AND NOW

Daniel Stein will be the first to tell you a spiritual truth: We’re all born with a void that only God can fill. You’ve likely heard people who love to workout share how fitness saved their life from drug or alcohol addiction or more. That was the story for Daniel too until he realized that fitness was not enough. It left him empty still. It wasn’t until he fully gave his life to Jesus Christ that he was able to experience the richest kind of life that God intended for him – true fulfillment found only in Christ. That was the beginning of Special Strong.

Early in the formation of Special Strong, Daniel realized that God wanted him to found the business on a Biblical anchor. The specific Bible verse, John 10:10, speaking first of Satan and then of Christ says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (more and better life than they ever dreamed of, more abundantly).” Stein explains, “[that] really is a focal point to filter everything we do.”

Now, with more than a dozen Special Strong locations throughout the U.S. people with mental, physical and cognitive challenges are receiving fitness training – and something more. While the fitness training is what people see, Daniel offers this insight, “We’re creating opportunities for people who don’t have many opportunities, to live an abundant life.”

THIS is the distinct value that a Christ-centered fitness ministry/business can deliver: Good quality training and services PLUS the motive and direction to not just do good but anticipate the Spirit of God to deliver over and above abundance. Daniel and his team look for it and find it.

He says, “There’s nothing more powerful to anchor into than the Word of God. There are a lot of successful companies that are not Christian… and they still have a lot of success. For any Christian who is truly surrendered to Jesus on a daily basis we actually have very divine and distinct advantages in the marketplace. No matter how good their mission is they don’t have that kind of access. If Christians want to have an eternal mindset, we can’t just come up with this stuff on our own and put God’s name on it. He wants us to seek him first. If I had just picked a mission I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to draw closer to God. That’s the thing about business: You’re either doing business by yourself or you’re doing it with God. There’s a big difference between the two.”

EVERY PERSON HAS A STORY TO TELL – EVEN IF HE CAN’T TELL IT

Eli was my first Special Strong athlete. He was born with Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy which makes his muscles weak and floppy, his flexibility excessive, and makes stability challenging. He is also unable to communicate verbally. We’ve gotten to know each other as we meet to train, and learn how to communicate overcoming verbal barriers. When stretching, Eli will let me know that I can continue extending a muscle with a ‘thumbs up’ and when at full extension will give me an open palm with five fingers out to stop and hold the stretch. This non-verbal communication has been noticed by other gym goers, who now encourage and motivate Eli with high-fives, fist bumps, and smiles when they see him at the gym. When Eli overcomes challenges, he always has a smile on his face! -Fran Poloni, Owner & Adaptive Fitness Trainer, Special Strong West Valley, Arizona

THE DIFFERENCE GOD MAKES THROUGH SPECIAL STRONG IS VERY BIG

All of us, beyond the real biological need to be physically active, need to find purpose, be productive and bring value to others. Whether someone believes in God or not, that is spiritually hardwired into everyone.

People with disabilities as Stein says, “Have significantly greater challenges than most people will ever face. [When they] don’t get services the enemy comes after them very hard. He gets them in isolation, where they don’t have any community and they feel like they have no hope.”

This is THE huge calling that the church (every individual who follows Christ) has: to bring the hope of Christ to others. So, the muscle to exercise, the skill to develop, the strength to gain and then flex in daily living is to be an obedient and eager tool for God to use to give hope and life to others.

Daniel sees (and you can too) the incredible change in lives when that happens. He describes it this way, “They were just breathing in the air. That’s all they did. They get into these fitness services and God breathes life over them. Suddenly, they’re contributing to society. They’re getting jobs for the first time. They’re replacing the victim mentality with a victor mentality. I know they’ve got a tough life but God did not design life to be that way. He has designed us to live like a victor… to live an empowered, abundant life.”

RESOURCES

Tips For Befriending Someone With Disabilities

To Be Befriended: A Meditation on Friendship and the Disabled

Tips for Disability Accommodations in Church and Ministry Settings

MORE FROM

NubAbility Athletics/Sam Kuhnert, 2019 Faith & Fitness Magazine Fitness Ministry Award Recipient

Driven To Access And Adapt

Positive Exposure, Picture The Spirit Of Difference

Nice Isn’t Good Enough – Pastor James Dixon

How God Gives Me ‘Different Abilities’ Through ADHD by Heath Ellenberger

Inclusion – Simple Accessibility by Heather Pennington

The post Special Strong – An Adaptive Fitness Culture That Builds Abundant Life In Christ appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

This page is the place where you can learn about Garage/Home Gym Church, access resources, participate in community, and get direct support to begin and grow your very own Garage/Home Gym Church right in your home. Bookmark this page on your device and return for updates.

NEWSLETTER

Garage gyms became popular in 2021 as many gyms temporarily closed due to Covid pandemic protocols and fresh expressions of church emerged in 2004 to pioneer a movement in reaching people outside the reach of the church. Now, those who are passionate about fitness and about personally being the life of Jesus Christ among others have a way to do both – Garage Gym Church. Subscribe to our free YouTube Channel to receive videos you can host in your workout space!

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel Hosting Garage Gym Church content here!

ARTICLES

Access the following feature articles in Faith & Fitness Magazine to learn more about Garage/Home Gym Church:

“Garage Gym Church and Fireteam Prayer: A Band of Brothers who Train and Fight Together in Prayer”

The post I Call It My Garage Gym Church appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

It was August 2021. I had just returned from a 13-month unaccompanied overseas tour in the Middle East with the US Marine Corps to reunite with my wife and son in San Diego, CA. We were in the midst of multiple major transitions and challenges as a family on multiple levels. One of the biggest ones was my reintegration as a military spouse/parent returning from an extended time away from my family based on my tour.

Going back to less time at work was nice and seeing my family was also nice not to mention now having weekends generally off aside from the occasional duty obligation, business trip, or training exercise. However, in my off-duty time, I now had a family to tend to at home where free time overseas was spent hanging out with friends, working out, reading, or working on a special personal project. I certainly had lost a sense of the daily rhythm of day-to-day family routines, especially in terms of raising a small child and handling the emotional ups and downs of a spouse in everyday life from the positives of fun recreation to the negatives of something getting broken in the house or in the car for example. On the other hand, my wife and son had gotten used to me not being there and had their own routines which were now disrupted having to take into account my presence as well. As you can imagine, reunification was a stressful time that took a lot of time, work, and empathy.

Obstacles to Personal Physical and Social Wellness

On top of reunification from my time overseas, we as a family were in the midst of moving into a new home and faced a series of health challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic where we had to limit exposure of our immediate family members to the virus because of high risk for hospitalization and death at the time to a nearby grandfather diagnosed with cancer and a pre-school aged boy with upper respiratory complications. As a result, in order to minimize the risk of being exposed to the virus and bring it home to susceptible family members at the time I started working out with a sandbag and doorway pull-up bar as the only equipment in my garage. Over the next few months, I added a box jump, bumper plates, and a barbell.

The Birth of the Garage Gym Church Concept

I have always enjoyed working out as a way of relieving stress and while I was less than happy about being confined to the garage to workout by myself during that season of life, God used that time to work in me a new vision of what Christian outreach and discipleship could look like out of a chaotic and stressful time in my life where I was also very lonely due to the dual realities of trying to build a new support structure in the midst of moving to an entirely new job, physical location, and not being able to meet other people, especially Christian brothers and sisters in physical church settings. Over time I was able to rebuild this network as the situation with my family changed. That being said, much like an oyster is able to build a pearl with secretions of fluid over a sand particle irritation in its soft flesh, God birthed in me a new concept of growing spiritually individually, and corporately during my times alone working out in the garage with a concept I dubbed “Garage Gym Church”.

Satisfactory Physical Fitness But Not Enough Time for Spiritual Fitness

When I started working out in my garage gym I faced a dilemma regarding the amount of time I had fitting in my personal devotional time in the morning, quality time working out in the garage, showering and changing for work, walking the dog, and my morning commute to get a parking spot on the military base I worked at before it filled up forcing me to walk a much further distance. Trying to do a personal devotional or working out in the afternoon/evening was almost a non-starter with a young kid clamoring for my attention after work and a harried spouse who was glad to offload my son on me once I got home! I hate to admit it, but when forced to choose where I would take the cut between staying in physical shape and spending alone time with God, I started cutting corners in my alone time with God. Maybe you can relate. On weekends when I didn’t have to go to work, I still needed to get devotional and fitness time in before my now 5-year-old son woke up typically by 7 am. Sometimes I didn’t get even that and would be surprised to see my wife open the door between the kitchen and the garage to let my son wander in to join me in my workout while she either went to take a shower or stay in bed.

I found that integrating my morning commute of 20-30 minutes with devotional time either through prayer or listening to an audio Bible was a pretty good way for me to get my devotional time in while also snacking on a light breakfast of apples and boiled eggs while driving. That being said, I started to consider that maybe I could integrate motivational and educational content I have amassed over the past few years since 2017 that has been focused on my work with total force fitness in the military community. I decided though to try listening to content during my workouts in my garage that were both secular and Christian in nature to help me develop my mental and spiritual toughness along with my physical toughness first in the morning.

Integrated Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Fitness Training Sessions in the Garage

I discovered that playing educational audio content whether watching it on a TV or listening to it during workouts was challenging because my mind would get caught up in counting reps, thinking through my next workout steps, or losing focus on the content due to difficulty in exercise technique or sheer difficulties in the workout scheme as I was gasping for air during challenging sets. However, I discovered that listening to high-energy “life trainers” such as retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor John Hagee, Pastor Steven Furtick, Joyce Meyer, and other motivational thought leaders both secular and Christian especially integrated with background music typically found in the adventure and war scenes of epic movies was a powerful physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual experience!

Using motivational content during the workout I for one was able to concentrate on the content for some reason I feel because it was somehow being psychologically tied to my mindset during and after the workout. Two, it literally pushed me harder as I felt the emotional uplift in the content give me literal physical strength and energy I previously didn’t have. Three, I was able to immediately tie the content in my mind not only with the physical challenges I was putting myself through in my garage but also the challenges I was having at home, work, and in my ministry. Four, the challenges of thought leaders such as Joyce Meyer talking about the importance of applying principles in life such as the command to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 forced me to remember to think and speak positively vs. negatively which had an emotional uplifting shift. Just try thinking and speaking thoughts and words of negativity or complaining and consider how you feel. Now do the opposite to think and speak words of gratitude, courage, positivity, etc. and you will literally start to feel happier. Thoughts shape our feelings which shape our words, behaviors, and habits. I have learned to discipline my thinking both during physical exercise and in life in general. In a previous post, I speak on the importance of positive self-talk to physically get you through challenges which you can find here: Officers Don’t Fall Out of a Hike…Ever.

Difficult Fitness Experience Opens Up Heart and Mind to Pain and Growth

Furthermore, because the workout was physically challenging, my heart felt through my emotions and my overall mental state was more open to being challenged in the same way as well to suck up the pain and get stronger. I listened to multiple motivational videos from the Lion of Judah YouTube Channel including “Take a Stand: Never Give Up Child of God” while doing the “Jesus” Hero Workout of the Day on Good Friday and it was an incredibly uplifting experience to be reminded and challenged to go all out living for Jesus in my life when I considered all He had done for me. There were times I wanted to quit but I felt like I would literally be a hypocrite while listening to content telling me not to quit! This inspirational aspect was told to me by a Navy Religious Program Specialist during one workout in a military outdoor gym where he felt like he wanted to throw in the towel during the workout but was motivated by the content from Motiversity highlighting the famous story of David and Goliath along with others to persevere in the midst of challenges!

Starting Your Own Garage Gym Church Experience and Total Fitness Partners

After some time of tying in Christian and secular content to my garage gym workouts, I felt inspired by God that these training sessions could be easily something a small group of 1-4 other individuals could participate in depending on equipment, space, use of the driveway, etc. I noticed that in my neighborhood which was a military housing community, many of my neighbors had outfitted their garages into mini functional fitness gyms with pull-up bars and squat racks, various bumper plate sets, and other equipment. I even watched a group of about four ladies who were likely military spouses working out together between the garage and driveway with what looked to be some type of CrossFit or High-Intensity Interval Training group workout. Interestingly enough, what also made this concept in my mind start to emerge was logistically all it took was just one individual/family to open up their garage which most American homeowners especially have for a group fitness session. The amount and type of equipment vary but I was able to outfit my garage gym inclusive of a doorway pull-up bar, 145 pounds of bumper plates, a 45-pound barbell, a scalable 10-60lb sandbag, a 20″ x 24″ x 30 ” box jump, a jump rope, and a yoga mat for just under $800. My wife also wanted a $1300 rower as well which completed the setup. I also had my military equipment including a flak vest for weighted vest training and my rucksack to round out the training. If you go to Rogue Fitness Garage Gym Equipment Packages, you will find some fairly inexpensive scalable options for starting out your own garage gym. What’s nice about the garage gym concept for starting an individual, partner, or small group training program is the initial investment is not all that much. Even if you just want to try out the concept, you can literally do bodyweight workouts in your garage or purchase a sandbag from a company such as GoRuck. From a Christian hospitality standpoint, turning your garage into a space for the neighborhood, co-worker, family, or friend outreach is not all that far-fetched when you consider many church life groups today operating out of lay leader home living rooms, kitchens, and patios. The operating cost is practically the same whether you use the space for Christian outreach or not and for churches considering this concept, the “ask” of members really is just to consider throwing in a workout with amazing content for small group discussion!

With that being said, I would like you to consider the “Garage Gym Church” concept in the New Year as a way of developing yourself and others physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you are looking for a good playlist, please subscribe to the Freedom Fitness America YouTube channel “Shoot, Move, Communicate” and join our brand new “Tactical Garage Gym” private Facebook Group where we will be posting a weekly workout challenge + personal development content both secular and Christian in nature along with updates on outdoor adventure total fitness training opportunities. Furthermore, if you are looking for a regular “done for you” training program to follow in your garage gym, consider our “Tactical Garage Gym” training program that includes nutrition tracking, regular motivational content to listen to during your workout training sessions, and easy to follow functional fitness workouts designed originally for tactical athletes with exercise video links all delivered from the confines of your smartphone! Lastly, please feel free to join a combined Faith and Fitness Magazine and Freedom Fitness America 30 min Focus Group Zoom Call at 0730 PST on Jan 10 to learn more about how to get involved in the Garage Gym Church movement in 2023!

Fit for the Fight and Life,

Chris Reardon

Major, US Marine Corps

Founder/Executive Director

Freedom Fitness America

https://freedomfitnessamerica.org

The post Turning Your Garage Into a Place of Physical AND Spiritual Fitness in the New Year appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

God called me to begin a fitness ministry as I began to see a deeper need while I was working as a fitness instructor at a local gym. I saw a need that goes deeper than just physical fitness. We are all made up of a body, a mind and a spirit. We all need to be healthy and strong in each of those areas to live out the life God has for us.

God led me to [the Bible passage] Ephesians 2:10 where He tells us that we are His workmanship, created for good works that He prepared for us to do beforehand. We need to be ready and able to do and be all that He created us to be. I willingly obeyed His call with no preconceived notion of how this ministry would look. I found that when I surrender to His call and say, “Here I am; send me”, he works out the details. God gave me the vision of Faithfit [in Paducah, Kentucky]. A beautiful journey in fitness ministry began.

THE PLAN: GET SERIOUS – YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED

A few years ago, I walked into the gym where I participated in group fitness classes, like I did most every morning. This particular morning, however, God had a divine appointment planned for me. One of my group fitness instructors said something to me that God would use to set things in motion that He had planned. She told me of an upcoming training to be a certified group fitness instructor in our area and encouraged me to go, get trained, and teach a class. I decided to go for it and I am so glad I did.

I started teaching classes at the gym and fell in love with it. God kept telling me He wanted to use this as a ministry. I didn’t know how He would accomplish this, but I told Him, “Here I am. Use me any way You want!” One Wednesday night in church, God spoke to my heart that I should go to a local addiction recovery center called Lifeline and workout with the ladies and lead a Bible study. I had no idea if Lifeline needed or wanted such a thing, but I spoke with the director anyway.

I found out they had been praying for something like this for the ladies. We went and looked at the little chapel they have on campus as a possible space for the workouts. It was perfect. A stage in front with a large wooden cross on the wall is the focal point when you walk into the building. There are large windows lining both sides of the chapel, letting sunlight pour in. A beautiful space for a fitness ministry and workout class!

We then asked for donations from the community and generous donors helped us get all the equipment we needed. By this time, I had designed a logo and we were off and running. FaithFit is now a big part of the ladies’ recovery and healing from their addictions. Several groups of ladies have come through the FathFit program and I can see how God is using the workouts and Bible study to allow them to see themselves the way God sees them; strong, beautiful and confident.

BUILDING STRONGER TEMPLES IN THE CHURCH

While doing the workouts with the ladies at Lifeline, God continued to lay on my heart to take FaithFit into the community, as well as Lifeline. God had brought a good friend along to partner with me in this ministry and we began to pray about how and where we could hold the classes and make it truly a community wide ministry.

I didn’t want it to feel “churchy” or be affiliated with any one denomination. I wanted FaithFit to meet the need of helping people get healthier and stronger physically, spiritually and mentally. Not “religious”, but I wanted each class to exude the love of Christ to anyone who walked through the doors. I didn’t know where this space would be. I wanted FaithFit to be free of charge, open to anyone and feel free of judgement to anyone on any fitness level.

Finally after much prayer, I spoke with my pastor at my church, Heartland Church in Paducah, Kentucky. I told him my vision that I felt God had given me. He was completely on board with allowing FaithFit to meet in our church’s youth building. This space is perfect. We have amazing lighting, sound and plenty of room for a large group. God provided all the equipment we needed too.

A year and six months later, God keeps blessing Faithfit! More and more people are attending from all over the community and surrounding areas. The participants are from all denominations and some who do not attend church at all. People are getting stronger, healthier and more confident.

We have 13 group fitness classes per week with a team of many volunteers ranging from instructors to Bible study facilitators and a welcome team. We have all the equipment we need and plenty of space for both the workout and storage. All of the workouts are to Christian music and we have a practical devotion from God’s Word at the end of each workout that we call our “Spiritual Fitness Challenge”. Faithfit is such a Spirit-led ministry that is both worshipful and fun. Our fitness ministry is full of unity and amazing encouragement.

At Lifeline, I have worked with several groups of ladies going through the program. Many have told me how this ministry helped them greatly in their recovery of addiction.

ORCHESTRATED TO BEAR GREAT AND PERPETUAL FRUIT

God continues to show me that all He wants is my heart and a willingness to be obedient to His call. He provides the space and everything else I need. Faithfit is His. He continues to provide, lead and equip this ministry. It is quite the spiritual journey I am on watching Him work in so many lives!

Go back to Ephesians 2:10. God has called us as believers to live a life in obedience to His calling on our lives. We need to be ready. I encourage anyone who may feel led to begin a ministry like Faithfit, to pray big, be willing and just ask! Be open and flexible and watch God work. He always provides and equips what He has called us to do.

QUESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION AND GROUP DISCUSSION

1. Lisa reminds us that we are all made up of body, mind and spirit. In what ways do you feel physical, mental and spiritual strength all come together to make a person whole? What “good works” do you feel best reflect your life and who you are? What “good works” might God be calling you to do in the future for which you need to train and be prepared?

2. Describe what you feel a “divine appointment” is and reflect on what that appointment was/is for you. How can you know when God is working out a plan through you? How do our plans as humans differ from God’s divine plans for us and others? When you get serious about doing something how do you behave? Discuss the outcomes when you apply that level of seriousness to your spiritual life.

3. Where and how Lisa did fitness ministry was different from what she originally envisioned. How about you? Describe a time in your life when things turned out different than you expected and what you learned from that. How can God help you to make wherever you workout to be a sacred space that won’t just build you up physically but spiritually too? Where else could you exercise that isn’t your usual place and how might that be of value to you and others?

4. What did you learn about the concept of “just ask” from Lisa? What is the “just ask” in your life right now?

POST YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT FITNESS MINISTRY BELOW

The post just ASK appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

We visited Jungle Gym, spoke with founder Jason Bergstrom and his team and not only tried out the gear but learned how the Christian faith is central to all they do. Below is the video interview we did with them. Watch it to get immersed in the full ecosystem of Jungle Gym.

It’s a welcoming environment that’s fun for everyone! Release your inner Ninja and get swinging with beginners all the way to pro-level athletes. Jump into the world of Parkour and learn to leap beyond the limits you think you have. Stretch yourself with kick-boxing and strike against the ordinary. Even the weight training goes beyond tame with a whole range of multidimensional exercises.

And – if you think that learning to navigate obstacles, gaining technique to overcome challenges and pushing your limits is only about how you swing, jump, kick and train you’ll be pleased to discover that this jungle is a safe place to build friendships. Here you can get coaching for life and a community where your spirit can thrive. In fact if you want to find a church community where people are active spiritually every bit as much as they are physically, Jungle Gym is it.

Jungle Gym in Pinellas Park, Florida is a 14,600 Square foot air conditioned facility with training for both kids and adults. Programs include:

• Kid and adult ninja classes
• Parkour
• weight training classes
• OCR (Obstacle Course Racing)
• Ninja competitions
• Personal training
• Kickboxing

Looking for the traditional functional fitness equipment? Jungle Gym Untamed has free weights, benches, bands, balls, mats, TRX … yep, all the stuff you expect in a gym and more. But Jungle Gym also has a ‘few’ ways to train that may be new to you: Warped Walls, Cliffhanger, Unstable Bridge, Flywheels, Battering Rams, Windchimes, Floating Monkey Bars, Shelf Grab, Waverunner, Lightening Bolts, Cannonball Alley and more — quite a few!

Take a tour and see for yourself how this gym has something for everyone.

Jungle Gym started in Jason and Kathy Bergstrom’s back yard. He was inspired by the show American Ninja Warrior for Jason and his son to train. They watched some videos to learn how to build a few obstacles . The fun they had training led to them starting a Meetup group so that others could come and train. That led to training plus breakfast and as you may imagine the community that formed all kept growing from there.

This wasn’t just a cool idea that gained momentum and flourished beyond a wild adventure. This community happened as they desired to be faithful and pursued the unique way God wanted to be part of their family’s daily lifestyle.

Jason and Kathy share all about how it started and grew in this video:

EVERYONE WANTS AND NEEDS COMMUNITY

Ministry at Jungle Gym starts with community, creating relationships and then sharing faith through a common interest which is fitness. Jason Bergstrom shares, “Ninja is lower on the priority of what we do even though that is our bread and butter. We just love seeing people come together and that has enabled us to have a lot of faith conversations as well.”

Often parents bring their children to do Ninja training. While there and casual dialogue can become meaningful discussions. In some instances that can lead to people getting to know God and families coming to the gym for church. The Jungle Gym team knows that when people come together opportunities naturally arise for conversations related to faith. They share that passion.

SEEK GOD TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS ON A DEEPER LEVEL THROUGH FITNESS

Before Jungle Gym, volunteer youth worker Ian Pastor already had experience working with high school aged students. In 2020 he and Kiahley Bergstrom developed a youth program for Jungle Gym Untamed (the weight room). Ian actually paid for some of the students’ strength training memberships. Why? Ian explains, “I wanted them committed. I wanted them to know the Lord.” Then, when gyms had to close because of Covid they took the program and the youth to a local park. Their heart for the youth was much more than coaching good physical skills, they we’re being used by God to grow a deeper level of connectedness.

It’s not rocket science to connect with others more deeply. Seek God to see opportunities and then connect in relevant, helpful and meaningful ways:

– Engage in conversations, ask questions and listen.

– Offer assistance and tips for the exercise, sport or activity being done.

– Meet a specific and practical need like a meal, membership assistance, or helping with a task.

– Take time to pray with the person.

PEOPLE VALUE WISE INSTRUCTION. USE THE BIBLE AS A KEY RESOURCE.

What many saw as a devastating challenge (the Covid shutdown) they saw as an incredible opportunity for ministry. Kiahley Bergstrom and Ian wanted the youth to continue to have a community. They did the training in the park for free. But the training wasn’t the only thing free. They always offered something about Jesus. It might be a short message or a conversation about some issue. Often though they simply shared a Bible verse – instruction that the youth found valuable.

Kiahley notes, “Through that we wanted them to have just a taste of what we are about. They were coming to us for sports not church. [But] we let them know, ‘if you have questions we want to talk to you.’”

That offer led to a lot of talking that was undeniably genuine and heartfelt.

PATIENCE AND FAITHFULNESS BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

Nicholi Idzinski says, “We would always have questions like our personal struggles and personal issues.” Kiahley and Ian became more than role models – they were mentors.

He continues, “They would always use their knowledge about God and use their faith to explain to us how to go about it. It really started planting seeds. At first I was going [just] to build my physical stature. But they were growing us in wisdom weather we knew it or not.”

Fitness ministry is often a very personal interaction. The often highly regarded measurable results of a ‘salvation experience’ leading to a profession of faith and then baptism (the potential outcome) can’t be prioritized over the patient and faithful journey of building relationships.

FAMILIARITY CREATES FRIENDSHIPS THAT FOSTER TRUST

Working out, being active or at least moving in some way or another is a very familiar thing to just about everyone. From childhood through to adulthood we move. Exercise is part of the God design for humans – without it we experience atrophy. On the other hand a relationship with God is often not perceived as equally necessary. For many in fact it’s strange.

Grady Idzinski candidly admits, “I really wasn’t interested [in God].” But, he was interested in having a community of friends and at Jungle Gym Untamed he experienced community and became part of it. Grady recalls, “I figured out that this was about a lot more than just working out. Once I received that love and felt true friendship for the first time, that’s where things started really turning around for me.”

#whatsNEXTisbetter

Fitness today is evolving. More than ever before everyone realizes that a good workout is the one that works best for you. That could be swimming, group exercise, meditation, running or playing a team sport. It could be Ninja training, Parkour, kickboxing or strength training – that just can’t be tamed. While fitness can often be enjoyed as a solitary activity – especially as dynamic communion in the presence of God, it is a powerful way to build friendships, grow a robust community and experience the rich essence of church.

Look for the “jungle gym” kind of environment in your community. It’s the place that builds skills and strength and fosters the development and maturing of real relationships. If you’re fortunate it will be more than a gym in the midst of your jungle it’ll be the church where you worship – a community committed to others and to God.

If one doesn’t exist then it’s time for you, a church or gym in your community or a community group or entrepreneur to look a lot closer at Jason and Kathy Bergstrom, their family and team AND the community God has built at Jungle Gym. Let what they are doing be an example for what’s next that God wants to do in your community.

The post The Jungle Where Everyone Can Swing, Jump, Kick And Train appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

This is a question Anthony and Denea’ Widener explored in depth before launching their unique faith and fitness program, Crash Fitness, in the summer of 2019.

When you dig into the Bible you find that every single follower of Christ is part of one body. There is no separation by denomination or location. Instead all are identified as children of God.

Having a ministry background as well as expertise in the gym world, the Wideners could see the strong connection between physical health and being able to say yes to the calling God places on Christians’ lives. Without caring for your physical body, it is a struggle to have the energy and health needed to live your life fully for Christ. With this understanding they asked, “What if there is a way to truly unite believers from all over the world on a spiritual and fitness journey for God’s glory?”

Crash Fitness was the answer to that question. Crash Fitness is unique in that church congregations and individual believers in the United States can be a part of the same platform along with their fellow Christians serving on mission in other countries like Guatemala, Haiti, and nations in Africa to name just a few.

TOOLS FOR GLOBAL TRAINING

Crash Fitness members are challenged and encouraged by devotionals and led through strength training and functional online fitness workouts. Utilization of the Internet breaks the barriers of time and location allowing members all over the world to receive spiritual and physical training through online fitness with minimal equipment and requirements.

Through the online workouts members can get help to get in phenomenal physical shape. Then through the online community group they can connect for accountability, encouragement, and prayer. Denea’ shares “We just want to help the body of Christ get healthy and stay healthy so that they can accomplish all that the Lord is calling them to do.”

EVERYONE IS YOUR WORKOUT PARTNER

Kristen and Jared Schulte, who live in Florida, discovered Crash Fitness in its beginning phase and found it be life changing in the midst of the busyness of life. The couple has been thrilled with the results and how the program affords them the freedom to workout on their own schedule from the convenience of home. For the first time ever they have been able to maintain a consistency with their workouts.

Kristen admits “I honestly never even considered putting God at the center of my health, fitness, or wellness…it truly was a lightbulb moment when I realized that my entire life had changed having handed over this last big part of my life to Him. I can only believe that God put Crash Fitness in my path so that I could experience these life changing truths that I can now walk confidently in. It’s so much deeper than weight loss and physical gains. Wow, it’s truly all about the personal relationship with God.”

Seth Switzer, a pastor in New York, has gotten his whole family on board completing the workouts with his wife and often including their children as well. He had been going to the gym 5 to 6 times a week prior to COVID gym shutdowns and was looking for a way to maintain his fitness. He found that joining Crash Fitness was much more than just a temporary solution. He got better results with this program than he had with his old regimen. He was able to lose over 20 pounds and lower his elevated blood pressure to normal levels.

The physical combined with the spiritual continues to be huge for him. He shares, “I’m [doing online fitness and] working out along someone who may be in India, Haiti, or some other country. We may be thousands of miles away, but we serve the same God and have the same goal of being healthy both physically and spiritually. Far too often we neglect taking care of the bodies that God has given us, which hinders us from being used fully for God and His calling on our lives.”

Josh Anderson, a missionary in Haiti, explains that as a former athlete, exercise has always been a part of his life. But as an adult he began to struggle with consistency as family and demands grew. He has been pleased with the ease Crash Fitness provides to take his workouts with him whether he is on the mission field or back visiting in the United States. Josh continues to experience results both physically and spiritually.

He notes that the community group really has an impact as it is easy for missionaries to become isolated. Josh says, “Having that support, accountability, and encouragement, from everywhere from India to Haiti, is unlike anything I’ve seen any other organization be able to do effectively.”

MORE THAN AN EXERCISE GROUP – IT’S A CRASH!

A group of fish is called a ‘school’. A group of pigs is called a ‘herd’. But a group of rhinos? – They’re called a ‘crash’. It’s a great term to apply to a group of Christians who commit to being an unstoppable force. God’s people can move together full-force with confidence. Doing online fitness together is 1 way to do that. There’s a future to be created, a humanity to be liberated.

Something you will hear Anthony say throughout Crash Fitness trainings is the challenge, “Let’s move with passion and purpose!” That truly is what this is all about.

Whether you’re a pastor looking to get your church on board, a missionary overseas, or an individual believer just looking for a way to take your health and fitness to the next level, Crash Fitness is for everyone. It is truly a unique way of uniting the collective body of Christ through a life changing program.

JOIN THE CRASH – ONLINE FITNESS WITH THE UNSTOPPABLE BODY

Health and overall wellness tend to take a backseat to other things in life, especially in ministry and serving others. That’s why Crash Fitness Co. is partnering with you, your church or your missions organization to bring body, mind, and spirit fitness to YOU! Get your first 30 days of the Crash Community for free.

Learn more about Crash Fitness. To inquire about getting involved in this online fitness workout as a church contact anthony@crashfitnessco.com

The post Crash Fitness – One Body, Unstoppable appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Why do you do fitness, exercise and pursue health and wellness? Perhaps it’s to lose weight, feel better, live longer, look good or be stronger.

Beyond the motives, your fitness efforts, the time you invest in being active, should contribute to a clearer focus on your life mission, connection to a purer source of peace and the capacity to truly do good in the life of others. You can #liftmorewithChrist and make your fitness regimen be a way to regularly connect more personally with God.

You can make communion with Christ a lifestyle. Make your active lifestyle regimen a regular time of fellowship with God’s son. Let your workout be consumed with your commitment to the calling He gives you.

If Jesus Christ was physically among us today He’d be offering today’s wellness worshipers, temple builders and fitness devotees the exact same thing he did with his disciples at the Last Supper — to experience fellowship, a breakthrough, a spiritual union – to personally transcend into a lifestyle built with lasting values – communion!

Communion is an easy and simple practice – a celebration that you can do the next time you go to the gym, get active outside, do small group exercise or workout at home. It may just be a time of prayer and reflection with God. However you may also choose to incorporate traditional communion elements like the convenient prefilled communion cup with wafer that you can get from Blessed Communion. If you don’t have access to that you can improvise.

Regardless of how you do it, communion – that intentional taking of time for personal fellowship with God, isn’t a ‘have to’ requirement it is a ‘get to’ investment into real and greater strength.

READY? DO IT NOW!

Pop in the earbuds or put on the headphones. Find a place to sit or stretch. You can do this while you are doing your active regimen but you may find it’s best to be still and just focus on this communion time. Now, listen to the music medley, I Lift Up My Thanks/Tremble/Step By Step, below for a 10-minute communion time with God. While you do that talk with God and lift up the following:

• your family
• your praise – be thankful for the things that have given you joy
• your needs
• others
• your hopes
• your worship – focus your thoughts on the compassion, wisdom and strength of God
• your concerns
• your community
• your challenges
• your opportunities

HOW TO DO COMMUNION AND ‘DO FITNESS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME’

The tools to regularly practice communion as part of your fitness routine are pretty simple: Something to eat and drink – ok, yes ideally juice and bread, access to Bible passages and a few minutes to share your thoughts with God and more importantly meditate quietly on God’s voice of instruction for you. People often also find a song for listening or singing that helps nurture a spirit of worship.

2023 Week of Fitness + Communion

Blessed Communion is the official supplier of individually sealed prefilled communion cups for the 2023 Week of Fitness + Communion, April 2-8, 2023.

They are available free while supplies last directly from Faith & Fitness Magazine or order direct from Blessed Communion:

When do you do communion? It’s entirely up to you. You can do it before, during or after your fitness activity. There is a lot of value in doing it before the workout because it sets a foundation – a starting point that can enhance, transform and guide the entire time you’ve set aside to be physically active.

How does that work? Doing communion at the beginning can help you focus on the following spiritual concepts that also have tremendous practical significance in your physical activity:

• OBEDIENCE
• TRUST
• CHOICE
• FELLOWSHIP
• FAITHFULNESS
• SACRIFICE
• PATIENCE
• FORGIVENESS
• RIGHT STANDING

You might want to ask God to help you pick one for the theme for your workout. The spiritual preparation followed by the physical exercise can often be the fuel that drives your actions, commitment and behavior transformation for the rest of the day.

At first, if you’ve never done this, it’ll be foreign to you and may feel a bit forced. Push through and keep going because eventually you’re going to find this totally redefines how you do fitness. You won’t be going through the motions you’ll be tapping into the greater power of God’s Spirit.

GOD DOES IMPROV – YOU CAN TOO!

Maybe you know of the Bible’s account of Jesus turning water into wine or taking 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and blessing them to where there was enough to feed 5000 people with food left over. Jesus isn’t limited. And, in Him you aren’t either. He demonstrated that through God’s grace and miraculous power He could improvise using just about anything to transform the ordinary into exceptional.

So what if you don’t have the Holy Sacraments for your own personal communion – No ornamental chalice of wine turned into Jesus’ blood or unleavened bread transformed into Jesus’ flesh? If the cool little disposable cup of grape juice with the paper thin wafer on top isn’t available do you just skip doing communion like skipping leg day – again!?

What if all you have at the time is a protein bar and a water bottle? Can those things be “consecrated” – declared and made to be sacred (pure and wholly given to God)? Can you be consecrated? In the Bible, Paul says in impressive detail that yes you can. It’s really about the dedication of your life to the cause of Christ – fellowship with God.

For those who sincerely identify as Christian – followers of Jesus Christ, being dedicated isn’t about showing off or daring to do communion as part of a workout. It is about partaking in commitment, being mindful of God’s inevitably greater purpose in everything ordinary and as fitness pro David Jack of activeight says, “to magnify the good in fitness and in the lives of the people it serves”.

THE GOOD RULES – TAKE A PASS OVER BONDAGE

Journalist Caryle Murphy explained in a 1998 Washington Post report that the rules of communion are as varied as churches. In it she describes that, “Roman Catholics believe the “Blessed Sacrament, as Holy Communion is also called, is based on the doctrine of transubstantiation, which holds that when bread and wine are consecrated at Mass, they are actually transformed into the body and blood of Christ.” The Southern Baptist tradition on the other hand, “holds that the elements of Communion are symbolic.” Then there are the Episcopal congregations who, “freely invite all baptized persons who are free to receive Communion.”

It’s all like a bunch of fine print at the bottom of a legal document. If you’re an average Joe or Jane and not a member in good standing of any denomination then go figure. No wonder so many people feel like surely ‘Jesus isn’t for me’. If they were to give religion a social media status they would post, “It’s complicated.” It’s kind of like getting fitness advice from several people. You might be inclined to spare yourself the frustration and not even bother to exercise altogether.

Craig Brian Larson in his article The Crux Of Communion in Christianity Today talked with several pastors to help you get better clarity on the practice of communion within a variety of church experiences. He has done a good job of bringing out some helpful insights.

Deep down most people know that the confusion from others is not a viable excuse to do nothing. They want and physically need to move, eat healthy, rest better, pursue fitness and live well. These shared necessities are good reasons to SIMPLY come together with others to be active, share in nourishment and pursue peace.

Consider the Bible as a simple, clear and definitive source of instruction for communion:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

A few key words to note are: give thanks, eat, and drink. Don’t over complicate it. Jesus was partaking with those close to him in the Passover meal – a tradition of commemorating God supernaturally freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Jesus transforms this to be a practice for all to partake and celebrate in the good life. When you do communion you share and participate in faithfulness. You choose to be one with Christ in being obedient, making sacrifice, releasing freedom and fostering the fullness of God’s goodness.

Do you have to move. No. Do you get to exercise, stretch, be flexible, and become stronger? Yes. Do you have to eat healthy? No. Do you get to taste flavor, be filled with good nutrition, be refreshed and have your thirst quenched? Yes. Do you have to rest? No. Do you get to be restored, experience peace and fellowship in the presence of God? Yes. Do you HAVE TO do some rare ritual – communion? Nope. Do you GET TO do communion? Yes! It’s freeing, good and it’s who you are.

NO STIGMA – OVERCOME THE OBSTACLES IN YOUR MIND

If you’re reading this prior to Easter we encourage you to join with others around the world anytime the week before Easter for the annual week of Do Fitness In Remembrance Of Me. Similar to movements like See You At The Pole or the National Day of Prayer this week long period is designated so that people exercising everywhere can unite with a common purpose to practice communion personally or in a small group as part of a fitness routine.

Beyond the Easter season, practicing communion regularly can be as common place and routine as stretching before your workout. Here are a few tips to facilitate a healthy development of a communion for fitness practice:

1. Find a natural place to do it. That might be in your car before you go into the gym. Some YMCA’s have chapels. Your gym likely at least has a room open but not being used for a class or they have a meditation or stretching space. Certainly you can focus on God right at your own cardio equipment during your allotted time or at your free weight station – and if someone wants to ‘work-in’ all the better!

2. Find someone to join you. That might mean getting a workout partner (a friend, family member, co-worker, pastor, or someone else. This could also mean going to a faith-centered fitness facility or participating in a faith-centered fitness program where communion should not-only be understood but accepted and supported.

3. If all of this still seems extremely foreign then start by simply doing communion in the privacy of your own home workout. As you get familiar with communion and start to discover where God can take you during it you’ll likely find a greater sense of comfort in doing communion and be inspired by your time with God. As with all things fitness, persistence is key.

Because practicing communion is a natural expression within the context of spirit/mind/body ideals, you can confidently overcome both real and perceived barriers. Most fitness businesses and community organizations have core values of mutual respect and diversity. Hopefully the members there embrace those values or at least acknowledge that they know of the organizations values. So doing communion in fact supports and reinforces your facilities culture.

Be encouraged, get inspired and do communion. Your fitness efforts, the time you invest in being active, can now be so much more than just a good workout. You can set the stage not only for a really incredible day but also for a lifestyle centered on God. Don’t just do fitness. Connect with Christ as He invites you to do fitness in remembrance of me.

SHARE HOW YOU DO COMMUNION

We’d like to hear from you. What are your thoughts about doing communion as part of your personal fitness? Post a comment below. When you do communion before, during or after your workout we’d like for you to CONTACT US and tell us more about it. If you need support in doing communion or in bringing it to your group, gym or community then reach out to us to GET HELP.

MORE CONTENT RELATED TO COMMUNION:

Are Holy Communion And Fitness Compatible?

The Locker Room Pep Talk

The post Lift More With Christ appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

This seems to be a question that a lot of people ask themselves, especially when the calendar year renews every 365 days. When one usually asks themselves this question, it’s followed by the creation of different goals in pursuit to better fitness. Things like “losing __ pounds of weight” or “going to the gym 5 days a week” or “getting my weight back to where it was in high school”. Don’t get me wrong, these are commendable goals to achieve. The issue I have is a step bigger than that. It seems every time the word “fit” comes about, we all seem to run towards an answer that primarily involves our physical self. Though that is partially correct, I think we are missing other pieces to this puzzle. 

When we look at ourselves and our own fitness levels, we should not exclusively be looking just at our physical self. We are composed of so much more than just physical features. We have a soul, mind, emotions, responsibilities, and more that needs just as much tending to as our physical bodies do. So you may ask then, “Noah, what is the best definition of fitness?”

My opinion is that fitness should be defined as: 

One’s ability to survive and thrive in their given environment and roles.

Going off of this definition of fitness, your application to this is going to look different for each person. Let’s look at an example. 

Let’s take someone who is a professional writer. Their specialty is going to be on how well they are able to write, tell stories, engage readers, and so on. That is one piece of what would define their fitness level. Now, let’s say this person is also married and has two kids. Another aspect that would define their fitness is their ability to be a good husband and father. This doesn’t mean that there is no focus on the physical self whatsoever, but you can see that if they only defined fitness by their physical attributes, they are missing out on so many other aspects in life they could be growing in. 

As you continue on your path of growth in this journey of life, don’t forget that fitness is the culmination of all parts of your life. Don’t neglect one area of your life while growing other parts. You wouldn’t drive a car that has a tire that’s blown out would you? Look at your whole self. Find what areas you can work on and let’s get fit. 

The post Defining Fitness appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Creativity and innovation I believe are huge qualities of God’s nature. While entrepreneurs are known to have and practice these qualities too many established businesses, churches and individuals find something that works and just stick with it – like for forever. While the concepts of embracing change and pursuing disruption can often be little more than just being progressive for shock value and economic advantage, I’m certain that fervently embracing God will certainly lead to some of the most amazing innovation and edge pushing outcomes. So, I appreciate Kevin Harney giving me permission to reprint here his excellent contribution to the conversation on innovation. Apply these 5 simple suggestions to your personal fitness business, fitness ministry and active lifestyle services and I’m confident that God will guide you to redefine how you do fitness.

Launching new outreach programs, events and ministries is much like trying on an outfit. Because every church has its own shape, size and style, one outfit does not fit all. One of the best things a church can do is to commit to trying a variety of outreach approaches, ministries and programs, and discover what fits best. Where do you find new outreach programs, great events and innovative ideas for your church to try on? Here are five proven suggestions with examples of what this can look like.

1 – BORROW GREAT IDEAS

What is familiar and common to others might be new to your church. Why not borrow what someone else is doing and see if it fits you? Do an internet search to see what healthy and evangelistic churches are doing to reach their community. Call outreach leaders at other churches and ask if you can have a 30-minute conversation about how God is using their church to reach out with the gospel. Most leaders will be honored to share their ideas and help you. Remember, we are in the work of the gospel together. We have an enemy, but it is not the Bible-believing, Jesus-loving churches around us.

Innovation in Action: A church in a very artistic community borrowed a great idea. They heard about an open-mic night where people could share their music, art or poetry. The artists in the church decided to do this, and invite their community to come and share their art. The only boundary was that it had to be family friendly. They saw dozens of community artists and friends come to a series of evenings at the church and celebrate the beauty and creativity of believers and non-believers alike.

2 – BRAINSTORM WITH CHURCH MEMBERS

No one knows your community better than the people who live there. People in your church are the best qualified to identify what your community needs and what will connect the unchurched in your region to Jesus. Why not gather 10 to 15 people from your church to pray and dream about new ways you can reach your community with the love, truth and grace of Jesus? Invite people to contribute any ideas (with no judgment). If you want to get really creative, you might want to invite some people who are not yet followers of Jesus to share how your church could extend love and care to your community.

At our church, we do this with a big blank wall (or foam core board) and lots of Post-it notes and pens. Everyone is invited to write down any idea with the understanding that no idea is a bad idea in this process. After we have 50 or more suggestions, we group them by the kinds of ideas. Then, we talk about five to 10 that could work at our church and flesh out some of the details. Out of this, our hope is to find one or two new ones we can get a volunteer team to develop and launch.

Innovation in Action: We used this process as we planned an outreach sermon series on the kings of Israel and Judah. We had a Western theme and asked for ideas of how we could make things fun before, during and after the worship service. The group came up with more than 50 creative ideas. Here are two that made the cut: We had a petting zoo on the church property before and after the services for the five weeks of the sermon series. We actually had a few miniature animals that kids could pet and a big horse they could get a picture on. The other idea that we embraced was having a local cowboy give lessons on roping. We used a bale of hay with horns on it, and the children loved it.

“Commit to trying a variety of outreach approaches, ministries and programs, and discover what fits best.”

3 – TAILOR IDEAS TO YOUR CHURCH

When you find an idea that someone else is using, never try to use it in your church without tailoring it to your shape and size. No two churches are exactly the same, so you need to contextualize everything to the unique church and community you serve.

Innovation in Action: The lead pastor of Lifezone Church in Tauranga, New Zealand, got an idea from my church. We had decided to do a community barbeque and invited all our neighbors, who were mainly business people. We had no idea if anyone would come, but we walked in faith, prayed, and prepared a lot of food. The first year over 300 people came. Now, we have close to 600 neighbors come over for lunch and many have come to church, met Jesus and experienced radical life change.

At Lifezone Church, they did the same thing, but they made homemade hot cross buns and invited their neighbors, who also were local business people, over for tea. They were amazed at how many people came, hung out and became friends. This creative tailoring of a barbecue opened the door for them to do something that works in their context.

4 – LEARN FROM THE PAST

Almost every church has outreach ministries and programs they have used in the past. Some of these ideas were fruitful and effective. Over time, new ideas won the day and the old ideas were set aside. Why not prayerfully look at older ideas that worked and consider reviving them?

Innovation in Action: One church revived the idea of a volunteer team making a home call to first-time visitors and bringing them a homemade pie. Church leaders were nervous about this because hospitality and home visits can seem like artifacts of the past. But in their church and context, it was a huge hit. When they renewed this outreach follow-up ministry, it was powerful. It was so old it seemed new. Many of the people they visited invited the church volunteers into their home, which led to great spiritual conversations.

5 – TRY SOMETHING WILD

Every church should commit to trying something a little over the edge at least once every year or two. If it bears fruit, that’s great. If it doesn’t pan out, that’s OK too. God is honored when we take risks. Talk with your church board or a group of leaders who like to do things a little crazy. Identify one outreach ministry or event that would stretch your church, and give it a try.

Innovation in Action: At a church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, someone came up with the idea of doing worship in a public area. It seemed a little over the edge to some church leaders, but they decided to try it.

A group of about 15 people went downtown on a Saturday evening and found a place where there was a good flow of people walking through. They did not amplify the music but played and sang with all their hearts. They also had a few prayer warriors do some prayer walking, asking God to draw people near and move them to stop and listen or even join in the singing. In addition, the church set up a table and offered free Bibles, books for spiritually hungry people, song sheets and even some little handheld percussion instruments with church information on them.

They were all amazed and delighted when almost 60 people gathered from the community and sang along. Over the next couple of hours, they experienced rich spiritual conversations, prayers, new friendships and great worship. When the church group finally packed up, many people from the neighborhood asked, “Do you promise to come back again?” And they did.

Innovation comes in many shapes and forms. Take a risk. Try something new. See what God might do.

This article first appeared in Outreach magazine.

The post Innovate for Outreach: 5 Simple Suggestions To Find New Ideas appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.