WHY A CHURCH-BASED ADVENTURE SPORTS MINISTRY?
Using Adventure Sports to Attract and Attach people to Jesus and His Church
**My experience with Youth For Christ verses the church
When I served as a Campus Life Director for Denver Area Youth For Christ (1982-1986) my focus was on evangelism of high school students. My team and I brought many students to Christ through our Campus Life Club. They basically treated our Club as their church, attending Bible Studies, Club Meetings, Discipleship Programs, and Retreats. The problem happened when they graduated from high school and left our Club and went off to college. Most had no real experience with a local church and because there wasn’t a Campus Life Club at their college, many fell away from the Lord.
**Dale, Seven Summits Climber
Dale didn’t consider himself to be a church guy. He was a driven, type A executive big mountain climber. He was in the process of climbing the Seven Summits (the seven highest mountains on the seven continents) when he was brought to church by his girlfriend and future wife. He had no intention of getting involved, just needed to “check the box” that he went to church but while there, he saw the kiosk for BAS and met me. He told me what he did and I immediately contacted Ty, our volunteer mountain climbing leader, who had taken me and others up Mount Shasta a number of times. Ty, a professional Architect, reached out to Dale and befriended him and introduced him to other hikers and mountain climbers. They became close friends and Dale now considers himself a fully devoted follower of Christ, participates in a Small Group, and faithfully supports the ministries of Bayside Church while he enjoys multiple sports through BAS.
**Jeff's story
Jeff and his wife Julie were “church shopping”. After visiting several others, they walked onto the campus of Bayside Church and in the courtyard he saw a Yamaha Dirt Bike on display next to the BAS Table. He turned to his wife and said, “I think we found our church!” I met Jeff, explained our broad based adventure ministry and described the many facets of the Dirt Bike Division and then introduced him to other riders. He was hooked. Their family has been connected to Bayside Church ever since, he currently serves as a Deacon of the church, served on the BAS Board of Directors and is our Insurance Broker for the organization.
.**Brian, former Doyle SUP sales rep
Brian has worked as a sales rep for companies like Doyle (Stand Up Paddleboards), Quicksilver, Kahlua, etc. He has a servant heart but has had a difficult time finding a ministry in which to serve. He now serves as the Division Leader for Paddleboarding (SUP) and he loves it. He owns a small fleet of SUPs and is in his sweet spot when teaching first-timers how to paddle board His walk with Christ is growing as he serves others and engages in conversations about how Jesus walked on water but we use SUPs.
**Dennis, Steve, Dave, & Bob
I could tell the stories of hundreds of men, but these four have not only chose Bayside Church as their home church, they met one another through mountain biking, launched a Men’s Small Group Bible Study of guys who ride together, rode together almost every Tuesday night year round (they called their group “The Stupids” because they and others ride in any weather), and planned vacations together. They held each other accountable to walk with Christ, their wives all know one another and have been in a small group together, and they all have had roles serving and supporting Bayside Church.
**David, 12 year old I took up Half Dome
I have had the opportunity to hike/climb Half Dome many times now. Every year I hike it a couple of times during our Yosemite Week and I look for families who need help getting their kids to the summit. In 2013 one of those kids was David. Then 12 years old, he had made it to Quarter Dome or the Sub Dome and when he saw the cables steeply ascending the final 400 feet of this 17 mile round trip day hike, he quickly determined he was going no further. He had hiked there with his grandfather, Art. I asked Art for the privilege of escorting David to the summit. David was terrified. I assured him that I had taken many kids and adults up over the last 15 years and that with our custom ropes and carabineers, there was no way for him to get hurt and I would be inches away the whole time. He was was terrified up the 45 minute ascent, wanting to turn back multiple times. When he summited, though, it changed his life forever. After many photographs on the summit I escorted him back down the cables and every time we passed a person who was scared, either young or old, David encouraged him with his story telling them how scared he had been as he cried on the way up. He told them that if he could do it, they could do it. Since then David has taken on many other challenges in his life with the confidence to tackle them.
**RD coming to Christ through Yerington Dirt Bike Rides
RD was working as a sub contractor for a local home building company owned by a couple of our Dirt Bike Riding BAS Members. He was not a Christian and did not attend any church but always responded positively to the invitations to bring his family and dirt bikes on the BAS Rides. Our twice/year large Yerington weekend trips in Nevada also include a Sunday morning “service” where I share (preach) an evangelistic message based on metaphors and illustrations based on Dirt Bike riding.Through those trips RD and his whole family came to Christ, joined Bayside Church, were baptized, and now serve. His daughter attended the THRIVE School of Ministry and served on our Youth Ministry Team. He joyfully attends the Mexicali Mission Trip every year (on a construction team), has helped build the Breakaway youth day camp sets, and has helped to build and refine the track and facilities for our Dirt Bike School for Kids. He has an enthusiastic and infectious personality and the Kingdom of God is growing as he continues to invite every person he knows to come to this crazy church with the Adventure Ministry.
**Erik's story
Coming soon
- BECAUSE THE CHURCH IS GOD’S STRATEGY TO REACH THE WORLD The church has always been God’s plan for reaching the world. It’s plan A and there is no plan B. Many have gone outside the church, launching para-church ministries, believing that they would be the most effective way of reaching the world for Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many of these ministries have unintentionally competed with the church instead of building the church. See illustration below, **My experience with Youth For Christ verses the church
- A PIPELINE TO LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY Highly desirable yet difficult to attract people are drawn to the church with an Adventure Ministry.
- Men, Professional Women, Young Adults, and Families are looking for opportunities to connect through adventure, fun, risk, and fitness in a family friendly setting (see “Why Men Hate Going To Church” by David Morrow)
- Adventurers are driven, disciplined, patient, passionate people who are comfortable with challenges, risk, endurance, and personal growth.
- They build strong interdependent relationships to further their chances to accomplish shared goals (summit a mountain, complete a “century”, check off a bucket list trip).
- The Adventurer is often economically well-off as these same characteristics drive them to succeed in their career (and their gear is extremely expensive!).
- When adventurers come to Christ, these same characteristics make them effective Christian Leaders. The apostle Paul had these same characteristics.
See illustration below, **Dale Darling, Seven Summits Climber, #2 Almond Exporter in the world. & Jeff Kleeshulte, former Yamaha and Bombardier Rep, current Insurance Broker, and avid dirt bike rider.
- TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE An Adventure Ministry offers service/ministry opportunities for adventure-oriented people who wouldn’t find opportunities in a typical church. Men are driven by significance. Most cannot find a place to serve in their local church. Adventure Ministry allows them to serve in their area of passion.
See illustration below, **Brian Hughes, former Doyle SUP sales rep - TO REACH MEN Adventure works especially good for attracting and attaching men who connect far better through active rather than passive ministry. Men’s Ministry is the only department of the local church that hasn’t found a method that works. David Morrow, in his ground breaking book, “Why Men Hate Going To Church” has done a masterful job of identifying how most modern churches are very feminine in their personalities and environments. Men are looking for churches where they find other men that are resisting passivity, accepting responsibility, leading courageously, and living like Christ. They want to be called up by guys who are represent how they want to be. Men don’t want to have their first connection sitting in a circle talking about their issues, they want to start shoulder to shoulder doing some fun or something worthwhile. That’s where they will talk, connect, and eventually open up. When men look for a place to serve and fill their need to do something significant with their life, they have a difficult time finding a place at the average church. They don’t know their Bible, aren’t very verbal, don’t pray out loud well, and don’t want to work with kids. In most churches all that’s left is to be an usher, set up chairs, be a Trustee, or run the soundboard. When a guy finds out he can do ministry by leading mountain bike rides, taking kids fishing, climbing a mountain, or fixing other people’s broken 4x4s, they are thrilled. Want to attract men? This is the biggest man magnet in the world.
See illustration below, **Dennis, Steve, Dave, & Bob - TO TRANSFORM CHILDREN AND YOUTH Children need to play outdoors again. The epidemic of children suffering from “Nature Deficit Disorder” is excessive in America today (see “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louve). They are passive, medicated, & overweight with no sense of creativity or drive. Outdoor play is the cure to this disease.
See illustration below, **David, 12 year old I took up Half Dome
- TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CHURCH Adventure offers life experience where growth can happen through challenges, and spiritual growth can be taught through endless parallels and metaphors found throughout God’s Creation.
See illustration below, **RD coming to Christ through Yerington Dirt Bike Ride - TO IMPROVE THE REPUTATION OF THE CHURCH An Adventure Ministry helps to confront and break the traditional view or paradigm that churches are only for passive, quiet, contemplative, sedentary, indoor people. When a non-Christian adventure addict hears that Christians are actually involved in and good at adventure activities, it challenges them to rethink their whole pre-existing belief in God, which is the first step towards opening his mind and heart to Jesus Christ.
- TO PROVIDE OCCUPATIONS FOR THOSE CREATED TO DO OUTDOOR MINISTRY The current Outdoor Christian Ministry Industry only has occupations available outside of the church in camps, para-church ministries, and wilderness ministries. The typical Christian called to this ministry has limited job possibilities and, once they age into their 40’s when they are becoming most effective, most of them must leave their ministry to move to the suburbs in order to earn a decent salary and raise children. With a church-based adventure ministry, many more people can be employed doing what God has called them to do, do it more effectively, and do it for their full career. See illustration below, **Erik's story
**My experience with Youth For Christ verses the church
When I served as a Campus Life Director for Denver Area Youth For Christ (1982-1986) my focus was on evangelism of high school students. My team and I brought many students to Christ through our Campus Life Club. They basically treated our Club as their church, attending Bible Studies, Club Meetings, Discipleship Programs, and Retreats. The problem happened when they graduated from high school and left our Club and went off to college. Most had no real experience with a local church and because there wasn’t a Campus Life Club at their college, many fell away from the Lord.
**Dale, Seven Summits Climber
Dale didn’t consider himself to be a church guy. He was a driven, type A executive big mountain climber. He was in the process of climbing the Seven Summits (the seven highest mountains on the seven continents) when he was brought to church by his girlfriend and future wife. He had no intention of getting involved, just needed to “check the box” that he went to church but while there, he saw the kiosk for BAS and met me. He told me what he did and I immediately contacted Ty, our volunteer mountain climbing leader, who had taken me and others up Mount Shasta a number of times. Ty, a professional Architect, reached out to Dale and befriended him and introduced him to other hikers and mountain climbers. They became close friends and Dale now considers himself a fully devoted follower of Christ, participates in a Small Group, and faithfully supports the ministries of Bayside Church while he enjoys multiple sports through BAS.
**Jeff's story
Jeff and his wife Julie were “church shopping”. After visiting several others, they walked onto the campus of Bayside Church and in the courtyard he saw a Yamaha Dirt Bike on display next to the BAS Table. He turned to his wife and said, “I think we found our church!” I met Jeff, explained our broad based adventure ministry and described the many facets of the Dirt Bike Division and then introduced him to other riders. He was hooked. Their family has been connected to Bayside Church ever since, he currently serves as a Deacon of the church, served on the BAS Board of Directors and is our Insurance Broker for the organization.
.**Brian, former Doyle SUP sales rep
Brian has worked as a sales rep for companies like Doyle (Stand Up Paddleboards), Quicksilver, Kahlua, etc. He has a servant heart but has had a difficult time finding a ministry in which to serve. He now serves as the Division Leader for Paddleboarding (SUP) and he loves it. He owns a small fleet of SUPs and is in his sweet spot when teaching first-timers how to paddle board His walk with Christ is growing as he serves others and engages in conversations about how Jesus walked on water but we use SUPs.
**Dennis, Steve, Dave, & Bob
I could tell the stories of hundreds of men, but these four have not only chose Bayside Church as their home church, they met one another through mountain biking, launched a Men’s Small Group Bible Study of guys who ride together, rode together almost every Tuesday night year round (they called their group “The Stupids” because they and others ride in any weather), and planned vacations together. They held each other accountable to walk with Christ, their wives all know one another and have been in a small group together, and they all have had roles serving and supporting Bayside Church.
**David, 12 year old I took up Half Dome
I have had the opportunity to hike/climb Half Dome many times now. Every year I hike it a couple of times during our Yosemite Week and I look for families who need help getting their kids to the summit. In 2013 one of those kids was David. Then 12 years old, he had made it to Quarter Dome or the Sub Dome and when he saw the cables steeply ascending the final 400 feet of this 17 mile round trip day hike, he quickly determined he was going no further. He had hiked there with his grandfather, Art. I asked Art for the privilege of escorting David to the summit. David was terrified. I assured him that I had taken many kids and adults up over the last 15 years and that with our custom ropes and carabineers, there was no way for him to get hurt and I would be inches away the whole time. He was was terrified up the 45 minute ascent, wanting to turn back multiple times. When he summited, though, it changed his life forever. After many photographs on the summit I escorted him back down the cables and every time we passed a person who was scared, either young or old, David encouraged him with his story telling them how scared he had been as he cried on the way up. He told them that if he could do it, they could do it. Since then David has taken on many other challenges in his life with the confidence to tackle them.
**RD coming to Christ through Yerington Dirt Bike Rides
RD was working as a sub contractor for a local home building company owned by a couple of our Dirt Bike Riding BAS Members. He was not a Christian and did not attend any church but always responded positively to the invitations to bring his family and dirt bikes on the BAS Rides. Our twice/year large Yerington weekend trips in Nevada also include a Sunday morning “service” where I share (preach) an evangelistic message based on metaphors and illustrations based on Dirt Bike riding.Through those trips RD and his whole family came to Christ, joined Bayside Church, were baptized, and now serve. His daughter attended the THRIVE School of Ministry and served on our Youth Ministry Team. He joyfully attends the Mexicali Mission Trip every year (on a construction team), has helped build the Breakaway youth day camp sets, and has helped to build and refine the track and facilities for our Dirt Bike School for Kids. He has an enthusiastic and infectious personality and the Kingdom of God is growing as he continues to invite every person he knows to come to this crazy church with the Adventure Ministry.
**Erik's story
Coming soon