Fighting for Christians
Boxing helps bring young men to church January 24, 2009
Steve Young syoung@argusleader.com
Jerry James took a right to the chops for Jesus the other night in downtown Sioux Falls. Clad in sweats, boxing gloves and head gear, the former standout amateur boxer stood between the ropes – and in the middle of the homily – Saturday night at New Life Church. Religion with a punch, spectators joked from the gallery.
The bulletin handed out at the door referred to it as “Saturday Night Slam.” But in fact, the Rev. Alex Klimchuk’s intent in turning his altar into a boxing ring was more enticement than entertainment. ”We try to reach out to those who aren’t already going, who think church is boring,” says Klimchuk, 30. “The truth is, the church is having problems getting young men inside them. So we ask, ‘What will reach the guys?’ This seems like a perfect answer.”
For three weeks this month, the church at 500 S. First Ave. is using a fight ring as a parable for the spiritual battles of mankind. Two weeks ago, New Life staged a tae kwon do bout and submission matches. Last week, James and four other pugilists went through a half-dozen two-minute rounds of sparring in front of 75 to 100 mostly young males. And this weekend, it is putting on a self-defense program. Each is followed by a message from Klimchuk. On Saturday nights, when many young people are looking for parties or bingeing on alcohol, “what if there was a very creative alternative, with a high-energy band and a lot of young people?” he said. “Would you want to come if there were young people and college kids?”
Reaching out to the unchurched in a country where about 60 percent of Americans say they do not attend services on a weekly basis is not unique. In the past 10 to 20 years, many of Sioux Falls’ mainline churches have created “contemporary” services where visitors can show up in blue jeans and with coffee cups. Guitars have become a staple. So have big screens and PowerPoint presentations. The Rev. Judy Shaw, pastor of the nondenominational Center of Life Church – from which the New Life Church was planted four years ago – said she sees nothing unusual in turning altars into boxing rings.
“I travel throughout the United States, and I travel abroad, and what Pastor Alex is doing is not out of the ordinary for churches that are very progressive,” Shaw said. “A lot of youth will not go to the traditional churches they were raised in. They say it’s not relevant, not reaching them, and they’re bored.” In the Atlanta suburb of Dacula, Ga., the Rev. Ron Brent helps train about 200 people in martial arts through a program at Hebron Baptist Church. The classes hold many opportunities for sharing the Gospel, he says. ”If somebody is scared, I’ll stop and share that they’re not alone, that God is here with them, that they are here among Christians,” Brent says. Even the pads used for protection are ministry opportunities for Brent, who tells his students “you should be putting your spiritual pads on every day.”
Across the nation, karate classes have gained widespread popularity, even for preschool students. ”The idea that would be going on within a church context doesn’t surprise me at all,” says Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.
Boxing, one of the first genres of television programming in the U.S., also has gained acceptance through the years. However, some Americans still object to boxing and mixed martial arts, which includes events such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship. ”Some say it’s a wonderful art form,” Thompson says. “Others, though, begin to think the sport itself represents a certain kind of behavior that should be frowned upon – namely, hitting one another.”
Mixed martial arts has been gaining more acceptance recently, partly because of rule changes that outlawed some of the more dangerous strikes, Thompson says. Last year, CBS began broadcasting events on prime-time television. At New Life in Sioux Falls, the doors are open to anyone, said Klimchuk, a part-time pastor who sustains his family with a tree-cutting service while he tries to grow his congregation. But there is an emphasis on the 15- to 35-year-old crowd. Thus the parable of the boxing ring.
“We visually demonstrate the spiritual battle people go through with this service,” he said. “It’s worth fighting to stay married, worth fighting to stay away from drugs and the negative.” It’s a message that resonates with 17-year-old Audri Vargas, a Washington High School senior who started attending New Life three years ago after being introduced to it by an older sister. It’s the nontraditional nature of this church that attracts her, Vargas said.
“Before, church wasn’t that fun. It was something I went to because I had to,” she said. “But here, I get into the message.” So does 47-year-old Wendy Hickcox, who began attending New Life four months ago at the invitation of the man who cut her trees.
“I believe in God, but I could never really get it,” Hickcox said. “I couldn’t follow in church the thees, thys and thous. But with Pastor Alex, there’s a difference between preaching and teaching. Here, you’re all pumped up to hear the message.” Argus Leader local news editor Jeff Martin contributed to this story. Reach reporter Steve Young at 605-331-2306.
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