Group Exercise Classes That Make You Rethink Church

A startling realization hit me the other day.

My most profound fitness moments have never occurred in a gym, or even during a regular workout.

My most profound “God moments” have never occurred in church on a Sunday morning, wearing my suit, during a regular church service.

I just made that annoying “head exploding” hand gesture.

My most profound, life-changing, “dig deep and overcome adversity” fitness and God moments share more than just this commonality.   They also occurred with a group in a tough situation.

For fitness, it has been covered with mud and going over walls.

For church, it has been covered with concrete and building walls.

           Jason Rhymer wife Vhis alerie in Mexico in 2004.        
 

What is it about mission trips and mud runs that we are missing in the church or in the fitness centers?

This article is a call to action to change the entire culture of how we are experiencing physical and spiritual breakthroughs.  Each can feed off each other.  There is an opportunity to combine these experiences into something really special.

When I had this realization, it made me rethink how I was leading my Christian Fitness Bootcamps.   For the last 4 years, I have had a group of 10-20 athletes of all ages (teens to early 70’s) join me at a local church for a 45 minute bootcamp twice a week. We have had approximately 360 training sessions together that also include a devotion and prayer time at the beginning or end for a couple of minutes.  Most of these have been me talking for a few minutes about a current book I am reading, or a recent sermon I heard, or some scripture that got my attention, and the spiritual and physical connection between the two.

See the problem? I have been talking without letting the athletes explore the scripture or prayer time on their own, in the midst of the workout.  Amazing things can happen when we think, pray, or read while moving. Endorphins are released and material that we may not have noticed before, can suddenly come alive.

Here are a couple of ways that I have tried to create a more profound experience for our bootcampers.  I printed and cut out 10 inspiring scriptures (below) and left them in a bowl at their core/cardio station.  I asked them to quickly read the one sentence scripture and see what word or phrase jumped out to them.  As they ran back to the strength area, they were to “stew” on that phrase and pray that God reveal more to them about the impact of those words on their life. [Trainers and coaches!  You can get the full workout on my Faith & Fitness Magazine blog HERE]

In another bootcamp, we used a rest period before a longer run for the participants to partner up and share one prayer request with each other.  The goal during the run is to pray for your friend’s request and your own prayer need.  Prayer runs help distract from the pain and reveal thoughts to you that are probably different from a quiet, seated prayer time.

What Does Group Exercise Mean To You?

Say the word “Group” and some people freak out. 

You mean I have to worship, run, play, grow, or do anything with others?  But someone might see me! 

Group can mean competition or create an internal feeling that everyone is against you.  But for me, group means community.  A group can be like-minded people with like-minded goals working together on similar tasks.  In special situations like a mission trip or obstacle run, groups can be a team or even as a close as a family.

Think back now to your typical gym or church experience.   In most cases, it is isolated.  Gyms are full of people on machines listening to their own music, or even if they are in a class, they are in their own bubble with little interaction with those around them.   For church, we sit and listen to a sermon or sing a hymn, but an element of teamwork or community?  Not often on a Sunday morning.  This is not really the gym or churches' fault.  Committing to a group or community takes sacrifice, vulnerability, and a willingness to communicate.  These are hard to do on a consistent basis.  So maybe the church and the gym are our place just to maintain.  Let’s get enough “God” (Can you calculate how much that is?) and fitness to just get us through until we have another profound moment in the mission field or a big fitness event.

Life is too short to be in “maintenance mode” most of the time.  How can we duplicate profound moments consistently, and really grow and thrive with our workouts and relationship with God?

One example of what is working is ChristFit. Look at their mission statement:

ChristFit is a fitness ministry for women of all ages combining physical fitness and the Lord’s message all in one setting. ChristFit is a facet of One7 ministries. Women uniting in body, mind, spirit and heart!

There is a different workout and a different biblical-based message every week. The sessions are open to every age and every fitness level. No competition or judgment – just support, camaraderie and compassion for one another taking participants to the next level of fitness and closer to Jesus.

ChristFit open their workouts with prayer.   Prayer "threads" through the group beyond just the Saturday workouts and the group consistently lift each other up through the week with support chats online and a private Facebook page.  They create a challenging and uplifting workout environment that is safe and loving, not competitive.   The workout is typically a bootcamp-style format with a focus on body-weight exercises, and a few fun implements included occasionally with a new program every week.  Kirsten Quick, one of the ChristFit leaders, puts it this way, "It is a tough workout, but there is constant motivation and thankfulness from everyone.  ChristFit gives them the encouragement to sign-up for races and do more than they thought was possible.  They love sharing the pictures and success stories with our group online and at our workouts." (Kirsten wrote an amazing core training article for Faith & Fitness Magazine titled Build A Strong Core Physically And Spiritually).

After the workout, the group shares a wheat grass drink while Mary Catherine Garrett, the founder of ChristFit, leads a Bible study, devotion, and prayer time. She often reaches out to the group with weekly devotions on Facebook.  Finally, everyone gathers for a group photo and then say their goodbyes. 

Look at all the ways ChristFit is creating a community rather than just offering a group fitness class.  They are feeding every aspect of growth – physical, spiritual, social, mental, emotional – and expanding it beyond just their hour together each week.  The group feels love, acceptance, accountability, and support throughout the week.   This is how you grow a vibrant group that stays together.

Wrapping It Up – Call To Action

Much more could be written about this topic, but hopefully your gears are churning about how to create profound, life-changing experiences either with your clients, in your church, or in your own personal workouts.  Here are some final thoughts for each type of reader.

*Average gym-goer that works out a few times a week on their own – Try praying during your rest periods or reading short scripture between sets.  Also, challenge yourself to sign-up for a race or other life event that pushes your limits and puts you in a group of like-minded people that are training for success.

* Trainers & coaches – Pull your clients "out of their bubbles" by finding ways to communicate.  Have them partner-up and share what is going on in their lives.  Knowing that they have people praying and supporting them is just as important as the workout you are providing.  Go to your local church and start a Christian Fitness Bootcamp that is more than just another group fitness class.  I will help you if you need it.

* Church leaders – There is a huge opportunity to add movement to the experience at your church.  Many churches offer classes, but they are often just housing a regular fitness class.  Try to create opportunities for your congregation to combine a spiritual and physical experience.  Even just having a walking club that shares a prayer time while walking through the church or around the neighborhood is a great place to start.  Encourage your fitness teachers to incorporate prayer, scripture, and discussion time in their programs.  Again, we will be a resource for you, so please contact us!    

Live with Strength!