By Kelsey Elmore, Founder, MissionFit
I once heard a pastor say, “Our stories are worth sharing”. So here is mine.
I fell in love and married “the fitness guy”. He was a pro MMA fighter at the time, but fitness had always been a significant part of his life. His next chapter in life, once we were married, was personal training. Soon enough, I followed in those fitness footsteps and became a trainer myself. Over time we opened a few gyms and watched them grow.
At first, being a trainer was a cool job for me. I loved coaching. I loved helping people.
Quickly, though, I began to have a heightened awareness of people’s health. You know like when you never notice the white jeeps on the road, but then your best friend purchases one and suddenly you start to notice them everywhere. It refocuses your view. That’s what happened to me with health and wellness.
I began to see how poor-health negatively affects the day-to-day lives of so many including Christians. I began to see the reality of the Bible verse:
The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.
I began to see the desperate need.
Over the last decade, that “cool job” has turned into a passionate mission. It’s a mission to restore physical health to people so they can live the full life God desires for them.
This is the story of my mission: MissionFiT
RESTORE HEALTH TO SERVE OTHERS
MissionFiT is a ministry that restores health to people so they can live life to the fullest. Our vision is to restore the physical health of Christians so they can thrive in life and joyfully live the mission they have been given to complete while here on earth. We are an ecumenical organization based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jesus message to give us full life is our heartbeat.
Here at MissionFiT, our “FiT” has a deeper meaning than simply physical fitness.
We are to be faithful in training in every way. God calls us to love with everything including our strength. In order to love God with all our strength, we need to train our bodies to be strong. That physical strength enables Christians to live out the Great Commission. We see these ways to love as ways to train. Being faithful in physical training helps us to be fit for His mission to disciple others. To serve God and others with your gifts and talents, you need physical health and strength.
ARE YOU FIT FOR YOUR MISSION?
The stats are saying no. The current reality is that many people in the US and globally are experiencing worse health symptoms than ever according to the CDC and World Health Organization. Seventy percent of Americans are overweight, 37.2% are obese and these numbers continue to rise. Depression, autism, alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are at an all-time high and predicted to get worse.
Since I work with churches, one statistic that grieves me the most is that, “45% of pastors experience depression or burnout to the extent that they need to take a leave of absence.” (Preventing Ministry Failure)
Many don’t know how to exercise and eat well. So their body is not be able to withstand the demands of their spiritual calling. Many think they don’t have time for fitness and good nutrition. Many pastor and church leaders believe they don’t deserve it. They believe that taking time to work out is selfish. They have similar attitudes when it comes to buying healthier and sometimes more expensive food. The misinformation and fads surrounding fitness, especially in America, lead to frustration and lack of true transformation.
However, it’s biblical to steward your body as a temple for God in a healthy way. You are not your own. You need to walk in the spirit and enjoy good health!
A movement for change is needed. However, it’s not an easy fix. It takes time and it requires a strategic plan rather than just some simple product to accomplish the mission. It’s a process of awareness, education, motivation, equipping, accountability and support. I love to use the terms, God desires for us to ‘live out’ our mission, not ‘tap-out’ of our mission. Good health makes you feel well and improving your ability and will to serve. It frees you to use your God-given gifts.
OUR MISSIONFIT RESTORATION PROCESS
PASTORS IN TRAINING PROGRAM
We have specific initiatives to care for church leadership. Pastors, assistant Pastors and lay leaders these days are more stressed than ever and often need more intensive care. With a program built specifically for this subgroup we are able to make significant progress. These leaders need:
– Awareness of how stress affects the body and soul
– Own the value of stewarding their temple with excellence
– Training on how to cope and manage stress with success
– Clearly laid out Pastor Care Plan
– An outlet for execution, including a small fitness group convenient for them
– Accountability and routine support
RESTART THE HEART WORKSHOPS
Through our Restart the Heart Workshops, people learn the connection between faith and health as well as the application. The community walks home with:
– A clear understanding of the connection between faith and health
– A personalized nutrition plan
– A wealth of knowledge on wellness
– A fun fitness experience with a tool for home use
– Attainable goals set
– A plan for action and accountability
– Motivation for change
OUR TEAM
Kelsey Elmore, MissionFiT Founder
Kelsey Elmore is Founder of MissionFiT: restoring physical health to people so they can thrive in life. Having spent the last decade in the fitness industry from owning gyms to working on a corporate level with big brands, helping launch faith based fitness entities and managing sportscasters, she is thrilled to bring her expertise over to the Christian community. With such compassion to truly impact lives, she’s always excited to start serving the next community.
Dale Fletcher, Faith & Health Connection
Dale is the Founder and Executive Director of the ministry. He has a heart for helping people live a healthy and abundant life. He enjoys applying his formal wellness education and insight from personal life experiences in his role as a ministry leader, faith and health consultant, speaker, retreat leader, and health coach.
Zoë Elmore, Christian Women’s Speaker
Zoë, a speaker since 2000, is a powerful, passionate and effective Bible teacher who challenges women to live beyond their circumstances. Zoë is a beautiful servant-leader who prays for, encourages, and invests in you and the women attending your event. Described as “Captivating and charming with a dash of energy and sparkle”, her inspiring teaching impels women toward a life of intentional spirituality.
ARE YOU READY TO GET FIT FOR THE MISSION?
Go to the MIssionFiT website to contact Kelsey to schedule a time to discuss the needs of your leaders and the opportunities for your community. For a pastor or leader who is ready to take the next step toward wellness, we help them work toward a plan to start transforming their life. Consultations are free.
We provide congregations with support to learn and plan an inspiring experience about wellness.
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