Growing up in West Michigan, I heard a lot about missionaries. Our church would collect a “missions offering”, and we would often hear stories about the things missionaries we supported were doing in places like Honduras or the Philippines. I don’t remember specifics, but I do remember envisioning a couple or a family living in huts, half-starving, sacrificing everything so that others could hear the Gospel.
My first mission trip in October of 2023 shattered that paradigm.
Scott Batson with Get Strong Ministries, along with his wife, Christie, led our trip to Ocotal, Nicaragua, home of CrossFit Get Strong. A group of us, including CrossFit Mayhem’s Jake Lockert, spent the week building relationships with gym members and their families, instructing new coaches, and serving in the local community.
This is mission work?
What I witnessed and experienced in Ocotal was “fitness as missions.” CrossFit Get Strong has become a powerful vehicle for ministry in Nicaragua. The most direct spiritual impact occurs on Sunday afternoons, when numerous gym members gather for a workout, followed by worship, prayer, and a biblical message. Carlos Zamora serves as the Pastor of the “church”, as well as the Head Coach of CrossFit Get Strong. The relationships that are built during the week through group classes and shared physical “suffering” are strengthened when members gather to worship, pray, and hear from God’s Word. “There’s a lot of legalism in Nicaraguan churches,” reports Scott Batson, Director of Get Strong Ministries. “People are drawn to our gym environment, where they can come as they are and experience the love of Jesus and truth of God’s Word. Relationships are extremely strong here, and that is where we put the emphasis spiritually as well. Religion takes a back seat to a relationship with Jesus.”
Sunday afternoon attendance is certainly not required from gym members, but many decide to participate organically due to the bonds that are formed with Carlos and other members throughout the week. Scott shares the following story:
"I met Marvin 9 years ago, he attended a local church we visited. When we opened the gym he started to attend there as well. He admitted he only went to church because he was trying to please his family. Marvin was consistent at the gym as well as the men’s Bible studies we conducted at the gym. We talked to Marvin for years about giving his life to Jesus and he would continually say. 'let me clean my life up a first and then I will'. After years of praying for him and gently encouraging him to take a step of faith, Marvin gave his life to Jesus after a team member from the U.S. shared the Gospel at a men’s Bible study at the gym. Marvin was so excited, he was determined to get baptized right then. So we loaded up in the trucks and wandered down to the river and baptized Marvin in the dark, nothing but the truck lights. We sang, prayed and celebrated. Marvin is now a foundational member of our church in the gym, has been discipled by Carlos, and is intentionally leading his family toward Jesus."
In addition to making disciples at the gym, Scott has found ways to serve local schools and other organizations in the area. During his monthly trips to Ocotal, Scott frequents a men’s rehab center where he encourages and prays with the Director, helps disciple the participants, and baptizes those who are ready to “put on Christ.”, like Marvin. Although Scott and Christie don’t live in Nicaraguan huts, they generally spend 2-3 weeks per month in a developing country, sacrificing comforts of home like time with family, air conditioning, and reliable plumbing. After seeing the fruit of their ministry, however, they wouldn’t have it any other way. "It was definitely a transition at first, but God continues to show his faithfulness to us in so many ways", Christie states. "This encourages us to keep going and reminds us that any sacrifice that brings people to him is so worth it." Their fitness-based missions efforts are only getting started. Scott has a vision for expanding into other areas of Nicaragua and potentially other countries. “What we’re doing can be replicated,” he states. “We have the blueprint. Now we just need the resources and manpower to expand and bring the Gospel into other cities and countries through a gym based model.”
If this is what missions looks like, I may reconsider my calling. Based on what we’re seeing and hearing at Mayhem Mission, I’m not the only one. Similar fitness-as-missions gyms exist in places like Kenya, Spain, Southeast Asia, Peru, and elsewhere. We’ll save those stories for future articles.
To learn more and CrossFit Get Strong and their ministry in Nicaragua, visit https://getstrongministries.com/.
