Taking Christ to the Ring

Reaching fringe communities with the gospel requires untypical approaches, particularly for unarmed combat sports athletes.

Joshua T. Boyd, lead pastor of Life Christian Church in Las Vegas, hit upon the underserved plight of pro and amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes 15 years ago.

Although Las Vegas carries the long-standing Sin City nickname, it is also labeled the fight capital of the world. Boxing, MMA, wrestling, judo, jujitsu, karate, Muay Thai, and kick boxing draw millions of fans via TV and hometown matches.

Initially, Boyd landed in the city in 2007 as a member of a church planting team. He was previously youth pastor at Kokomo First Assembly (now Reach Church) in Kokomo, Indiana.

When launching plans for the new ministry changed within a year, Boyd followed the team leader to help an existing Las Vegas AG church, New Horizons Christian Church (now Life Christian Church, LCC), whose pastor had resigned. Meanwhile Boyd kept bumping into celebrity fighters and coaches and learning about the sport. He saw the fight community as an unreached people group lacking a focused evangelism effort.

However, his growing empathy triggered negative pushbacks from some. Combat sports athletes are often considered too violent and too edgy for standard evangelizing.

“But they are just people who need Jesus,” Boyd, 47, says.

During that time the Holy Spirit prompted him to consider a radical move. At an Ultimate Fighting Championship (MMA promotion company) fan expo, Boyd met a pastor from Seattle who ministered to combat sports people. Encouraged, he prayed and fasted for direction, which led to a sabbatical leave and surrendering traditional pastoral duties.

He connected with similar independent ministries, learning how they shared the gospel with fringe communities. Needing employment to provide for his wife Rebecca and three children, he found temporary work in a grocery store that ballooned to five years.

“It was humbling and like a biblical desert experience,” he says. “Yet I learned about doing true relational evangelism.”

Boyd slowly built one-on-one links with MMA competitors and crews by visiting various gyms where professionals and amateurs trained. At first he showed interest and became accessible as a pastor or sports chaplain. After gaining trust with gym managers, he offered spiritual counsel to athletes and coaches, time keepers, referees, cut and corner men, and other support personnel.

Volunteering in warm-up rooms before matches helped as well. Boyd handed out MMA boxing gloves, taped fighters’ wrists, maintained gauze buckets, and helped set up fighting cages. Prayer was always offered.

MMA misconceptions abound. Far from harmful behavior and raging violence, the sport requires finesse, strategizing and rigorous training. Like other unarmed combat sports, it is strictly regulated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Yet it’s still a grueling lifestyle. Many spend up to eight hours daily in gyms and hold two to three part time jobs to pay the bills. Injuries persist and very few make it to the top. Usually, a fighter’s professional career ends around his or her mid-thirties.

In 2010 Boyd founded Fight Church (FC), partnering with several independent ministries aimed at other fringe communities.

His mission affirmed building bridges between the combat sports community and the local church, with the ultimate purpose of transforming lives through a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

As an official outreach program of Life Christian Church, Fight Church (FC) primarily operates independently.

“Many of those reached through the ministry are encouraged to attend LCC and get involved,” Boyd says.

In 2015 he returned to Life Christian Church as associate pastor and was named lead pastor in 2017.

FC holds Bible studies, counsels, gives groceries to families in need, invites athletes and families to Life Christian Church services, and offers volunteers to assist in prefight warm-up quarters and matches. Fighters regularly show up at Boyd’s home for meals and fellowship. He is always on call.

Tom Morales, a former World Fighting Championships pro competitor who retired at age 28, met Boyd during training. He admits to having some faith then, but never attended church and was not big on religion.

He was touched by Boyd’s personal prayers and genuine concern, which opened the door to Life Christian Church (LCC) and finding faith. The church showed his family practical love and acceptance.

“The congregation made a big impact on me,” Morales, 35, says. “And pastor Josh invited us to his home.”

Morales and his wife Jerica, who also came to Christ, and their children faithfully attend LCC. He also tries sharing his testimony to workers in the construction industry where he now works as a carpenter. “Jesus is my Savior, and he is real,” he says.

The Northern California & Nevada District respects and supports Fight Church as it reaches out to the combat sports community, says Samuel Huddleston, assistant district superintendent, and AG General Council executive presbyter.

“Las Vegas is already a spiritually dark city, but Josh Boyd’s sports chaplaincy brings a very bright light to athletes who are having to live their lives in the darkness,” Huddleston, 71, says.