Sports and religion have found a successful connection in many communities of faith, in part because it can attract youth and young adults to spirituality. (Photo by Tullio Puglia of UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

PHOENIX – Across the country, places of worship are not only spots for spiritual growth but sites to foster deeper connections within their communities. One product of this engagement is the development of sports programs aimed at youth and young adults.

These programs offer more than just recreational opportunities. They provide space for faith, unity and development.

“Church sports programs are more than just games,” said Ward leader Kevin Craig, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. “They’re about building relationships, teaching faith through teamwork and connecting families.”

In Phoenix, many churches, temples and synagogues have embraced the power of sports to strengthen community ties. For many, sports programs are a way to engage a younger audience, offer mentorship and create long-lasting bonds.

The programs are designed with more than just competition in mind. They’re mainly about nurturing essential values like discipline, teamwork and leadership all while integrating faith into the experience.

“The focus of the ministry is more to minister to the athletes and teach them that God gave these athletes the ability they have in their sports, and to please him, we just need to be who he made us to be,” said Wendy Kerychuck, co-founder of the Phoenix-based non-profit Athletes International Ministry.

“I like to say we just have to bloom. I love my flower gardens. I plant roses, daisies and geraniums, and all they have to do to make me happy is bloom, be a rose, be a geranium. That’s what we tell these athletes.”

Sports engagement is part of many different religions The Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, for example, said its goals include enriching “physical, mental and spiritual growth.”

Instilling values

These programs not only teach athletic skills but also instill religious values, making them a powerful tool for spiritual development. Whether it’s helping a teammate, working hard for a goal, or showing perseverance after a loss, the lessons from spiritually based athletics extend beyond the court.

A priority is helping the ability to engage youth. Kids are not inclined to sit and listen to someone preach for an extended period of time. By combining athletics with religious principles, these programs provide a space for young people to grow both physically and spiritually.

However, some warn that religious sports programs can be overly insulated.

“Adding sports to the mix often enhances the insularity of the religious communities,” said Terry Shoemaker, a religious studies expert and professor at Arizona State University who has studied the intersection of sports and religion, warns. “So if we think about recreational sports as a way to not only develop young people’s honesty, disciple, ability to play by the rules, ability to accept victory in a gracious way but also the ability to accept loss in a gracious way, but also to meet kids who aren’t like them, like kids of different colors or races or ethnicities, or genders, disabilities, you’re now reducing that if all your sports take place at your church.

“If the church is providing you not only your Sunday morning gathering, but it’s providing you a means to watch a movie with other kids, you’re not going to the movie theater as much. It’s now providing your sports outlet. Now, you’re no longer playing in those leagues that were so important to youth development. It’s now all contained within your religious community. And while there may be positives to that, I don’t want to disregard that, but for a broader society, I think there’s a lot of negatives to that.”

Religious sports programs have a profound impact not only on youth but also on young adults. They provide a chance to bond over something fun and meaningful.

Samantha Gulledge, a young adult member of the Mormon Towne Lake YSA Ward in Tempe, said her experiences have helped her meet friends and strengthen bonds.

“I’m an athletic person, so I have always enjoyed sports,” she said. “I feel like sports programs are a very casual way to make friends. But also, you know, it’s kind of like in church: You’re all striving for the same goals, and so you just have that camaraderie pretty quickly.

“It affects faith in that way that even when I was a kid, and there were sports, to be perfectly honest, you didn’t always want to go to church because you know, … ‘church is boring, there are more fun things to do.’ But having sports and making friends while doing so, it definitely made it more of an incentive to go, because you’re making friends who you then get to see at church.”

Community take priority

These programs enable individuals to spend quality time with others who share their faith, reminding them of the importance of community both within and outside the spiritual walls.

Religious sports programs are also particularly useful as a tool for outreach, welcoming people who might not yet be part of the congregation. These programs serve as a non-threatening way to introduce new people and families to a faith environment, offering them a space to belong before they even enter a church, temple or synagogue.

“It’s a great way to introduce people to the church, too,” Craig said. “I mean, you always want to form a relationship with somebody. And it’s sometimes easier to form a relationship with somebody on a sporting field than it is sitting next to them in a pew, where it’s a spiritual atmosphere.

“We really encourage the young men and young women to invite friends out from school and let them have some exposure to the rest of the members and such.”

By engaging in sports, families have the opportunity to experience a religious community in a casual and approachable setting, often leading to a deeper connection with the faith itself.

And these outreach knows no borders.

“We serve in eight different countries across the globe, one of which is in Kenya, where we have a kind of an outpost of ministry site in a large slum called Kibera,” said Charlie Dunn, Chief Development Officer for the Virginia-based Sports Outreach Institute. “If you read the statistics, it’s always numbers one through three on the list of the worst places to live on the planet.

“We are partnered with a school that is not a part of our organization. It’s another faith-based school that brings children in and provides them with a solid education, including feeding programs, all within the midst of the slum. But our partnership is that we offer them sports so that they can become accredited in their physical education curriculum, and they allow us to connect our children to their schooling and instruction.”

These outreach efforts across the U.S. and the world make sports programs accessible to many, creating an environment where every child who wants to participate in sports has the opportunity to thrive, build confidence and foster personal growth.

The long-term impact of religious sports programs extends beyond the field. These programs often teach young people important life lessons that carry over into adulthood, including leadership, self-discipline and the ability to work effectively with others.

“We’re able to create teams from places like Adobe Mountain Correctional Facility (in north Phoenix) and bring them out to play in the league,” Wendy said. “This gives families the opportunity to see their child outside the gates.

“A lot of times, those kids are on championship teams. They win championships, and they sort of became heroes in their families. You know, you have a family that just doesn’t know how to win, and their kid becomes a winner, and they’re exposed to the gospel, and that just means something to them.”

Religious sports programs have proven to be invaluable tools in fostering stronger, more cohesive communities. They build youth leaders, help strengthen communities for young adults and offer spiritual growth through the power of sport.

“When people make the decision that they’re going to live their life for God the best they can, they’re so grateful the fruit of that is incomparable,” said Larry Kerychuck, co-founder of Athletes International Ministry.

“I mean it’s just amazing.”