Thou Shalt Work Out
Thoughts on this? I'm not much of an "attractional church" person, so I cringe when I read this. I love fitness and think it is important for us to be healthy, but this seems like a ton of money to pump into something that can very easily become entangled w/ issues of vanity. This is also a ton of money that could be used in areas that we are specifically called to address...feeding the hungry, caring for the widow and orphan, ministering to prisoners, serving strangers/refugees, etc.
After thinking about it more, I would imagine they could save tons of money by simply offering classes for healthy eating and fitness programs that don't require massive amounts of expensive equipment. My wife and I do 21 Day Fix and you don't need a full service gym to do it and it has a strict, but well-balanced, eating plan.
Thoughts on this? I'm not much of an "attractional church" person, so I cringe when I read this. I love fitness and think it is important for us to be healthy, but this seems like a ton of money to pump into something that can very easily become entangled w/ issues of vanity. This is also a ton of money that could be used in areas that we are specifically called to address...feeding the hungry, caring for the widow and orphan, ministering to prisoners, serving strangers/refugees, etc.
Quote:
I'm here because health-minded Christian pundits have hailed First Baptist as a shining example of what's possible when religion and fitness unite. In late 2009, the church invested a quarter of a million dollars to renovate its existing 25,000-square-foot rec center, making it a viable alternative to the city's upscale health clubs. Besides the Group X rooma full-size basketball court where 14 instructors teach pilates, TRX, high-intensity interval training, "Godspeed Spin," and other classes throughout the weekthe facility has two weight rooms with HFB-branded Cybex machines, a cardio room, an indoor track, sprawling locker rooms, a hydromassage bed, and, for good measure, six bowling lanes.
Quote:
Make no mistake: in an era of declining church membership, one of the main reasons faith-based gyms exist is to draw people to the gospel, whether they're parishioners or not. "We want people to come," says First Baptist fitness minister Dave Bundrick. It's the exact opposite M.O. of big-box gyms that base their business models on people not showing up. Church fitness centers do charge fees, but they measure their success not in dollars but in what Bundrick calls ministry opportunitiesinteractions in which there's a chance to "positively impact a person's perception of our ministry, church, and ultimately, our God."
After thinking about it more, I would imagine they could save tons of money by simply offering classes for healthy eating and fitness programs that don't require massive amounts of expensive equipment. My wife and I do 21 Day Fix and you don't need a full service gym to do it and it has a strict, but well-balanced, eating plan.
