Church recreation buildings got their start in the 1950s. At that time, however, the buildings rarely included gymnasiums.
First Baptist, Oklahoma City, is believed to be one of the first Southern Baptist churches to have a recreation building, said John Garner, director of sports and recreation for LifeWay Christian Resources.
Not too many years later, Alabama Baptist churches found themselves contemplating the need for recreation buildings.
“Recreation has been a big part of our church’s ministry for almost 23 years; that’s when I came here as our Christian Life Center was being built,” said Jerry Harris, minister of recreation at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills.
“We feel that many people have become a part of Shades Mountain because this program was the initial hook that brought them to Shades Mountain,” Harris noted.
“Recreation can and should be a vital ministry of any church,” said David Burnham, director of recreational ministries at the Family Life Center of First Baptist Church, Dothan. “Here at First Baptist, recreation is not only a way to improve quality of life, but it is a great ministerial tool for our members and prospects. Our goal is to try and fulfill everyone’s needs whether they are social, spiritual or physical. Recreation and sports can be a catalyst for growth for the individual as well as the church,” he said.
“I think that the future of recreation will involve more nontraditional recreational activities. I also think that more emphasis will be focused on the physical health of each individual in a medical way, such as physical therapy, cardiac rehab, occupational therapy, etc.”
Still, recreation ministers agree that churches should not measure the effectiveness of sports and recreation by the size or cost of a recreation building. The ministry should launch with a definitive plan to reach and grow people, building or not.
A small, rural church can teach the same spiritual principles with a minimal investment in a net and ball for informal volleyball play on the church lawn, as the large city church that invests several million dollars in a state-of-the-art recreation building and equipment.
Churches with fewer members may be less able to afford and may not need a recreation building.
Garner estimates about 82 percent of Southern Baptist churches have 100 members or fewer.
Nonetheless, more churches are building more buildings now than ever before. Garner said reasons are the cost of borrowing money is cheap and churches see recreation as a tool to impact a “leisure-oriented culture.”
Nances Creek Baptist Church, Jacksonville, with a church membership of 150, built a recreation building about a year ago. Housed there is a gymnasium, a game room, rest rooms and four Sunday School rooms.
The center primarily houses a prolific youth program, according to the church’s bivocational pastor, Garry Brown.
“It pulls a lot of youth in that we wouldn’t get otherwise,” he said.
Garner said a recreation building is something that should follow a successful program of recreation, rather than preceding it; poor planning is to build the large building and then try to create programs to fill it. Churches should have the interest and involvement of its members in recreation long before a building. “A lot of churches get in backwards, then they come to us and wonder why it’s not working,” he said.
Spring Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, followed this plan. After many years of building a successful recreation ministry, the church built their first recreation center, a two-story $3 million, 36,000- square-foot facility and opened it in June 1997. The building now serves the church membership of 3,500 people.
According to Bobby Butler, minister of recreation/activities at Spring Hill, more than 80 volunteers staff the center, usually in three-hour shifts. Weekdays it is open 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. (except Wednesday night prayer meeting time), and weekend hours vary.
“Our purpose for having the investment that we have is that the better fit we are, the better we’re able to serve.”
In Huntsville, Whitesburg Baptist Church opened the ROC, which stands for Recreation Outreach Center, in January.
According to Debbie Milner, recreation coordinator, it is designed to bolster the purpose of the church by offering the church family opportunities for fellowship and recreation and to extend arms out into the community.
The building features a state-of-the-art weight room, an aerobics facility, a running track, two collegiate-regulation sized basketball courts, steam rooms, and “The Grill,” snack bar. The ROC is part of the Whitesburg Center, which also includes a chapel, a “Fireside Room” and lots of new educational space.
Noting that health is a critical benefit of exercise, Butler encourages ministers of recreation to attend conferences on church recreation strategies and personnel training.
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