OUR STORY

In 2011, while competing in the elite individual division at her first CrossFit Games, Becky Conzelman caught a vision for the fitness community from the floor of the tennis stadium at the Home Depot Center (later the “StubHub Center”) in Carson, California. She asked a simple but profound question:

“Two common denominators in my life existed: FAITH and FITNESS. My life has been a journey of prioritizing these and daily surrendering my ego and flesh not to make fitness my idol. Having been immersed in CrossFit in 2009, I saw a community RIPE FOR THE GOSPEL. I looked into the stands in 2011, and God gave me incredible PASSION for this community. As I looked into the sea of people, I wondered which GOD does our CrossFit community worship, a god that will fail them, or a God that loves them so unconditionally that He would sacrifice his son?” “There were high-level athletes and coaches who loved the Lord, and the Lord burdened my heart that if we could all just unite and work toward a common purpose, we could make a greater impact for Jesus Christ in this world. I was encouraged by the testimony of my fellow athletes like Chris Spealler, Rich Froning, Graham Holmberg, and Dan Bailey.” -Becky.

While traveling by bus to practice the first event of the 2012 Games, a swim, mountain bike, mountain hike/run triathlon and obstacle course at Camp Pendleton, Becky asked renowned athlete Chris Spealler about the idea of publishing an Athlete New Testament for the fitness community. Having also been impacted by a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Sports New Testament, Chris loved the idea. At 5 am on January 1, 2013, Becky awoke to a conviction that she would never sleep again until she wrote fellow Christian coaches and competitors, asking them to write their testimony for what would become the Athlete’s New Testament. As funding for the Bible project got underway, she and her husband, Jim, began discussing with CrossFit Faith founder Chip Pugh what it would look like to expand his vision into a more extensive ministry that would provide camps and conferences and resource leaders in the fitness community to start local chapters. He was excited and enthusiastic about uniting.

Becky described the Athlete’s New Testament as “…a resource very similar to the Sports New Testament produced by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and through which I was ministered to as a teenager. They are designed as a tool in which athlete and coach stories help bring the Gospel to life. In reading these stories, we pray that people will be inspired to dig deeper into the scriptures and intentionally provide opportunities for friends to engage each other in spiritual discussions.” $17,000 from generous donors produced an initial 5,000 Bibles. On June 10, 2013, just after attending the Central East CrossFit Regionals in Columbus, Ohio, Becky, Jim, and Chip formed the mission, vision and methods for the organization to include conferences, competition presence, chapters and resources. The first Iron Sharpens Iron camp was held in August 2013. This weekend-long camp alternates faith and fitness training sessions, emphasizing how to merge the two by expressing fitness as an act of stewardship and worship.

The first chapter was launched in Denver on January 8, 2014.

In 2019, we hosted our 17th Iron Sharpens Iron Camp, our third IMPACT Leadership Summit, and have over 80 Chapters in 9 countries, with our online spiritual resources reaching people across 43 countries. We’ve also hosted a vendor booth at every CrossFit Games since 2013, where we share the mission of FAITH RXD with fellow athletes and fans.

None of this would have been possible if not for the way God has driven and sustained us every step of the way. We are constantly reminded that this is HIS organization and does not belong to any one person or group of people. Tragically, our Co-Founder, Becky, whose vision and passion helped start all this, passed away from a brain aneurysm on April 6, 2019. While we miss her in so many ways, we have rested in the confidence that God is in control, is still good, and that we will see her again one day. The organization’s mission has not changed, and we are still committed to uniting and strengthening the fitness community to live for Christ, share His love, and serve the world. The organization is able to continue because of our amazing volunteers and donors. If you would like to get involved, click below!