HUNTINGTOWN, Maryland – It’s the country’s fastest-growing sport with almost 20 million Americans playing pickleball. And now, churches are tapping into its popularity.
It’s a relatively easy sport to pick up. That may be why it’s growing so quickly and courts are popping up all over the country.
At Emmanuel Church in Huntingtown, Maryland, they have three that they open to both members and non-members.
“We have a lot of regulars,” Bill Holston, a member at Emmanuel, told CBN News. “It falls off a little during the summer months because people can play outside and somehow that’s a little bit more fun.”
Courts are open Monday evenings to members who are allowed to bring up to two guests. Holston, one of the organizers, begins each session with a short word and prayer. From there, the games begin.
“When we’re playing, it’s pretty competitive but it’s really a good time,” said Wayne Boblitt, a regular player.
Emmanuel offers several one-hour sessions. CBN News visited during the 4 pm window.
“I used to be a person always in a shell, like kind of nervous about doing things, but this kind of really opened me up to other things and being able to fellowship with other Christians and having a mutual fun time together,” Lisa Gratch, another player, told CBN News.
It’s all part of a larger growing trend happening across the country – churches tapping into the popularity of pickleball to grow community and also as an outreach to non-believers.
In addition to Mondays, Emmanuel invites the community to play on the third Saturday of each month.
“Evangelical churches, Catholic churches, Methodist churches, non-denominational churches do pickleball which is kind of fun,” Bob Smietana, a reporter at Religion News Service, told CBN News. “They use it as outreach, community building, and are having a good time with it.”
Smietana talked to churches across the country for a recent report he did.
“It is a game that anyone can play,” he explained. “So that’s what folks told me. The first time you show up you can go from having never played to playing and having a good time fairly early.”
An estimated 19.8 million Americans played pickleball in 2024, up about 45 percent from 2023.
“We’ve got 80-year-olds playing, all the way down to 10-year-olds and we can play together,” Christine King, another player and organizer at Emmanuel Church, told CBN News. “It’s just such a sport that I think everybody has fun!”
King brought her young granddaughter to the session CBN News was at. She said they’ve had several people show up for pickleball who then started going to church.
“They haven’t been to church in 20 years and then they come and some have been maybe in a different religion and I thought it was pretty cool,” she said.
Holston put it this way:
“When I first became a believer years ago back in the mid 70’s there was a concept of ‘Friendship Evangelism’ and this is what it is,” he said. “Reach out to your neighbors, reach out to your friends, reach out to your coworkers, and give them something cool to do with you guys.”
And that’s it. Have fun, get some exercise, and grow the kingdom, one “dink” at a time.
