by CHAD BONHAM
SportsLife Leadership continued its outreach into the jiu-jitsu world with a significant time of relationship building and ministry at the 2025 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) European Championships in Lisbon, Portugal. This event, which took place January 17-25, is the governing body’s second largest annual tournament and attracts more than 6,000 male and female athletes in various weight, age, and belt classifications.
Steven Jude, Director of Field Operations for Wrestling, led the organization’s multi-faceted efforts on the ground. Formerly a high school wrestler and college football player, Jude has spent the last few years training in jiu-jitsu and was planning to compete at the event until a month-long illness derailed his conditioning program.
“Competing gives me a bigger in with a lot of the guys because it’s easier to relate to what they’re going through at the tournaments,” Jude said. “Even though I couldn’t participate in that way, I was still able to build relationships, invest in people, and share the Gospel as the opportunities came about.
“There are a lot of similarities between wrestling and jiu-jitsu,” he added. “The athletes in both sports like to inflict pain on themselves in order get better and so they can push themselves to the limits during competition. Older wrestlers often get into jiu-jitsu but now there seems to be a lot of younger wrestlers that are attracted to the sport.
Much of Jude’s time was spent working with David Said who runs Alliance Athens Jiu-Jitsu in Greece.
“At the beginning of our training, they lined up by belt color and I happened to be standing next to the black belts,” Jude recalled. “I had to make the walk of shame down to the white belts, which were mostly teenagers. I did end up working with the more experienced athletes and my wrestling background turned out to be helpful.”
In the moment, Jude was taken out of his comfort zone but also reminded of
“I’ve become all things to all people that by all possible means I might save some.”
1 Corinthians 9:22
“Paul was saying he would bend himself to become what God needed him to become in order to reach people wherever they are,” Jude said. “Even though my body doesn’t always feel like it, I’m going to do it so I can build these relationships and take these ministry opportunities as they come and share Jesus with as many people as possible.”
Jude also spent time at a gym that was operated out of a church that routinely brings kids from the impoverished community next door. The families live on the riverbank and build their houses out of whatever materials they can find. They use the river for drinking water and taking baths.
“We spent several nights training these kids,” Jude said. “We also had Bible studies there and at some of the other gyms we visited. At one meeting in particular, we had athletes from Brazil, Greece, Portugal, Lebanon, and the U.S.”
For Jude, it was a powerful reminder of the promise that Christ gave His disciples in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
In many cases, Jude simply lived out the principle that Carl Perry, Executive Director of Wrestling, describes as “the power of being with.”
“One night at dinner, there was guy that trains with David at his gym and he told me he was an atheist,” Jude said. “I asked him what he believed and then that opened the door for me to share with him what I believed. It turned out that the story of my upbringing was similar to his story. We both had struggles with our families growing up and I was able to share how even though I didn’t have the best dad, Jesus died on the cross for me and took away my sins and now God was my heavenly Father and He’s a perfect father.”
Another highlight for Jude was spending time with a young Greek athlete named Dimitrios who is part of David’s gym. Jude met him for the first time when he was part of a camp last summer in Athens and spent more time with him at a jiu-jitsu conference in Las Vegas. Dimitrios wasn’t a follower of Christ at that point but would attend David’s Bible studies. Right before Jude flew to Portugal, David messaged him and said Dimitrios had given his life to Christ.
“When I got to Portugal, it was amazing to see how the discipleship process was already bearing fruit,” Jude said. “I was able to witness firsthand how Dimitrios was being trained to be the next Christian leader within the jiu-jitsu community in Athens.”
Jude described it as a “beautiful picture” of what the apostle Paul described in 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
“The seeds were planted in Dimitrios’ heart last year and David was able to water those seeds back in Athens,” Jude explained. “I was able to see the growth in Dimitrios’ life during my time in Lisbon.”
SportsLife Leadership President Dan Britton was excited to see how God is utilizing the organization to unite leaders who are passionate about revitalizing the world of sports in communities and nations globally.
“Our team in Portugal collaborated with local ministries to nurture the heart, equip the hands, and mobilize the feet of sports leaders, all in pursuit of advancing the Kingdom of God,” Britton said. “This is yet another illustration of SportsLife being the hands and feet of Jesus.”
According to Jude, events like the IBJJF European Championships fit perfectly into the ministry strategy of “playing the long game.” It’s all about building relationships and raising champions on the ground like David Said that can carry on with the mission.
Jude is also excited about how his time in Lisbon opened the door to future opportunities including a summer camp at Athens Alliance Jiu-Jitsu with guest clinician and UFC fighter Nate Marquardt and on-the-ground ministry at the world’s largest IBJJF tournament in Las Vegas where more than 12,000 athletes are expected to compete.
“I always stand in awe of how God will use a simple, faithful person who is willing to do whatever He asks,” Jude said. “If I make myself available, He will always show up.”
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