Pastors fight each other in MMA doco

A soon-to-be-released documentary has revealed the unusual and controversial world of pastors introducing fight clubs into their churches.

The trailer for Fight Church posted online last week has shown church pastors fighting one another in mixed martial arts (MMA) cages.

"We’ll just be a couple of God-fearing men punching each other in the head," one of the pastors says in the trailer.

"If you really want the enemy off your trail you've got to learn to put your foot on his neck," another is heard saying in a sermon.

"Can somebody shout Jesus?"

The trailer also shows a young boy wincing as he fires a handgun at a shooting range, while another has tears wiped from his eyes as he sits in the corner of a boxing ring mid-fight.

Introducing MMA as a church activity is a way to reach out to men, the pastors say.

But the practise has its critics from churches, including one minister who features prominently in the trailer.

"Can you love your neighbour as much as yourself and then knee him in the face as hard as you can?" he is filmed saying.

The documentary is made by the directors of Jesus Camp, an Oscar-nominated film looking at a charismatic Christian summer camp.

Sources: Fight Church

Author: Nick Pearson. Approving editor: Matthew Henry