October 30, 2014
“We need to be about reconciling families to one another as well as to God,” says Bill Ness, who pastors Northland Alliance Church in Remer, Minnesota. In a community of fewer than 400 people, the rural church has a unique approach to reach unchurched neighbors—an archery program.
“Just about every family is involved in hunting and fishing, and bow hunting is popular,” says Ness, who is a USA Archery/NFAA-certified archery instructor. He also trains and certifies instructors.
Believing that biblical principles apply well to archery, Ness developed a curriculum, On Target, for an archery program that incorporates the good news of Jesus Christ into every aspect of the teaching.
“When we teach about the solid footing and stance to execute proper archery form, we parallel that teaching with the importance of standing on God’s Word as our foundation for life,” Ness explains. “When we aim, we tell the students that in archery and in life, we all miss the mark. Then we discuss the importance of keeping our eye on the gold—Jesus.”
Seeking a way to connect with the community, Ness first suggested the archery program as a youth outreach after spending time with students in a school program. When it didn’t take off, Ness continued to lift it in prayer and waited for God’s timing and direction.
“After getting to know the school kids, I learned that some of their home lives were in turmoil,” says Ness. “I thought the archery ministry would be a good way to reach entire families.”
Life Application
One of the first families to participate in the program was Michelle’s. At the time she and her teenage sons enrolled in the program, her marriage was in crisis and her family broken. The loss of a child several years earlier had devastated them.
“On Target was a life-changing experience,” recalls Michelle. “Being invited to join [the program] could not have come at a better time for me and my family.”
Michelle was able to apply archery principles to her debilitating life issues. “You can’t imagine what a simple word like ‘release’ could mean to someone like me,” she says. “As I take a deep breath and slowly exhale to release my arrow, I release my worries—all that holds me down and any negative thoughts that I have had through the day.”
Michelle and her husband are working to restore their family, and they attribute it to hearing God’s Word through the archery ministry. “We connected them with Smile Again, a ministry established by an Alliance pastor for people who have lost a child,” Ness says. “If God does nothing else through this outreach, it has been an incredible success.”
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