The ABC surprises with a balanced report on Gym Church, a Melbourne-born Christian fitness ministry now spreading nationally — exploring why Gen Z men are turning to faith. The Australian public broadcaster appears to have broken with its bias by promoting a Melbourne-based Christian ministry.

Gym Church expanded its events into Sydney last February, and hosted similar outreaches on the Gold Coast in July. On Instagram, organisers described the ministry as “a movement blending faith, fitness and community to empower people to encounter God.” This includes building “friendships and becoming bold and confident followers of Christ.”

Gym Church’s mission reads almost the same. They “exist to empower men to be set free, break generational chains and step into who God has called them to be.” To this, they add, “We exhaust the body, tame the mind and fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit because we believe transformation begins when strength meets surrender.” “The right environment changes everything.”

Faith Meets Fitness

Reporting for the ABC, journalist and presenter Issy Phillips spent some time with the Melbourne group to figure out what made Gym Church work.

During the digital-only nine-minute rundown, which was surprisingly balanced for the ABC, she explained that this is where faith meets fitness, adding that every session ends with prayer. To their credit, the video also doesn’t edit out statements of faith or prayer, with Phillips noting that “more Gen Z men are turning towards faith.”

Those she interviewed said the reason was “men are crying out for this level of support.” “Men take their lives every three hours here in Australia,” one man explained. “I don’t think that’s any coincidence. It’s a God-incidence. At a time when men are saying they’re facing a loneliness epidemic. They don’t have a father figure. They don’t have brotherly love.”

Giving a nod to the fatherlessness epidemic, the ABC also highlighted the loneliness epidemic. One man told Phillips he thought social media played a part. “When you look at social media, I think we’re all living a fake life. Most people are trying to be who they think they need to be.” “And it can be really, very confusing for most men. A lot of these younger, younger men, growing up, they don’t have a father figure. They don’t have brotherly love.”

For Phillips, the ministry is part of a “new generation of Christian influencers.”

“Digital evangelism,” she said, “is changing the way Christianity reaches young people and introduces them to communities like Gym Church.” Increasingly positive about what she witnessed, Phillips added, “Watching the group, it was clear to see the positive impact they were having on each other’s lives.”

Questioning Traditional Masculinity

Unpacking why Gen Z men were drawn to Gym Church, the ABC report wasn’t completely devoid of the largely leftist organisations’ raised eyebrow of disapproval. Phillips expressed concern about the men’s-only events held by the ministry, asking why those single-sex spaces were necessary. This coincided with hints at comments about the risk of Gym Church’s message “reinforcing traditional ideas of masculinity.” There being no mention of “toxic masculinity” was another surprising feature of the ABC report. Although it’s obvious that suspicion about “muscular Christianity” drove questions drawn from that well.

In response to Phillips asking whether “traditional masculinity pushed to something else”, Nick Danev, who co-founded GC with Owen Hone, told Phillips, “I think it again aligns back to the Bible.” “If we want to call that traditional, yes. We just follow what it says in the Bible. We try to do our absolute best to just follow and live by Christ.”

Overall, I can’t find any real fault. This was the ABC platforming the bare-knuckles Gospel. We’d like more of that! To Phillips’ credit, the video kept in what I’d expect the ABC to leave out. Phillips also helped edit the video, which says a lot about her honesty and integrity. As the presenter stated in her conclusion, “While Gym Church is small, it exists within a much larger shift.”

They are “not your typical gym, and it’s definitely not your typical church.” “It’s a brotherhood of men pursuing physical strength, spiritual growth and personal excellence together.” “Every Saturday morning, men from all walks of life gather to train hard, encounter God and sharpen one another in an environment built on strength, truth and authenticity.” “We don’t care if you’ve never read the Bible, don’t know how to pray or have been burned by religion.” “We’re not looking for perfect men,” they state. “We’re looking for hungry men who know they’re called to more.”

This article brought my own experience with gym’s centre stage. In 2025, aged 89, I ended up in Sutherland Hospital with clots on my lungs and atrial fibrillation. I was in bad shape, thinking my time on planet Earth was coming to an end. I recovered quickly, one could say miraculously which gave me a lot of opportunities to witness to both staff and patients. Because of the atrial fibrillation, a cardiologist was brought into my list of carers. When he had completed his tests which included an electrocardiogram, he said. I am not sure why you are here, I don’t need to see you again. My lung specialist recommended I attend the Pulmonary Gym at Sutherland Hospital. I had an eight week programme with a Physiotherapist, two days a week for one hour which encompassed both aerobic and strength exercises. It was life changing for me and the physiotherapist recommended I join a gym which I did: the Gold Gym at Taren Point. They had donated equipment to the Pulmonary Gym. I attend Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It has been a great mission field with many opportunities to share the Gospel to men of all ages. There is no doubt in my mind that God orchestrated the events that got me there.