Always on the lookout for interesting ministry ideas, this month we thought Jack Knight’s project to publish a hockey New Testament would be encouraging.

Jack Knight, pastor of High River Baptist Church in Alberta for the past 8 years, has been around hockey rinks all his life, getting to know the players, coaches and scouts. He has always believed that God is meant to be, as he says, “in the arena.” On top of that, his son Corban has been drafted to the NHL by the Florida Panthers. It makes sense that his interest in hockey would combine with his commitment to preaching the gospel: Jack and a team of hockey enthusiasts have put together a Hockey New Testament that will be published soon by the Canadian Bible Society.

Jack knew that other sports, like football and basketball, had New Testaments published especially to appeal to players and fans. None existed for hockey, so Jack has created one with the help of some 22 writers from across North America who have provided an apologetic element to this New Testament. The New Testament text is unaltered, but it has extra materials including answers to many common questions related to accepting Jesus Christ. It also includes the testimonies of many leading hockey players who are Christians, including Paul Henderson the hero of the 1972 Canada-Russia hockey series, Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes, Mike Fisher of the Ottawa Senators, and Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes, among others. A history of hockey and a salvation plan will also be included.

The Hockey New Testament project has been on Jack’s heart for many years but, with a busy calling to High River Baptist and a family with 6 children, he thought he didn’t have time. “I prayed about this for 3 years and then I had a dream where the Lord asked me to be obedient,” says Jack, who decided to follow the dream.

The Hockey New Testament will be available in two phases. The first phase will be an evangelistic edition available in English. Within about 18 months, Jack hopes to begin publishing the Hockey New Testament in French and then other languages to start reaching hockey players and fans in 18 countries with strong hockey traditions. For Jack, the Hockey New Testament is more than just a project: it is a calling. He has resigned as pastor at High River Baptist effective April 30 to join Athletes In Action as a hockey chaplain. He hopes to maintain his CBWC credentials and will be available to speak at churches beginning in April.

“God’s call has always been very important in my life and I felt he was calling me in a new direction. As a pastor for 25 years, I’ve always use my gifts of discipleship and leadership. Now I will be using my gifts in evangelism. God is calling me to connect with the hockey world. I have a lot of connections in the world of hockey so this is a good fit. I am excited to be able to lead individuals and families to the Lord.”

The Hockey New Testament will be available in Christian bookstores, from the Canadian Bible Society, Hockey Ministries International, and Athletes In Action; evangelical ministries to the hockey community based on the idea that encounters with God can happen anywhere, including the hockey rink. These latter two ministries share the gospel at all levels of hockey from youth to the NHL through camps, chapels, clinics and conferences that meet the spiritual needs of players, coaches, families and fans.

For more information about the Hockey New Testament or Jack’s ministry with Athletes In Action, contact Jack at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 403/601-1863