WHY
ACTION SPORTS?
Several years ago, USA TODAY conducted a study and announced that in the United States there are more children between the ages of 7-18 skateboarding than there are playing little league baseball.
In countries around the world like Cuba, Japan, and Germany, the action sports industry is rapidly exploding and quickly becoming even more popular than sports as big as soccer. With the introduction of action sports into the Olympics in 2020, it has validated these sports and as a result they are on the rise globally.
Action sports provides a universal language, breaks down barriers, and allows for relationships to be established faster than any other avenue that we have ever experienced. When Ride Nature was founded in 2009, we quickly realized that a large majority of the kids that we were pouring into were coming from single parent homes, many without fathers, they had a background or exposure to drugs, alcohol, generally were from lower income homes, and were naturally very rebellious.
This is the culture, community, and people group we are targeting and it represents one of the largest unreached/unchurched people groups in the world!
Currently in America, 1 in 4 youth grow up
in a single parent household.
According to the U.S. Dept of Health/Census, 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
90% of all homeless and runaway children come from fatherless homes – 32X the average.
85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20X the average. (Center for Disease Control)
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9X the average. (National Principals Association Report)
85% of the youth in prison come from fatherless homes – 20X the national average. (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)
39% of kids in America between the age of 7 and 18 live in a home absent of their biological father.
Action sports naturally draws those who tend to push boundaries and live outside the norm. Many of these young people come from broken or fatherless homes, searching for identity, belonging, and purpose.400,000,000+Action Sports Population
individuals globally.
Each icon represents 2,000,000 individualsOUR STRATEGY
Train
To teach someone a particular skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time.
Equip
To supply someone with the necessary items for a particular purpose. To prepare someone mentally for a particular situation or task.
Empower
To give someone the means to achieve something, to become stronger or more successful.
Mobilize
To prepare and organize someone for active service or duty.
Consistency & Intentionality
Consistency not only strengthens ministry, it models replication. Through consistent local outreach in every community in which we exist, our team is demonstrating what sustainable, disciple-making ministry looks like. This rhythm sets an example for others to follow, gives us credibility to train others, and multiplies our global impact as new leaders adopt the same pattern of steady, intentional presence in their own communities.
Intentionality is about pursuing action sports with a deeper purpose. It means seeing every session, conversation, and connection as an opportunity to reflect Christ and make disciples. We are making disciples both IN action sports and THROUGH action sports. By living intentionally, we model what it looks like to engage our passions not for ourselves but for Kingdom impact.
Resourcing Leaders
We’re committed to resourcing leaders with the tools, training, and materials they need to effectively reach their communities through action sports.
From discipleship guides, assistance with outreach and evangelism efforts, to giving away free skateboards and surfboards, we are resourcing leaders in 60+ nations and pray this number will continue to grow.
We operate with open hands, freely sharing the resources, tools, and training God has entrusted to us. Rather than centralizing control, we empower others to take these materials and use them in their own contexts to reach their communities. This decentralized model fuels multiplication, equipping leaders everywhere to carry the mission forward and make disciples through action sports.
Short Term Mission trips
Our short-term trips are catalytic experiences designed to support long-term impact. Each trip is centered around training, evangelism efforts, serving local leaders, and strengthening ongoing ministry in numerous communities around the world. With trips going out more than every other week, there are tons of opportunities to get plugged in. We would love to invite you to pray about joining us on one of these trips!
Business as mission
We’re committed to leveraging business as mission to cultivate lasting local impact as well as fuel global outreach. Through “The House of Ride Nature” we’re building spaces that naturally foster community, discipleship, and sustainable ministry. These businesses not only meet local needs and create jobs but also generate resources that support mission trips, equip leaders, and send teams to the nations; turning everyday commerce into a platform for the Gospel to advance and for us to empower mission sending.
Discipleship Program
The Ride Nature Discipleship Program is a six-month immersive experience designed to equip young men and women to live missionally through the culture of action sports. Rooted in community and spiritual growth, the program blends hands-on ministry training, leadership development, and active involvement in local outreach.
Participants live in intentional community, engage in daily rhythms of prayer, study, and service, and gain practical experience in evangelism, event planning, and mentorship. The goal is transformation from the inside out, developing leaders of character, competency, and calling who are ready to impact their local community and the world.
"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell;
I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell."
— C.T. Studd -A letter from our
founding director
Since 2009, we have undisputedly witnessed action sports serve as an incredibly powerful tool to train, equip, and mobilize leaders while simultaneously impacting the lives of youth globally. We have seen thousands of lives impacted, countless communities reached, and leaders in over 60+ countries equipped with resources to combine their passions alongside the call to make disciples to the ends of the earth.
With the power and influence the action sports industry holds, we have the opportunity to either bring Christ to the center or sit back and watch Him pushed to the outside. It has been said about the next generation, “That whoever wants them the most, WILL get them.” Our battle is not against flesh and blood, and we see the enemy is fighting hard in an attempt to distract the world from the Truth in every way possible.
Our prayer is we can ignite a spark within your heart and that you too will catch the vision that we have held onto for many years; a dream that something as simple as a surfboard or skateboard can be used to truly impact the world! We couldn't be more excited about what the Lord has in store for the future of Ride Nature and we truly believe this is just the beginning. Thank you for prayerfully considering partnering with us to see the Good News of Jesus shared in every part of the world!
To the ENDS of the earth . . . until every ear hears!
Mark Koch
mark@ridenature.com
Founding Director // Ride Nature
