Bible's a splash at Wrestling Church

A church in West Yorkshire is packing pews in the most unexpected way – with Bibles and body slams!

Gareth “Angel” Thompson, 37, is no ordinary wrestler. Once homeless and sleeping in a skip, the father of three is now the powerhouse behind Wrestling Church at St Peter’s in Shipley. He’s using brute force and biblical faith to tackle men’s mental health.

“It’s not church as you’d know it,” says Rev Natasha Thomas, the priest-in-charge. “But it’s bringing in a different group of people than we would normally get.” 

It’s about faith, fitness and fighting the good fight. One moment it’s prayers and parables, the next it’s headlocks and high-flying moves, with the crowd roaring, “Knock him out!”

Wrestling Church, recently featured on the BBC’s Songs of Praise, mixes morality with muscle. “Boil it down to the basics, it’s good versus evil,” Gareth explains. “When I became a Christian, I started seeing the wrestling world through a Christian lens. I started seeing David and Goliath. I started seeing Cain and Abel.”

And he’s not just putting on a show. In its first year alone, they’ve baptised 30 people! But the mission goes beyond the ring – there are mental health meet-ups, self-defence classes for women, youth coaching, and even training for expelled pupils. All of it run from the back of the church.

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