SOAR mixes ministry with athletics
A trampoline and a dunk might be the only way to reach some audiences. SOAR Dunk knows this.
Liberty University’s SOAR Dunk Ministry Team chooses to serve God a little differently than the average person.
Posterized — All of the SOAR dunk team’s moves are originals. Brent Fortenberry takes us step by step through Dunking 101. First, jump. Second, pose. Third, slam. Photo credit: Nate Brown
Eight athletes with nothing more than a few basketballs, two trampolines and a message to share can go a long way.
The team’s main goal is to capture an audience’s attention with creative, high-flying dunks and to use that opportunity to share the gospel. The team’s name is an acronym that stands for “Sold Out and Ready.”
“We do the show just to grab their attention, but the aftermath where we actually speak, that’s where all the ministry happens,” team captain Brent Fortenberry said.
Associate Director of Ministry Teams Tim Jackson helps organize the events where the team performs.
“This team allows us to get into public schools where our other music teams typically don’t go,” Jackson said.
In the past, the team has traveled as far as Kentucky, Ohio and California. Normally, they travel two or three weekends per month, plus a fall break tour and either a January or March tour.
“We’re trying to raise the bar and get them out to even greater audiences,” Jackson said.
The team is looking forward to an upcoming event in Ohio this February in which they will be performing for about 3,000 people.
SOAR Dunk used to be a ministry that was only open to youth ministry majors, but it is now open to all students. The team also used to be a club sport, but it is now a part of the Department of Ministry Teams.
The tryout process involves an initial audition where they put the athletes out on the floor with a basketball and see what they can do. From there, a short list is made up, and interviews about the spiritual aspect of things determine who makes the final team.
Fortenberry got involved with SOAR Dunk as a freshman and is still dunking as a first year grad school student.
“No one came here knowing that we had a trampoline dunk team or knowing what to do and how to do it,” Fortenberry said. “We were all rookies.”
It normally takes about a month for inexperienced team members to get accustomed to the trampolines, getting the right approach and the right speed. The most difficult part of the process is learning how to stay in control in the air. All of the dunks are original moves each member thought up.
“A couple of us had trampolines when we were younger, and we would pull the basketball hoop up next to it. So that was our training, I guess, when we were young,” Fortenberry said.
Early in his “career,” Fortenberry dunked over Jerry Falwell Sr. and last year, over Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife, Becki.
SOAR Dunk is usually out performing at events away from Liberty, but also performs at halftime at Liberty basketball games when they’re at home.
It just goes to show what can be done when athleticism, creativity and ministry combine somewhere over a trampoline.