Our Founder

Steve Weatherford.

Super Bowl champion, ten season NFL veteran and founder of Champions in Christ Ministry. After years of chasing worldly success, a radical encounter with Jesus changed everything.

Super Bowl champion
10 NFL seasons
Author
Podcast host

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Who founded Champions in Christ

Champions in Christ Ministry was founded by Steve Weatherford and is based in Frisco, Texas. Steve played ten seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl before giving his full focus to ministry. He leads Launching Pad events, disciples men, hosts The Steve Weatherford Show and speaks at conferences, churches and leadership events.

Founder

Steve Weatherford

Steve earned a college scholarship, played ten seasons in the NFL, won a Super Bowl and built success in business and fitness. Yet no amount of success could answer the deeper questions he was carrying inside.

When God drew him back, Steve came to see that his worth was never tied to what he could accomplish. His identity is a son of God, and he says his greatest accomplishment is not a championship ring but knowing Jesus. Today he gives his full focus to ministry, leading Launching Pad events, discipling men and sharing the Gospel.

He tells the whole story in his book, Wake Up, Champion: a radical story about redemption and a game plan to level up your life. Get the book for free and pay only shipping. Want copies for your men's group or church? Ask the team.

Super Bowl champion and ten season NFL veteran
Author of Wake Up, Champion
Host of The Steve Weatherford Show
Leads Launching Pad, the two day event for Christian men

Our story

From worldly success to surrender.

Every marker of success
A college scholarship. Ten seasons in the NFL. A Super Bowl championship. Success in business and in fitness. By every measure the world uses, Steve Weatherford had made it.
The questions success could not answer
No amount of success could answer the deeper questions he was carrying inside. The ring, the platform and the applause could not tell him who he was.
God drew him back
In a radical encounter with Jesus Christ, Steve came to see that his worth was never tied to what he could accomplish. His identity is a son of God. His greatest accomplishment is not a championship ring. It is knowing Jesus.
All in for the Kingdom
Steve shifted his full focus into ministry and founded Champions in Christ to disciple kingdom men and legacy families and help them break free from bondage into the freedom, authority and legacy God designed for them.

A man kneeling in prayer among other men at a ministry gathering — Surrender changes everything

Our mission

Champions in Christ Ministry empowers men and families through biblical teaching, coaching and leadership development. We help men discover their God given identity, walk in their purpose and live fully surrendered to Jesus Christ, so marriages are transformed, children are empowered and communities grow stronger.

Core values

What we stand on.

Four values shape every event, every prayer group and every conversation.

Rooted in Jesus
Faith First
Everything starts with a deep, unwavering relationship with Jesus Christ. Before the work, the calling or the platform, there is the Lord.
Guard the home
Fierce Protection
A man stands watch over his household. We train men to guard their marriages and their children against spiritual attack.
Faith that outlives us
Generational Legacy
We raise children who carry the faith forward, so what God does in one man reaches his grandchildren.
Passion, discipline, joy
Joyful Excellence
We live out God's calling with passion, discipline and joy, giving Him our best in every arena.

Kingdom Vision

Every man is called.

Every man is called to be a son of God, a loving husband, a present father and a leader in his community.

01Son of God
02Loving husband
03Present father
04Community leader

No man was made to fight alone. We build accountable community where men encourage one another in faith.
Brotherhood

The mission

10 Year Vision

Four goals we are believing God for. One calling. 50,000 families restored and healed, 18,900 cities activated with prayer groups, 10 million first time salvations and 1 billion people impacted with the Gospel for the first time.

50,000
Restore
Goal: Families restored and healed
Through our Launching Pad events, we aim to see marriages healed, fathers restored to their children, and families brought back from the brink of destruction.
Launching Pad
18,900
Activate
Goal: Cities activated with prayer groups
By establishing local Men's Prayer groups, we want to spark spiritual awakening and create strongholds of faith in communities across the globe.
Men's Prayer
10M
Save
Goal: First Time Salvations
Through the Freedom Council and evangelistic efforts, our goal is 10 million first time salvations: people surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ for the very first time.
Freedom Council
1B
Impact
Goal: Impacted with the Gospel for the first time
Through the Kingdom Man Accelerator, media, and global outreach, we are believing God for 1 billion people impacted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the very first time.
Kingdom Man

Now booking

Steve is available to speak at your event or join your podcast.

Men's conferences, churches, teams, leadership gatherings and podcasts. Tell us the date and the room, or the show and the topic, and the team will be in touch.

Request Steve to speak Book Steve on your podcast

Speaking

Speak. Inspire. Activate.

Steve brings a raw, powerful testimony and a Kingdom focused message that moves men to action.

Keynote speaking
A message that changes lives
High energy, faith fueled keynotes for men's conferences, church events and leadership gatherings.
Partnership events
Host a Launching Pad
Collaborate with Champions in Christ to host a Launching Pad or men's activation event in your city.
Media and podcasts
Share the vision
Invite Steve to share his testimony and ministry vision on your podcast, broadcast or media platform.

Ready to partner?

Request Steve.

Choose speaking or podcast guest, fill out the form, and our team will be in touch to discuss how Steve can serve your event, organization or show.

First name

Last name

Mobile Optional

Yes, text me at this number. I agree to get texts from Champions in Christ Ministry: answers to my messages, event and registration reminders, account notices and ministry updates. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help or STOP to cancel. Agreeing is not required to register, give or buy. See our SMS Terms and Privacy Policy.

Event or organization

Tell us about your event

The Steve Weatherford Show

Living On Mission.

Real conversations about faith, family, fitness and living as a Kingdom man. New episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Featured episode

The Power of True Surrender

Steve sits down with Michael Rutherford to unpack a powerful transformation story of true surrender.

The facade of success: how money, status and business wins masked a life that was secretly unraveling.
Hitting rock bottom: a raw look at shame, addiction, self hatred and feeling disqualified by the past.
The turning point: breaking down at men's prayer and fully surrendering to Jesus.
Immediate obedience: the urgency of baptism. “Find a river, find a pool, find a toilet.”
Resurrection and brotherhood: freedom, renewed purpose and a God who uses our deepest brokenness.

More episodes

Catch up on recent conversations.

The Life Changing Power Of Getting A Best Friend
A raw, deeply moving conversation about testimony, brotherhood, healing, and the supernatural way God connects men for purpose.
- A highway surrender: how hearing a testimony led a truck driver to pull over on the interstate and give his life to Christ.
- From brokenness to freedom: overcoming shame, addiction, depression, anxiety and father wounds.
- Divine brotherhood: what happens when men stop hiding, start confessing and pursue Jesus together.
Support Jacob's Cry
The Success That Almost Destroyed Him
A challenge to men, leaders and entrepreneurs to stop chasing achievement as a substitute for healing and to build a life rooted in identity, endurance, mentorship and obedience to God.
- From football to 100 miles: how an ultramarathon reshaped one man's thoughts on discipline and long term success.
- The hidden cost of striving: the pressure to earn love through achievement.
- Rewiring identity: living as a loved child of God instead of striving for worth.
The Untold Truth About “Success” as a Christian
A friend of the ministry shares how the 16 year business he built became an idol that pulled him away from God, his wife and his kids.
- From the outside, everything looked successful. Behind the scenes, he felt like a fraud.
- On a mission trip to Honduras he felt God clearly tell him to walk away from the business.
- He came to a Launching Pad to learn the system. Instead, God used that weekend to transform his life.

Guest appearances

Steve on other shows.

Steve shares his message on podcasts, shows and church stages across the country.

Ed MylettWatch on YouTube
WHOOP PodcastWatch on YouTube
The Jesus People PodcastWatch on YouTube
Built 4 MoreWatch on YouTube
BraveCoWatch on YouTube
Ken RideoutWatch on YouTube
The Built Different PodcastWatch on YouTube
Directed LifeWatch on YouTube
Elevate Life Church FriscoWatch on YouTube

Book Steve on your podcast

Ministry team

Many hands, one mission.

Steve provides the vision. This team carries it into every Launching Pad weekend, every KMA class and every story the ministry tells.

Founder, Chief Visionary Officer
Steve Weatherford
Casts the spiritual vision for the ministry and mentors its leaders, and builds the curriculum and programs that raise up Kingdom leaders.
Chief Operations Officer
James Leonhardt
Turns the ministry's vision into action by overseeing operations, technology, and marketing, and coordinates the Launching Pad programs from start to finish.
Director of Outreach
Michael Rutherford
Helps every attendee take the next step into deeper discipleship by building relationships, filling programs, and connecting men with local churches.
Director of Ministry
Colton Hall
Cares for the spiritual health of the ministry by giving spiritual care, leading worship, and teaching biblical messages every week.
Director of Training
Blake Prime
Leads training events that equip men to grow in faith, discipline, and purpose, and oversees the fitness programs that build strong bodies and strong spirits.
Director of Media
Dylan Guevarra
Tells the story of life transformation through media by filming events, capturing testimonies, and creating content for social media.