Entry 198-2

The Fisherman Minister – Glen Chappelear

Part 2: The Fisherman Preacher

Editor’s Note: Glen Chappelear of Acworth, Georgia, fishes the FLW tour and FLW series, but more importantly, he’s the head of Sportsman’s Outreach, a program used to reach outdoorsman through wild-game banquets and hunting and fishing seminars that Strike King sponsors. Many people don’t understand that professional fishermen deal with a lot of stress as fishermen. Pros spend lot of time away from home, and they have family and financial problems, as well as issues with other fishermen and sponsors. Today, Chappelear will tell how he helps fishermen deal with their most common problems.

Question: Who are your fishing sponsors?

Chappelear: My sponsors are Ranger Boats, Yamaha Motors, Strike King Lures, and Pflueger Rods and Reels. They support me as a fisherman, and they support my ministry because I am in front of so many fishermen at boat shows. When Sportsman’s Outreach holds an event, I contact local boat dealers, who bring their boats to display, and other sponsors can show their products if they choose.

Question: Glen, is this a formal ministry or do you do it alone?

Chappelear: It’s primarily my wife Donna and me. This is a faith-based ministry, and we support ourselves. We live by faith and have no big sponsors paying our entry fees.

Question: How did you transition from a youth ministry into a fishing ministry?

Chappelear: I saw how many people enjoy fishing and how they listen to and respect professional fishermen, and I could see God working with fishermen. I felt that God wanted me to work with fishermen, so I resigned from the church where I made a good salary with benefits, and went out to work with fishermen. My father-in-law told me I was crazy, and I really didn’t know if the fishing ministry would be successful. But, I knew God was calling me. I shared my vision with my church, the First Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia, and I raised $9,000. When the Ever Start Trail began in 1998, I fished their first tournament, and I also fished B.A.S.S. invitational tournaments. We struggled the first few years, but God always provided. Now Sportsmen’s Outreach participates in more than 40-wild-game dinners each year, I fish in 11-professional tournaments, and we minister in prisons and speak at churches.

Question: How did you get fishermen to listen to you as a minister?

Chappelear: I attended a FOCUS organized by Terry Chuck many years ago. There wasn’t an organized Bible study on the Ever Start Trail in 1998 and 1999. I shared my idea for a Bible study with the tournament director, and he told me to move ahead with the idea. I began sharing stories with other fishermen and offered encouragement, especially if they didn’t win the tournament. Two years ago, we had 30 people attending our Bible studies and now more than 100 attend, including the entire FLW staff.

Question: When does Sportsmen’s Outreach hold Bible studies?

Chappelear: We usually hold the studies after the first day of competition. The group eats dinner from 6:30 until 7:30 P.M. at a local buffet restaurant, and we hold the Bible study after dinner.

The Fisherman Minister – Glen Chappelear

Part 2: The Fisherman Preacher

Next: Advising the Fishermen

Contents: