Gospel Hoops Network
Gospel Hoops Network · Mission

THE ORIGINAL
MISSION

Basketball was not invented as a sport. It was invented as a ministry tool. Gospel Hoops Network exists to return the game to that original purpose.

The Origin

JAMES
NAISMITH

In December 1891, James Naismith — a Canadian Christian missionary working for the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts — invented basketball. His assignment was simple: create an indoor activity that would keep young men physically active and morally grounded during the winter months.

Naismith nailed two peach baskets to a gymnasium balcony and wrote 13 rules. The game was never meant to be a professional sport or a cultural phenomenon. It was a tool — a vehicle for character formation, community building, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today basketball is played by over 450 million people worldwide. The platform Naismith built has never been larger. The original mission has never been more urgent.

The Vision

LEVERAGE
THE GAME

Gospel Hoops Network is a global movement that leverages basketball to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. We use the game as a platform — not an end in itself — to reach players, build leaders, and multiply the kingdom.

Starting in The Triangle, NC, we are building a network of athletes, churches, and organizations who believe basketball was made for more than competition. We believe it was made for this.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT
The Founder

MARK
PAGE

Mark Page is the Founder and CEO of Gospel Hoops Network and one of the pastors at Cary First Baptist Church in Cary, NC. His vision is simple and uncompromising: return basketball to the original mission James Naismith intended — a vehicle for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Cary First Baptist is not just where Mark serves — it is a church that has already embraced the mission. Every Sunday night, urban men from the community come to play basketball in the church gym. That court is not just a floor. It is a front door.

Mark is married to Jordan Page. Together they are raising five children — Judah, Amariah, Joshua, Seth, and John — in The Triangle, NC, where GHN is putting down its first roots.

The work of GHN is not a program. It is a calling. And for Mark, it starts at home — with a family and a church that believes the game was made for more than competition.

Mark Page with his wife Jordan and their five children
@mark__page
Six Long-Term Outcomes

WHAT WE'RE
BUILDING
TOWARD

These are not short-term goals. They are the long arc of what Gospel Hoops Network is working toward — a full return to the original vision of basketball as a vehicle for the gospel.

01
A full return to the original visionBasketball restored to its original purpose as a tool for character formation, community, and the gospel — not just competition.
02
A great awakening through athletesA spiritual awakening flowing from the platforms of athletes around the world who compete and serve with kingdom purpose.
03
Kingdom leaders empowered globallyDiscovering and empowering kingdom leaders regardless of race, ethnicity, or place of origin — through basketball as the entry point.
04
Courts restored in every communityEvery rundown court rebuilt. Every restored court creates space for kids, families, and communities to gather and encounter the gospel.
05
Churches connected to their communitiesLocal churches resourced and connected to real community needs through basketball — the game as a bridge between the church and the street.
06
A global network of ambassadorsAthletes on every continent representing the mission — competing at the highest levels while carrying the message of the gospel.
Four Practical Lanes

HOW WE
OPERATE

The vision is global. The work is practical. Four lanes define how Gospel Hoops Network operates on the ground — each one a distinct expression of the same mission.

SEE THE COURTS

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”

Romans 1:16

BASKETBALL
WAS MADE
FOR THIS

The game has always been a vehicle. The question is what it carries. Join the network of athletes, churches, and organizations returning basketball to its original mission.

SHARE THE VISION