Why This Pro Baseball Player Followed God’s Call to Start a Ministry
By Movieguide® Contributor
Pro baseball player Logan Wagner explained how the Lord encouraged him to provide for his community and open a new type of ministry in his hometown.
“So last fall the Lord put this on my heart: the name Open Door. And the whole aspect of Open Door was for me, growing up so many people provided an open door, whether that was an open door for the night or an open door of food for the night or an open door to the church or an open door to their Bible study, whatever it was there was an open door,” Wagner told Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “And so many people provided [an open door] for me that in this area where I’m from in Tennessee. I wanted to be an open door for people and I’m at a time and a space and an opportunity to provide that for others.”
Despite only being 18 at the time, Wagner trusted the Lord’s plan and began looking for a place to establish his ministry. He immediately found favor with the Lord and soon after had a piece of property.
“I got an opportunity to purchase a property, my own property for Open Door that already had a space on it so we’re renovating it right now, getting it ready for this offseason of ministry work, so we’re excited,” Wagner shared. “We’re gonna make the main space just wide open for all you can imagine for what the Lord has for that, and in the backyard, we’re gonna put an amphitheater back there so me and my brother can run worship nights.”
While starting this ministry was a daunting task, Wagner was adamant that following the things the Lord places on your heart will always be worthwhile. He’s so happy he didn’t let fear get in the way of the Lord’s plan for his life.
“One thing that my mentor encouraged me with, in the aspect of listening to your father was which do you feel more peace from?” Wagner said. “Like knowing that when you say no you get the [fruit] from that, knowing when you say yes you get the fruit from it.”
“And so that for me was kind of like, [Open Door] was a little bit more of a leap, it felt like a big jump, you know. But it was like, that’s where I feel peace. That’s what the Lord’s made me to be, you know, a disciple. So I’m not gonna, my favorite verse, I’m not gonna be ashamed of the Gospel, you know, I can’t be ashamed of the Gospel. This is kingdom work, you know, like He’s calling me to do ministry and I can’t be ashamed of that.”
Wagner plays in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and was a 2022 sixth-round draft pick.
“Thank you Lord! I am officially a dodger?” he posted shortly after.
He shared his prayer as he began playing with the team:
“Lord, this game of baseball is more than just baseball itself. It’s brothers. It’s relationships. It’s fun. It’s the everlasting bond. Thank you Lord for giving me these guys that I can call my family❤️”
It is amazing to see Wagner be so bold about his faith from such a young age. May the Lord continue to bless him as he runs his ministry while playing baseball full-time.
Movieguide® previously reported on faith and baseball:
Detroit Lions right fielder Kerry Carpenter is on a mission to help his team win a World Series title and share the love of Jesus.
But faith wasn’t always his priority. Amid the chaos of the pandemic in 2020, Carpenter’s dad died. The tragedy inspired the athlete to take his grief and questions to God, and he dedicated his life to Christ for the first time.
“It just kind of manifested in freedom and peace that Christ gave me on the field because that’s something that before I knew Christ I never had,” he told Sports Spectrum of how his faith changed his perspective. “Never. Never played a baseball game in freedom or peace.”
Carpenter returned to Sports Spectrum’s podcast in January and shared how God is using what he went through as a testimony for others.
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