A disciple of fishing for men

Jim Grassi has written more than 20 books that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies.  

The Post Falls man is back with another.

“More Than a Fisherman: Making Disciples Who Make Disciples” is the Christian outdoorsman’s latest work. It is a return to his angling roots and a bid to help men grow in their faith. In his book, he says spiritual mentoring or discipleship requires people to become actively involved in their faith. 

That’s one reason he was surprised when a pastor recently called and asked if Grassi could help him understand discipleship and what it is. That a pastor needed such an explanation was a concern to Grassi. 

“What the heck is the mission of the church?” he said. “We've lost our vision.” 

Grassi is Idaho’s only living Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame inductee and has found Idaho to be a haven for pursuing his passions for fishing, hunting and developing his ministry to men.  

His use of the outdoors as a venue to share Christ goes back nearly five decades. 

“There’s something about water,” he said.  

And fish.

He said that today, almost 60 million people in the United States identify with the title “fisherman” or “fisherwoman.”  

In 2023, almost 30% of Idaho's population fished recreationally, he said, showing that angling is as popular in Idaho as it has ever been.  

That's a reason he's found a strong base in the Gem State.

Twenty-six years ago, Grassi moved his global ministry to men from the Bay Area to Post Falls.  

“It was a very difficult decision, requiring a lot of faith, to leave our donor base and pastors who knew our mission for a place where we would be starting over,” he said. 

To connect outdoorsmen, Grassi’s program was initially called, “Let’s Go Fishing Ministry, Inc.” It was later changed to “Men’s Ministry Catalyst."

“While sports ministry had and has a place in reaching men, we really wanted to place our efforts and attention directly upon the upstream problems associated with many broken families and men who felt isolated, discourage, tempted, angry and without hope,” he said. 

The ministry expanded to help churches and denominations develop “vibrant and dynamic ministries to men.” 

His work has gained international attention. Three of his books are in two foreign languages.  

“Grassi’s passion for his faith and adventure has taken him around the world, sharing disciple-making truths that have transformed lives and ministries in places like Canada, Africa, New Zealand, Israel, Mexico and Latin America,” a press release. 

In "More Than a Fisherman," he features stories from some of the nation’s top professional fishermen to drive home his points.

“Authentic discipleship is about developing a caring concern and a genuine love for others in relational environments by modeling Christlike attitudes and behavior,” Grassi said.

Grassi continues to travel and speak and has a passion for the outdoors, by himself or sharing space on a boat with other anglers.

“I love the connection with God,” he said. 

And he still hunts and fishes, though he gave one concession to age. 

“I put the bow down and went to crossbow,” Grassi said.