Faith, Fitness, and the Marketplace: How Cole Permenter Lives on Mission Every Day | Follower Of One

Cole Permenter spent six years in MMA cages, 11 years pastoring a small-town Louisiana church, and built a fitness brand to keep ministers physically ready for the gospel. In this episode, Cole joins Addison Williams to talk about what it looks like to live on mission in a secular world, whether you work in a fab shop, run an HVAC business, or lead a congregation.

Episode Highlights: What is Base 1520? Cole founded Base 1520 to help ministers, missionaries, and marketplace Christians become better stewards of their bodies. The name comes from Romans 15:20, where Paul describes his ambition to take the gospel to those who have never heard it. Cole asks a direct question: if a hundred-mile trek over a mountain range is what it takes to reach people, are we physically ready to go?

Your workplace is your mission field. Cole shares two stories from his congregation. One man works in HVAC and has more gospel conversations each week than most pastors ever will. Another works in a fab shop and now leads a Sunday morning small group that functions as a full worship service. Cole's point is clear: God knows your address. Be faithful where you are.

Know what you believe, and know why. Cole argues that theology drives behavior. If your view of God is wrong, your life will reflect it. He encourages anyone wrestling with faith to start with one question: did Christ resurrect? He tried to disprove Christianity in his twenties and could not. No one in 2,000 years has.

The discipline of prayer. Cole draws a direct comparison between physical training and spiritual disciplines. Prayer is not about asking God for things. It is an expression of dependence. He recommends reading Scripture systematically and points listeners to the story of George Mueller, who ran an orphanage for 60 years by prayer alone, never once making a public financial appeal.

Pushing past comfort. Cole trains for HYROX races, takes ice baths with his seven-year-old, and competed in MMA to build relationships with people who would never enter a church. His framework is simple: stress produces growth. That applies to your body, your faith, and your willingness to have hard conversations at work.

Cole Permenter leaves marketplace believers with one practical question to carry into the week: how can I leverage my life, my job, my family, and my resources to make God known? The answer does not require a mission trip or a seminary degree. It starts with where you already are.

Learn more about Base 1520 at https://www.base1520.com/ Connect with Cole Permenter here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-permenter-45a6962b7/

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