Twin pastors share how their passion for hunting shapes their faith and food choices
Pastors and twins James and Chad Hampton tell Fox News Digital why they fill their freezer with venison each year and how their outdoor lifestyle supports their commitment to physical and spiritual well-being.
FIRST ON FOX — For twin brothers Chad and James Hampton, putting food on the table can begin hours earlier — sitting quietly in a Michigan tree stand.
The pastors, authors and avid outdoorsmen harvest several deer during hunting season each year, filling their freezers with venison to be eaten.
But to the brothers, harvesting their own food represents more than providing meals for their families. It's also intertwined with their Christian faith.
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"We know that God's given us that food to manage and also consume so that we can be what He's created us to be," Chad Hampton told Fox News Digital.
The Hamptons, founders of Huntin' the Truth Ministries and hosts of the outdoor show "Twin Factor," point to Genesis 1:26 when explaining their view of hunters as stewards of God's creation.
Twin brothers and pastors Chad Hampton and James Hampton of Michigan say harvesting what they hunt brings them closer to God. (Twin Factor)
"We're managing God's creation that He gave to us," Chad Hampton said.
The connection between faith, food and the outdoors also appears in their new book, "100 Days of Strength for Hunters," a devotional designed to help outdoorsmen strengthen their relationship with God.
The brothers said the book combines Scripture, hunting stories, practical applications and prayer — and is short enough for hunters to take with them into the tree stand.
Their approach to food also overlaps with a larger national conversation about eating "real food" and knowing where food comes from — themes that have been promoted by the Make America Healthy Again movement.
The brothers, who each pastor their own churches, hunt deer and fill their freezers with venison to be eaten throughout the year. (iStock)
It's a message that resonates with the Hamptons.
"Everything that we harvest we eat," James Hampton said.
They also believe many Americans have become disconnected from their food as convenience increasingly shapes what people eat.
"We have to live what we preach."
The Hamptons readily acknowledge they aren't immune to eating fast food, pointing to their busy schedules.
"Although we love our fast food, we also love the slow-cooked venison," Chad Hampton said.
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Hunting, however, requires something convenience cannot provide — time.
The brothers said they could spend hours in a tree stand pursuing an animal they would ultimately bring home and eat. That process, they believe, carries a responsibility rooted in their faith.
The Hamptons, pictured here praying together, believe they are stewards of God's creations. (Twin Factor)
They view it as both harvesting food and caring for what they believe God has entrusted to them.
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That same relationship between hunting and Christianity has guided their ministry for more than two decades.
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James Hampton recalled praying from a tree stand during a difficult period in 2004, while his wife was battling cancer. The experience ultimately helped inspire the brothers' ministry and its mission of teaching others to "hunt for God and His plan for their life."
"We have to live what we preach," James Hampton said. "And that is loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strengths and seeking Him."
"Our mission is to create and restore relationships with Jesus Christ through hunting and the outdoors."
The brothers both graduated from Rochester Christian University with degrees in biblical studies.
Chad Hampton is the lead pastor at Goodland Community Church in Imlay City, Michigan, while James Hampton is pastor of Huntin’ the Truth Church in Mayville, Michigan.
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"Our mission is to create and restore relationships with Jesus Christ through hunting and the outdoors," the brothers say on their website.
They teach others "how to hunt God" at events such as Wild Game Dinners, men’s and youth hunting camps, men’s ministry events, conferences, retreats, prayer breakfasts and church services.
