Using a commitment model grounded in psychological and sociological theory, this study examined church youth club participation and its impact on continued church involvement. Adolescent members (N = 141) of a contemporary Christian church were surveyed, and their commitment to the church and its sport, social, and Christian activities were assessed. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that commitment to the social and Christian activities accounted for 56% and 50% of the variance in continued involvement for male and female youth, respectively. A multivariate analysis of variance provided partial support for hypothesized gender differences in sport commitment. Male youth (n = 76) scored higher on commitment, enjoyment and investment, involvement opportunities, and social support than female youth (n = 65). Overall, the results suggest that social activities are important to continued church involvement and that the value of sport lies in its capacity to promote social interaction.
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