Jake Strotman had been convicted for assault after an altercation with a group of Baptist street preachers in the US city of Cincinnati, Ohio.
The 23-year-old Catholic told the court the group was condemning him so he gave them "my two cents" worth, The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
"They were telling me I was going to hell,'' he said.
"I was asking them: 'Why do you think you can condemn people?' I didn't understand why they thought they could judge me."
Another man approached the group and a fight broke out. Strotman ended up hitting one of the preachers in the face as he tried to get up from the ground.
The victim, Joshua Johnson, had his face cut by his glasses during the incident.
Judge William Mallory warned Strotman he could face up to 90 days in jail after he admitted he had been under the influence of alcohol.
The judge told the victim, who had been preaching: "I'll be honest with you guys, sometimes in certain places people don't want to be preached to. You agree with that right?"
"I admire the fact that you want to spread the word of God because I'm a religious man, too."
At this point the convicted man said: "Your honour, if I may, I would be more than happy to serve a church of your choosing."
The judge replied: "Time out. We may have an answer here.
"So for his penance, what if I make him go to your church [for] a number of Sunday services?"
The minister must sign off his attendance at 12 Sunday services at Morning Star Baptist Church in West Chester Township, Ohio.
He was also ordered to pay $480 in court fines.