Now that 2022 has come to an end, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA,www.fca.org) is reflecting on how God has blessed the ministry, as well as the coaches and the athletes it serves worldwide. This year, FCA marked 68 years of staying true to the mission of leading every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.
“The entire Fellowship of Christian Athletes team is thankful for the opportunities to do sports ministry every day,” said FCA President and CEO Shane Williamson. “Through our staff and leaders around the globe, we engage, equip and empower coaches and athletes to share the Gospel in all corners of the world. As our ministry continues to expand, we give all of the glory to God. For more than 68 years, we’ve rallied our team around the Great Commission and put God’s Word at the forefront of our plans.
As we step back and review our past year, we’re humbled at what God has done.”
FCA experienced tremendous growth and record-setting numbers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the ministry is more about touching the lives of coaches and athletes — one heart at a time — these figures show the incredible impact God has made through FCA.
- 68 years ago, FCA was officially chartered on November 10, 1954, in Norman, Oklahoma, after a young basketball coach named Don McClanen had a vision for a sports ministry seven years earlier.
- 52,358 people made faith decisions for Christ through a variety of FCA events, including Huddles, Camps, Fields of Faith and more. FCA can now capture more faith decisions through a new Faith Response Tool, a texting system that will allow FCA staff, coaches and athletes to share these significant, life-changing decisions.
- FCA has exploded across the globe with ministry in 114 countries with 2,527 staff members being engaged, equipped and empowered to reach coaches and athletes.
- FCA continued to grow Bible engagement efforts through its YouVersion Bible reading app partnership. The ministry currently has over 75 reading plans with over two million plan completions since launching in 2013.
- For the immensely impactful and successful 2022 Camps season, FCA welcomed 83,421 coaches and athletes who attended 839 Camps across the country and around the world this summer.
- FCA completed its 18th student-led and student-driven Fields of Faith events on October 12, taking place on athletic fields in the U.S. and globally, where 55,300 coaches, student-athletes, parents and community members worshiped together, heard from inspiring speakers, prayed and committed to read their Bible at 326 gatherings.
- Globally, FCA reached coaches and athletes through 19,431 Huddles — over 18,000 in the U.S. and over 1,000 internationally.
- FCA distributed 196,024 Bibles this year and has distributed nearly 3 million Bibles around the world in the past 15 years.
- FCA has 16 consecutive 4-Star top ratings from Charity Navigator, America’s largest organization rating the fiscal management of charities. This puts FCA in the top 1% of all charities rated. As a faith-funded ministry, FCA gives thanks to the Lord for His provision.
FCA’s theme for 2022 was "Every," based on Ephesians 1:3: “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” FCA reminded Christian coaches and athletes that they already have everything they need in Christ and encouraged them to seek Him both on and off the field.
Read more about Fellowship of Christian Athletes here, visit FCA’s website at www.fca.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheFCATeam, its Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/thefcateam/ or its Twitter feed https://twitter.com/TheFCATeam.
