Photo by Pixabay for Pexels
Sports and faith connect deeply in humanity's hearts, minds and souls. Not only do sports bring out one’s gifts and skills but they also develop people through playing these activities, including character and life lessons, according to Sutter Health. These important factors relate to faith, as organizations, like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, show that faith works through sports.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
FCA’s vision is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes, according to their website.
Through the fellowship, coaches and athletes develop a relationship with Jesus and experience a growth of faith, said Kat McNeal, director of operations of FCA Hawaii. McNeal bridged faith with sports through her experience in volunteering and later, working as part of the staff for FCA.
“My journey with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes began in the summer of 2015 when my children started attending a sports power camp in northeast Alabama,” McNeal said. “I saw the joy the organization gave to the kids, and after witnessing how much my family's experience transformed us, I wanted to be a part of it.”
After spending the past 9 years with FCA, McNeal said she saw how the organization leaves an impact in their local communities by creating safe spaces for kids to connect.
“They want to know that they're not walking alone,” McNeal said. “So, we are bringing the Church to them. We are giving them that safe space to connect with other kids.”
They meet kids in the activities they are interested in like basketball, soccer or even esports, McNeal said. While they are still progressing in newer fields, they are helping kids develop the necessary skills they need in life.
“Just meeting kids where they are — that is the key,” McNeal said.
Photo by Bk Aguilar for Pexels
FCA upholds four core values and uses Scripture to provide definitions, according to their website. Their values are integrity, servitude, teamwork and excellence.
With Proverbs 11:3 as its source, the organization proclaims the desire for integrity by demonstrating Christ-like wholeness in everything they do, both publicly and privately.
For servitude, listing Jesus who served others as an example to follow, the organization desires to follow in his footsteps in serving others with John 13:1-17 as an example.
The third is teamwork, which Philippians 2:1-4 describes as unity through humility. The organization expresses it as showing unity in Christ in all relationships, with members looking after both personal and others’ interests.
The last value is excellence, which is backed by Colossians 3:23-24. FCA’s actions are all done for the Lord, whom the organization places as its foundation. These core values translate into action.
“One summer while helping out with a FCA event, I noticed that one boy was playing on the football field, but his shoes kept coming off because he didn't know how to tie them,” McNeal said. “I helped him out, and while we were sitting there, Jesus entered that conversation. And, you know, God's always gonna be there to guide and help us. Those teachable moments and bringing God into the picture serve as an example of what we strive to do.”
Don McClanen, a basketball coach in Oklahoma, started FCA with these values and the goal of bringing faith through sports, according to the FCA Timeline.
After seven years of prayer, McClanen officially founded the organization in 1954, along with three other men, Louis R. Evans, Roe Johnston and Branch Rickey — known for his role in hiring the first African American into the major baseball league, according to the Library of Congress. Together, these founding fathers laid out FCA’s goal of bringing faith into sports, according to PNWFCA.
FCA also hosts events like Fields of Faith, an event led by school students who share the gospel and develop personal relationships with Jesus on an athletic field, according to Movie Guide.
Photo by Pixabay for Pexels
One example of this event happened at Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, a professional NFL football team, in Orchard Park, New York, according to FCA. The team’s athletes and coach permitted the event during the summer of 2023, and athletes like Damar Hamlin, a player for the Buffalo Bills, gave testimonies of how they came to know Jesus and now want to share their faith with others.
Sports and Faith
FCA and other groups, like Upward Sports, Athletes in Action and Sports Outreach, all have the same goal: to reach those who have not heard or accepted Jesus — through sports.
Upward Sports, like FCA, hosts various sports activities as a platform to build up one’s faith in Jesus, according to their website. The organization focuses primarily on kids, not on professional athletes and coaches.
Similarly to the work of FCA, Athletes in Action reaches out to athletes and coaches, by helping them develop their faith in and outside the field through the community, according to their mission page.
Yet, while FCA is more like a Christian sports club, Athletes in Action uses their platform to spread the Gospel in a more missions-focused structure and manner, according to K-LOVE Fan Awards. They tend to plan more formalized events with a pastor preaching to a large group instead of a more casual exchange where a coach or athlete shares their testimonies with other fellow athletes.
Sports Outreach follows a more missionary-like goal, with the desire to spread the Gospel in places beyond the U.S., according to their website. Using sports to bridge connections, the organization ministers to third-world countries, in areas where human suffering is a common scene.
In comparison, FCA spreads the gospel by utilizing sports to teach life lessons and spiritually build character.
“There are so many life experiences on the sports field like wins, losses, pride, humility, pain, stress, time management, teamwork and compassion. These are all lessons that can be transferred off the field into our daily lives, and this is the bridge that FCA builds on to invite Jesus into their lives,” McNeal said.
Others who are not a part of these organizations but still integrate sports and faith have done similar things through their actions and principles. Kamuela Plunkett, a coach specializing in Hawaiian outrigger canoe racing on Hawaii Island, shared his experience of coaching canoe racing in the Aloha State.
Plunkett has two perspectives of canoeing, a secular view and a faith-based point of view, he said. From a secular outlook, paddling is something he enjoys doing that brings him happiness.
“When I first started paddling, I was around 20 years old, and I just immediately fell in love with it — the sport, the ocean and that dynamic,” Plunkett said. “And then over the years, I was like, man, this resonated with my heart. The workout felt good for my body, but also for my mind, too.”
From the perspective of a Christian, the sport of competitive paddling serves as another way to share life lessons that parallel the Christian model, Plunkett said.
“With more than about 20 years of experience, maturing a bit more — and then also my faith just becoming more mature, proven and tested — I would say all of that learning is how I coach today, full of principles and tenets of my faith,” Plunkett summarized.
Sports resonate deep inside so many people’s hearts and souls. The thrill of playing for fun, learning important skills that translate to our daily lives and having faith in one another during moments of trials all translate similarly to Christianity. These organizations and Christians are examples of leading a flourishing life.
Kairos was born and raised in Hawaii as the son of a pastor. In 2023, he graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in Journalism: News & Storytelling. He aims to write insightful, unbiased, and truthful stories on the Body of Christ.
