Fellowship of Christian Athletes

We had a non-secular FCA group at our HS. My son's a Jew and was required to hear the FCA guy out after one practice; meetings thereafter were voluntary so my son opted out. Coach is an evangelical Christian, so there you have it.

I have noticed that many FCA enthusiasts are relocating to Christian schools or leaving high school altogether, so perhaps the organization will have less of a presence on secular high school campuses.

FCA is strong as ever or stronger in the South and Midwest.  I have never been a part of it where it was mandatory.  I do know that many places the sports teams are encouraged to attend but never made to attend.  I don't know that FCA can be anything but a non-secular group.  It is Fellowship of Christian Athletes and as a fellowship of Christian athletes it should never be a secular group.  Secular means activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.  FCA should always  be presenting Christian (religious or spiritual) remarks or events.  I have been a part of it since the 80's.  It is on almost every HS and college campus in the South and Midwest.  I know it is probably being removed from liberal states and cities but that is not the case where I have been.  But if it is removed from HS or college campuses almost all other extra-curricular activities and organizations will have to be removed also.

@PitchingFan posted:

FCA is strong as ever or stronger in the South and Midwest.  I have never been a part of it where it was mandatory.  I do know that many places the sports teams are encouraged to attend but never made to attend.  I don't know that FCA can be anything but a non-secular group.  It is Fellowship of Christian Athletes and as a fellowship of Christian athletes it should never be a secular group.  Secular means activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.  FCA should always  be presenting Christian (religious or spiritual) remarks or events.  I have been a part of it since the 80's.  It is on almost every HS and college campus in the South and Midwest.  I know it is probably being removed from liberal states and cities but that is not the case where I have been.  But if it is removed from HS or college campuses almost all other extra-curricular activities and organizations will have to be removed also.

I'm in California pls trust me no one is banning fca here.

I've been sitting on sharing this because I wasn't sure how it would be received. But, a recent conversation with a friend now makes me think it's worth sharing in case it's helpful to others.

We’re not very religious or spiritual people.  But, my son did check out FCA when he went to school last fall because a lot of his teammates where going and, in the beginning, the FCA people were bringing a lot of free food to the meetings – the kind that appeals to college aged kids.  After all, how many college freshman are going to turn down free Chick-fil-A and Chipotle?

The meetings were run by a husband and wife team who had no affiliation whatsoever with the school – they didn’t work at the school, didn’t have a kid at the school, etc.  But, they were sort of sanctioned by the baseball HC.  A few weeks into the meetings, they had scheduled what was advertised as a picnic at a local park – more free food!

The picnic spot was close to a small body of water.  At that meeting, they asked my son if he wanted to go into the water to be baptized.  It sort of caught him off guard and he politely declined.  And, at that point, he decided to stop going to the meetings.

When he stopped showing, the husband tracked him down at a baseball practice – seems like the husband and wife were ALWAYS at the field when the team was there – and he asked my son why he stopped going to meeting.  My son offered an excuse of being busy with school work.

A week or so later, the guy tracked my son down on campus and basically said “What do we need to do to make sure you keep coming to the meetings?”

My son then told me about it.  I told him to just say you’re not interested and share that you don’t appreciate being pestered about it.

That’s the last that I heard about it. Whether it stopped or not, I'm not sure? Perhaps once word got around that he was transferring they wrote him off?

Based on this experience, I would suggest that people look into how important the FCA is to the coach and program, if this isn't your cup of tea. If you go there, at some point, they're going to try and get you to join.

For what it's worth, when we had our first official visit with the school, the HC shared that "he was a man of the scriptures" and asked if we were spiritual people. We were honest about our beliefs and he said that's fine and it's not a requirement to play in his program.

Again...I am not passing judgment or finger pointing at anyone or anything here. I truly believe in to each their own. And, I understand the importance and comfort that organized religion provides people.

I'm just saying that the FCA can be a very big and deep facet at some schools (even if it's not a religion based school) and it's something you should factor when looking into schools if it's not aligned with your interests and lifestyle.

@Francis7 posted:

I've been sitting on sharing this because I wasn't sure how it would be received. But, a recent conversation with a friend now makes me think it's worth sharing in case it's helpful to others.

We’re not very religious or spiritual people.  But, my son did check out FCA when he went to school last fall because a lot of his teammates where going and, in the beginning, the FCA people were bringing a lot of free food to the meetings – the kind that appeals to college aged kids.  After all, how many college freshman are going to turn down free Chick-fil-A and Chipotle?

The meetings were run by a husband and wife team who had no affiliation whatsoever with the school – they didn’t work at the school, didn’t have a kid at the school, etc.  But, they were sort of sanctioned by the baseball HC.  A few weeks into the meetings, they had scheduled what was advertised as a picnic at a local park – more free food!

The picnic spot was close to a small body of water.  At that meeting, they asked my son if he wanted to go into the water to be baptized.  It sort of caught him off guard and he politely declined.  And, at that point, he decided to stop going to the meetings.

When he stopped showing, the husband tracked him down at a baseball practice – seems like the husband and wife were ALWAYS at the field when the team was there – and he asked my son why he stopped going to meeting.  My son offered an excuse of being busy with school work.

A week or so later, the guy tracked my son down on campus and basically said “What do we need to do to make sure you keep coming to the meetings?”

My son then told me about it.  I told him to just say you’re not interested and share that you don’t appreciate being pestered about it.

That’s the last that I heard about it. Whether it stopped or not, I'm not sure? Perhaps once word got around that he was transferring they wrote him off?

Based on this experience, I would suggest that people look into how important the FCA is to the coach and program, if this isn't your cup of tea. If you go there, at some point, they're going to try and get you to join.

For what it's worth, when we had our first official visit with the school, the HC shared that "he was a man of the scriptures" and asked if we were spiritual people. We were honest about our beliefs and he said that's fine and it's not a requirement to play in his program.

Again...I am not passing judgment or finger pointing at anyone or anything here. I truly believe in to each their own. And, I understand the importance and comfort that organized religion provides people.

I'm just saying that the FCA can be a very big and deep facet at some schools (even if it's not a religion based school) and it's something you should factor when looking into schools if it's not aligned with your interests and lifestyle.

Francis,

I really think your kid would’ve been better off being honest with the FCA representative as soon as he felt uncomfortable, which based on your story was when they tried to baptize him. I do however understand that might have caught your kid off guard!  It certainly would have caught me off guard. But he had a 2nd chance to be honest. That would have been the time. I have no problem with people attending those meetings without committing to baptism on the spot🙂 Faith can take time to grow. It is each person’s choice. Some followers are overzealous and do not respect each one’s timeline. I am sorry this happened. But learning to be honest and communicate clearly is a good lesson. Please don’t prejudge all Christians based on this experience.

@RoadRunner - to be fair to the kid, he was 18 years old, never had any experience close to this before, and he was at practice for his baseball team, when he was somewhat ambushed with with an inquisition on why he stopped going to FCA meetings. And, he tried to come up with a polite and respectful answer to nip it in the bud when he said he was busy with school work.

I have no issues or second guessing on how he handled it.

And, I have no prejudices against Christians. Believe me, I get it. Having beliefs and faith is everyone's right and I am more than happy for them if that's what works for them.

That said, a friend who knows more about this than me told me afterwards that the Bible says Christians should make disciples of all nations, baptizing them. And he wasn't surprised at all that the FCA was making a full court press at the kids.

Again, I'm not saying it's right or wrong. But, it's definitely something that people should take into consideration when selecting a school.

I waited until overnight to respond to this to make sure I put thought into it.  First let me say that this is definitely a regional thing because every public high school I've ever been around in the south and midwest has an FCA that is active with all sports teams.  So, this would not be a surprise to someone from the south or midwest that FCA was involved with the baseball team.  When I was the representative for FCA, I was at almost every football practice, basketball practice, and baseball practice along with softball, track, and wrestling.  I do not know of any college in the south and midwest that does not have an FCA chapter and representative and most larger schools have one for every major sport and some that cover all the minor sports.

FCA representatives are paid representatives of the organization and most have to raise part of their own salaries through programs and support.  My son's FCA guy for baseball is at most practices along with all home and road games.  They have Bible study during the week just for baseball and they join together with other sports to have a large meeting.  He does a Sunday morning Bible study at home and on the road that is optional.  Let me clarify that I would not say our HC is a strongly religious man but probably is a believer.

The baptism event.  I would say that got this wrong because baptism is a step after becoming a Christian, personal relationship with Christ.  It should not have been approached the way it was because it comes after someone has decided to become a Christian and is part of the relationship with Jesus kinda like the wedding is a public show of the relationship between a husband and wife.

I'm sorry your son felt like he was "tracked down" at the baseball field or at school.  Sounds like the guy may be a little pushy but you also understand that just like any organization, when someone attends and then stops coming, as the leader, you want to know why.  Also understand that the FCA leaders are paid to be at the sporting events and on campus.  I would agree that your son should have felt okay saying I just don't think that is for me.  I'm sorry the leaders did not do a better job of building relationships personally with him and explaining Christianity better before asking for a commitment.  As I said, sounds like they are pushy.

I will say that even the non-Christians that have talked to me about the one at my son's school appreciate him.  He is always checking on them and just building relationships with them.  Helping them with school, social life, and the stress of being a P5 athlete.  Again, sorry your son had a bad experience.  Like any large group, some do it well and others not so well.

On a side note.  I had a parent that is not religious complain the other day that her son was made to go to chapel at a religious school where he is on scholarship both athletically and academically.  She said I don't think they should be able to make him go to chapel.  My response was they are paying for your son's education and didn't you expect that when you agreed to go to a religious school. I was blown away that she had not done enough research to know that there would be prayer at practices and son would have to go to chapel as part of his school.

I do believe Francis7's son attended a northeast program where this occurred.  So it's just not in the south or midwest where this is occurring.

On a college campus you may find many different organizations that welcome students to join, on their own, not try to force their beliefs by going after the student or athlete.

I have friends where this has occurred about mandatory meetings, bible study and were never informed about it before they enrolled or mentioned by the coach.  It is happening everywhere.

@Francis7 posted:

@RoadRunner - to be fair to the kid, he was 18 years old, never had any experience close to this before, and he was at practice for his baseball team, when he was somewhat ambushed with with an inquisition on why he stopped going to FCA meetings. And, he tried to come up with a polite and respectful answer to nip it in the bud when he said he was busy with school work.

That said, a friend who knows more about this than me told me afterwards that the Bible says Christians should make disciples of all nations, baptizing them. And he wasn't surprised at all that the FCA was making a full court press at the kids.

I absolutely get that he was only 18!  Very tough situation. But I am hoping he learned something from the experience. That is what life (and baseball) is all about!

Secondly, your friend is wrong. The baptizing incident should not have happened.  See @PitchingFan post. He was far more eloquent than me🙂

@PitchingFan and @TPM

And @RoadRunner

Yup. We're in the northeast and the school is also in the northeast although it's 160 miles west of us (and we live off the Atlantic Ocean).

Again, not passing judgment or anything, but, to me, I found it odd that they (the husband and wife FCA leaders) were at the field for every practice. Other than players, coaches, team administrators and trainers, no one else was ever at a practice. No parents. No fans. No girlfriends. Yet, every single practice, sitting in the stands or hanging around the dugout were the FCA couple...from what I was told.

And, again, they are not employed by the school. Don't have a kid at the school.

If anyone else "selling" something else tried to hover around the players like this, they would probably be escorted away by campus police. But, again, the coach is sanctioning it. So, there's that.

Have to stress that I am not condemning it or something like that here. I am just saying that people should think about this when considering a school and program if it's a situation that they're not comfortable with having for the next 4 years.

On a side note, since my son has come home, he's become very close with someone 6 years older than him who is playing professionally. (Reached AA last year.) And, he's gotten my son into reading the Bible.

He still doesn't go to church, ever. And, I wouldn't consider him as someone who is living the Christian life, etc. But, he does find reading the Bible interesting, thought provoking and a way to have a different perspective on things.

So, it's not like he's against the thought of being spiritual or having faith. And, who knows, if the FCA couple hadn't been so aggressive and intrusive, maybe the outcome there would have been different?

@Francis7 posted:

@PitchingFan and @TPM

And @RoadRunner

So, it's not like he's against the thought of being spiritual or having faith. And, who knows, if the FCA couple hadn't been so aggressive and intrusive, maybe the outcome there would have been different?

Exactly. Again, I am so sorry that this happened to your son. And I hope he doesn’t think that all Christians just go around trying to trick people. That was wrong. And I don’t believe it’s “happening everywhere”. That’s poppycock.

@PitchingFan posted:

On a side note.  I had a parent that is not religious complain the other day that her son was made to go to chapel at a religious school where he is on scholarship both athletically and academically.  She said I don't think they should be able to make him go to chapel.  My response was they are paying for your son's education and didn't you expect that when you agreed to go to a religious school. I was blown away that she had not done enough research to know that there would be prayer at practices and son would have to go to chapel as part of his school.

I’m Jewish. One year of high school I attended a Methodist boarding school with the requirement to attend all church services. They were held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday nights and Sunday morning. The evening services were fitteen to twenty minutes. Sunday morning was a full service. Day students weren’t required to attend. Anyone on a weekend pass (Saturday noon or after sports through Sunday 8pm) weren’t required to attend Sunday.

Non Christians were required to attend. We did not have to bow our heads or say the prayers. We had to be quiet and respectful.

I left after a year. Picture a school that’s a combination of filthy rich kids and recruited jocks. Most of the jocks were local area kids who were day students. I was a jock who lived too far away (45 miles) to commute. Let’s just say I didn’t respect or get along with a lot of the rich kids for their spoiled attitudes.

This was an interesting thread for me. Until now, I thought FCA was just a travel ball team for Christians. I didn't realize that it was active on secular academic campuses. (We live in Washington.) From my non-Christian perspective, there are a lot of different types of Christianity out there. What beliefs does FCA espouse? What is it hoping to teach these athletes?

I will answer from my experience, not the whole organization.  FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, has a goal of ministering to athletes across a wide range of ages to have a spiritual influence in sports.  They provide support and love to athletes with a goal of making disciples of some who have no relationship with Jesus Christ and for those who are already Christians to help them grow in their faith.  Like all organizations, spiritual and secular, some leaders are good and some are bad.  They provide regular Bible study and fellowship events to help.  But they also provide support in many ways.  The leaders are supposed to build relationships with the athletes, both in FCA and not, to help them in life.  I had guys and gals that I built relationships with that never attended our events but that I was able to help through tough life situations.  I did not differentiate between the ones who came to Bible study and those who did not.  I just wanted to be a resource for them to help them grow in life, if they became a believer that was a double win for me but if not I still ministered to them.  I know there are some bad leaders out there who are pushy or overzealous but that is part of millions of people involved.  The good ones just love on kids and strive to see them successful in life and sports.

Are FCA ministers trained through a particular branch of the Christian faith?

They are not connected to any particular denomination.  I've known FCA leaders from many different denominations.

https://www.fca.org/

They also offer great camps that have many college coaches.  My son went to a football one that had 4 P5 football head coaches working with the players and spoke at night.  He was coached as a QB by Mark Richt personally.  Their camps are great for faith and sports.