Fields of Faithbrings the Gospel to thousands of youth nationwide, hungry for Christ’s community.
Josh Gilreath, Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Chief Operating Officer:‘Schools, teams and churches will bear witness to the next generation of His disciples’
KANSAS CITY, Mo.— For the first time in decades, young adults are now leading older generations in church attendance, signaling a shift in the spiritual beliefs of the next generation. Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA,www.fca.org),a ministry working to see the world transformed by Jesus through the influence of coaches and athletes, is meeting young people in their search for faith on athletic fields across the nation.
FCA’sannual Fields of Faith event has served as a premier student-led outreach where athletes minister to their peers. Pioneered in 2004, the inaugural Fields of Faithdrew 6,000 students to venues throughout Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, with more than 100 people choosing to follow Christ.
FCA is building on this rich legacy through this year’s Fields of Faith, giving young people the opportunity to spark a movement to change the culture in their communities.
According to Josh Gilreath, FCA’s Chief Operating Officer, “In the midst of this spiritual revival among young people, each Fields of Faith event provides an opportunity for more young people to be a part of Christ’s community, and for each coach to be an example of living out His beliefs. Schools, teams and churches will bear witness to the next generation of His disciples.”
As an FCA-certified ministry program, Fields of Faith utilizes the organization’s innovativeE3approach to discipleshipcentered around Engaging others relationally, Equipping them with God’s Word and other Christ-centered resources and Empowering coaches and athletes to help others experience salvation in Jesus.
Every year, thousands engage with the Gospel and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Fields of Faith also gives athletes the opportunity to challenge their peers to equip themselves in God’s Word and in the community. In preparation for the event, staff, athletes and volunteers are empowered to model, assist, watch and launch athlete leaders to disciple their peers at and after the event.
Regardless of where a Fields of Faith is hosted — whether it’s in a gymnasium, at a pool, at the racetrack or at a sports field — FCAis equipping athletes to think about Jesus’ words when He challenges His disciples: “Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest” (John 4:35). And then consider, where is the spiritual field God is calling them to? In other words, where is the place of influence that God is moving?
As a result of this expansive view of “fields,” the program can now be initiated based on three criteria:
· Anyone: The event is led by student-athletes and is for everyone in the community to attend.
· Anywhere:The program serves athletes in anysports environment and in anycountry.
· Any time: Perhaps most crucially, Fields of Faith has traditionally been held on the second Wednesday of October, but is no longer locked to a single date and can occur anytime, year-round.
Gilreath said, “Through Fields of Faith, we are prayerful that the transformative messages in the Gospel will grow the Lord’s Church, fueling the hearts and minds of youth who burn for Jesus.”
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ vision is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. Its mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. FCA’s guiding values are integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence.
Since 1954, FCA has used the powerful medium of sports and building relationships to reach the world for Jesus Christ. FCA is cultivating Christian principles by engaging, equipping and empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ and lead others to do the same so that lives are changed for current and future generations.
Visit Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ website at www.fca.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheFCATeam, its Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/thefcateam or its X/Twitter feed https://twitter.com/TheFCATeam.