Sport Pillar Development Tools

SEPTEMBER 2025


As our fiscal year launches, we find ourselves fully committed to the vision of EVERY—every coach, every athlete, everywhere.


Sport environments are still a relatively new race for us in Illinois. Yet we remain resolved— hearts set on the finish line, tools in hand, and eyes fixed on the ultimate goal: to reach every coach and every athlete with the good news of Jesus Christ.


In Illinois, the sport environments of Outdoors and FCA Sports Leagues represent a bold expansion that invites us to reimagine how we “run the race” FCA-style. The campus remains our cornerstone, but the course now extends far beyond its borders. Think leagues. Think outdoors. God is clearly illuminating that our purview is widening.


Outdoors Ministry: Connecting with God Through His Creation


Our Sport Environment Strategy identifies Outdoors Ministry as one of FCA’s eight strategic focus areas. Here in Illinois, we currently have team members engaged in fishing and equestrian ministry.


Spiritual engagement is happening through intentional initiatives like Horse Huddles, competitions, and camps held in natural settings—all designed to foster deeper connection with our Creator through His creation.


This statewide implementation is actively taking place in Southern Illinois and Western Illinois, where staff, volunteers, and board members are organizing outdoor sporting experiences specifically designed for discipleship.


FCA Sports Leagues: A Growing Off-Campus Frontier


FCA defines League Sports as off-campus, developmental sports environments for coaches and athletes that require a moderate level of time, travel, and financial investment. Leagues are typically self-contained, with teams playing one another within the same league.


FCA Sports Leagues are directed by FCA staff and strategically designed to create catalytic discipleship experiences for both coaches and athletes.


Our leagues often partner with local churches or community agencies to leverage existing facilities and mobilize empowered volunteers who serve as disciple-making coaches.


To support this initiative, FCA has created a robust training library with 19 video tutorials that walk staff through every step of the League development process.


Ideas for a Strong Start


Here are a few essential questions to help guide your next steps in these expanding ministry environments:


• Who’s Already Engaged?


Who in your area is involved with an expanded sport environment beyond the campus (e.g., motocross, fishing leagues, trap leagues, community rec)?


• How Can You Cast Vision?


How might you invite them to view their sport environment as a mission field—and themselves as missional volunteers for FCA?


• How Will You Equip Your Team?


What resources, training, and support can you provide to equip board members and volunteers to run strong in these new areas?


• What Tools Do You Need to Be Empowered?


What training or support would help you become more effective in identifying and equipping leaders for expanded ministry?


If you are just getting started in these environments, we’d love to hear from you. We have team members who are already engaging in these spaces—people with knowledge, experience, and a heart to come alongside you.


Let us know how we can support you and your team. Above all, we are committed to bathing these efforts in prayer as we seek to grow God’s Kingdom together.


APRIL 2025


Sport Advancement: Help for The Journey


Expanding FCA Sports environments offer myriad ministry opportunities; however, this growing number of opportunities can quickly overwhelm. The move to “every” is a daunting task, and we need to think strategically as we give vision to this new frontier. 


Staff

We will need more staff who are specialists in these ministry environments. For many of us, particularly directors, this reality can seem daunting as well. Aren't we already in need of more staff to reach the campus, run camps, and coordinate ministry to coaches? The good news is that staffing for expanded environments like Motocross, Outdoors, or FCA Sports can utilize part-time staff and may have more diverse funding options beyond just personal support raising. 


Volunteers

We will never be able to hire enough staff to meet every ministry need, nor has that ever been the vision or the goal. From the beginning of FCA’s ministry, we have always been a volunteer intensive ministry. The same will be true for expanded sport environments. Utilizing volunteers to help run and oversee ministry programming in these areas is essential in growing our ministry presence beyond the campus.


Next Steps

  • Who in your area is already involved with an expanded sport environment beyond the campus?
  • How could you cast vision for FCA ministry in their area of expertise and passion?
  • How can you prepare now to train board members and mobilized volunteers to serve in these expanded environments?
  • What training might you need to be ready to equip them?


NOVEMBER 2024


The Why


Our mission to reach every coach and athlete with the good news of Jesus is an invitation to re-imagine FCA ministry efforts to ensure we are executing strategies that engage with every coach and athlete, both on and off the campus. This reality does not undermine or deemphasize the campus; it expands our reach! We also want to emphasize that we are not asking our current staff to take on these environments on top of an already full plate. 

 

What are the Sports Environments? 

  • Action 
  • All Ability 
  • Campus 
  • Club 
  • League 
  • Motorsports 
  • Outdoors 
  • Pro and Elite 
More Detailed Descriptions Of Sport Environments Here!


Next Steps 

 

There are two areas of significant opportunity in Illinois: 

 

  1. Leagues & Clubs 
  2. Ministry to current leagues and clubs through huddles, resources, and events. 
  3. Ministry through leagues and clubs in FCA Sports (FCA administered leagues and clubs). 
  4. Outdoors 
  5. Competitive Marksmanship (archery, air rifle, pistol, clays) both on and off campuses. 
  6. Team Bass Fishing (on and off campus) 
  7. Equestrian 

 

I would encourage staff to do two things over the course of the next quarter. First, talk with your supervisor about attending FCA Sports School. Sports School combines online coursework work with a day of virtual training to introduce staff to FCA Sports (facilitating and running clubs and leagues). 

 

Second, I would encourage you to take inventory of the current clubs, leagues, and outdoor opportunities in your footprint. This reconnaissance is essential to get a “lay of the land” before we jump in to begin actively perusing ministry in these areas.