Letter - FCA: A faltering, marketing ministry

To the editor:

Minnesota is not only a land of thousands of lakes, but also thousands of churches and ministry groups. There are many areas of our lives where these theological groups can positively or negatively impact individuals. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Alexandria is one of those organizations that seems to have a polished image in western Minnesota, but in many regards is discriminatory in nature.

The time has come for people to understand the reality of what drives this group and has caused it to falter. This organization as a whole was started nationwide over 50 years ago and has continually grown since then. In Alexandria, they have claimed to act as a student-led group that upholds God’s message, especially among athletes.

While this may seem true to the general public, the group has done just the opposite by actually operating as a well-funded, marketing ministry. An adult board ultimately determines the course of action that is taken on a variety of topics, whether school events or community luncheons.

It claims to be open to anyone, yet at the same time has rejected motivated students from leading and developing an effective agenda. In fact, there have been many people offended by what this ministry has done by not looking past flaws that are present in humankind.

Just as many other denominations and ministries have begun to falter recently, so has the FCA in Alexandria. They can either get back on track and start being more open to new ideas and diversity or continue down a path that will most likely lead to collapse.

Todd Johnson

Alexandria, MN

(Editor's note: This is not the Todd Johnson who works for Lakes Area Recreation.)

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