April 20, 2026
As culture leans into Scripture, new FCA Bibles and resources help athletes exercise their faith
Josh Gilreath, FCA Chief Operating Officer: ‘Our goal is to help every coach and athlete experience the transforming power of God’s Word in their daily journey’
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — New research from the Barna Group reveals that after years of decline, Bible reading in the United States is experiencing a resurgence. According to the 2025 State of the Church data, the share of U.S. adults who report reading the Bible weekly has risen to 42% — a 12‑point increase from a 15‑year low in 2024. Among Christians, weekly engagement with Scripture reached 50%, the highest level in over a decade.
This rebound is largely fueled by younger generations: Millennials and Gen Z have seen significant jumps in weekly Scripture reading, with nearly half of each group regularly engaging with God’s Word.
As the world’s premier sports ministry, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) has distributed 244,650 Bibles in the last year and has recently developed additional versions.
Kellen Cox, FCA Executive VP of Ministry Advancement, shared, “These resources were created to equip coaches and athletes of all abilities to live out their faith in every area of life. We prayerfully designed these to allow God’s Word to reach new audiences in new sports environments.”
The FCA Young Athlete’s Bible is tailored to help young competitors grow in both faith and understanding. FCA-specific inserts guide them in praying and sharing their faith, while a clear, youth-friendly glossary defines big ideas and key faith terms in ways they can easily grasp. Suggested Bible studies point them to relevant topics throughout Scripture, and Discovery Bible Study lessons teach them how to read the Bible for deeper, lasting transformation.
Also newly available is the Grace Bible for Kids, FCA Edition, created to enhance readability for young athletes with all levels and varieties of dyslexia and other reading challenges. The first of its kind, this resource features a fresh, reader-friendly font, increased spacing and nine customizable cover overlays, reducing visual stress and helping every page feel more approachable. Plus, special FCA inserts inspire young athletes to link their faith with their favorite sport, creating a unique blend of learning, encouragement and spiritual growth.
In addition, FCA All Ability has launched a new line of Sports Bibles designed for competitors in adaptive and Paralympic sports, showing that God’s Word speaks to every coach and athlete’s world. Each Bible features covers reflecting unique competitive settings: a purple cover for wheelchair sports like basketball, rugby and fencing; a gold cover for summer Paralympic events such as boccia, archery, track and field and para-badminton; and a white, snow-inspired cover for winter para sport ministries. Already in use by teams with varsity, collegiate, club and national competitors, these Bibles were also distributed during FCA events surrounding the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics. In addition, FCA Audio Bible players provide audio versions of these resources, offering accessibility for vision-impaired athletes.
Remarking on the new resources, one wheelchair basketball athlete shared, “This is a great development: A copy of the Bible that clearly communicates that the Word of God is relevant for my sporting world too.”
These initiatives highlight FCA’s ongoing commitment to equip and empower all-ability athletes and coaches with Christ-centered, sport-specific resources.
These resources join popular FCA-edition Bibles, including:
- FCA Sports Bible, featuring sport-focused content, adaptive formatting and inspiring visuals to help competitors connect their faith to their sport.
- FCA Athlete’s Bible, a comprehensive Bible for young athletes that combines practical devotionals, studies and guidance on applying faith in competition and daily life.
- FCA Sports New Testament Bible, a compact New Testament edition that emphasizes scripture relevant to sports, teamwork and character development.
- FCA Sports New Testament Bible Spanish, a Spanish-language edition of the FCA Sports New Testament Bible, helps Spanish-speaking athletes explore faith and scripture in a sport-centered context.
Josh Gilreath, Chief Operating Officer, summarized, “Our goal is to help every coach and athlete experience the transforming power of God’s Word in their daily journey.”
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 at fca.org and on Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).
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To interview a Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Jeff Tolson, ext. 108.
