Date Presented

Spring 5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Jeremy Langett

Second Advisor

Dr. Rachel Willis

Third Advisor

Dr. Timothy Schauer

Abstract

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has seen much growth over the past seven decades, after being created in a small town in Oklahoma in 1954 with only 15 members to now having 2,000+ staff and reaching 100+ countries (FCA Timeline, 2024). How did such a small organization with such a specific niche, become the well-known non-profit global ministry it is today? This thesis will discover how the Fellowship of Christian Athletes grew its brand worldwide pre and post-digital media through its marketing and communications methods. For this thesis, research will be done on FCA’s methods for reaching its target audience before social media. The analytics of an FCA account run by its digital media staff will then be collected and analyzed. After gathering this data, work in the field will involve interviewing a FCA staff member tasked with coordinating the social media account and overseeing its strategies for gaining reach and engagement. This research will enable the configuration of a playbook for organizations similar to FCA to use, adding to the overall significance of this thesis: assisting faith-based nonprofit organizations in marketing themselves effectively through social media, by using methods based on studies done on FCA’s brand growth pre and post-social media.

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