Kansas City churches and various ministries are ramping up efforts to spread the gospel and provide biblical hospitality as the city welcomes a projected 650,000 visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Notably, Christians are being persecuted in 14 of the 48 countries participating in this year’s World Cup, according to Open Doors, a ministry that tracks Christian persecution.
“For the first time in history, millions from unreached and persecuted nations will travel freely to the largest Christian nation on earth,” writes author Mike Burnard for the Christian blog The Third Way. “They will step into spaces where the gospel can be heard openly, encountered personally, and received without fear – something many of them have never been allowed in their home countries.”
Several churches and ministries in the Kansas City area are responding.
“The nations are coming to our doorstep,” Kansas City’s Abundant Life Church writes about the World Cup. “People from across the world – different cultures, languages, and beliefs – will be walking the same streets, eating in the same restaurants, and sharing this moment.
“For Christians, this is more than a hosting opportunity.”
An organization called the Sports Event Evangelism (SEE), has been sharing the gospel at the Olympics since 1996 and at the World Cup since 2002. In the organization’s 20-plus years of ministry, more than 12,000 people have given their lives to Christ after evangelistic conversations, its website says.
SEE founder Dr. David Crandall, who started the ministry originally called Olympic Ministry, likens the World Cup gathering to the Day of Pentecost.
“I saw a parallel between Acts chapter 2 about the day of Pentecost,” he says. “The Bible says the whole world was gathered and represented in Jerusalem at that time and people heard the teaching of God’s word in their own language.
“I thought, ‘Well that’s what happens at the Olympics.’”
The Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas have united to form OneKC Catholic with Matthew 25:35 as their mission: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
The Catholic partnership plans to have parish hubs around the city to offer water, rest and multilingual help for visitors. Parishes will also have extended hours and multilingual services, along with “Safe Harbor” efforts, which will be enacted to combat human trafficking, according to a blog post by Bishop James V. Johnston Jr.
“It is a time to appreciate the positive impact that sports can have in bringing people together and bridging divides,” Johnston writes. “Indeed, the Church is the initiative of God in the world to unite the human race and bridge all divides, far transcending what sports can do.”
Other churches have plans for game-day evangelism, and soccer-themed children’s ministry programs such as Vacation Bible School and Energia 2026 will also take place in Kansas City.
Photo Credit: Facebook, Mayor Quinton Lucas
