Chi Alpha , (sometimes XA, χα, xa, or SfC - Students for Christ, officially known as Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship), is an international and

interdenominational Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

fellowship A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

social club A social club or social organization may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation or activity with in an organizational association known as a Club (organization), club. Exampl ...

student society A student society, student association, university society, student club, university club, or student organization is a society or an organization, operated by students at a university, college, or other educational institution, whose membership t ...

, and service organization founded in 1953 on the campus of

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

(then known as Southwest Missouri State College) in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. Chi Alpha is sponsored by the

Assemblies of God USA The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially The General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States and the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal ...

, a Pentecostal denomination established after separating from the historically African American

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Christian perfection#Holiness Pentecostalism, Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and a large Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi ...

in 1914 over race and administration. Chi Alpha's stated mission is "to reconcile students to

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, thereby transforming the university, the marketplace, and the world..." It describes its core values or pillars as community, creativity, diversity, excellence, integrity, servant-leadership, and evangelism. Its self-described five-fold approach is prayer, worship,

, discipleship, and mission. Its

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and service organization affiliation is the Convoy of Hope. Through its campus ministries and fellowships, Chi Alpha operates a missionary internship program through the

World Assemblies of God Fellowship The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

, requiring doctrinal assent. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship's campus ministries have fluctuated from 310 locations in 2010, to 350 in 2019, and 272 in 2024. The organization and its leadership have also been subjected to controversies involving the

LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...

, and sexual and

psychological abuse Psychological abuse, often known as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including Anxiety disorder, anxiety, c ...

with former members alleging " cult-like" personalities. In May 2023, ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...

'' and other outlets reported a registered sex offender was knowingly allowed to continued ministering to Chi Alpha students for more than 30 years. Since these reports, a website has been launched and dedicated against abuses within Chi Alpha and Assemblies of God.

Etymology

The name ''Chi Alpha'' was inspired by the contemporary Assemblies of God youth movement, Christ's Ambassadors (reflection a phrase in

2 Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author named Timothy, and is addressed to the church in Corinth and Christians in ...

5:20). The initials "CA" were changed to the

Greek alphabet The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BC. It was derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and is the earliest known alphabetic script to systematically write vowels as wel ...

initials "ΧΑ" (and its

Latin Script The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...

's stylized equivalent of "XA") in order to resemble the names of other college organizations, in particular Greek-letter fraternities and sororities. Outside of North America, it is also known as ''SfC - Students for Christ'' in Europe, and ''Conexión'' or ''UConexión'' in Latin America.

History

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship originates from within

as a ministry to collegians in 1947 at the urging of J. Robert Ashcroft (father of

John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, Lobbying, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A Republican Party (United States), R ...

), consisting of a newsletter sent to college students to encourage them in their faith. After Ashcroft's newsletter publications, it soon became apparent that a newsletter by itself was inadequate, and so in 1953 Dr. J. Calvin Holsinger chartered the first Assemblies of God student group at

(formerly Southwest Missouri State University) in

where the

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

and Assemblies of God USA headquarters is located. The movement inspired and sponsored by Assemblies of God quickly spread to other campuses. For example, the first Chi Alpha to own property was the

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

chapter, which purchased a house next to campus in 1964. Chi Alpha began its development internationally in the 1970s, establishing chapters in Europe under the name ''Students for Christ'', and also into Latin America under various names. In 1979, Dennis Gaylor became national director of Chi Alpha, and served until April 2013. By 1985,

Annie Dillard Annie Dillard (née Doak; born April 30, 1945) is an American author, best known for her narrative prose in both fiction and nonfiction. She has published works of poetry, essays, prose, and literary criticism, as well as two novels and one memo ...

wrote a widely reprinted essay—"Singing with the Fundamentalists"—about her experiences singing with a group of students from the Chi Alpha chapter at

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

(a chapter which operated under the local name of Campus Christian Fellowship). In 2013, following Gaylor's leadership, he was then succeeded in leadership led by Scott Martin, up to 2023. Following Martin's resignation in November 2023, Severin Lwali became "transitional stakeholder" of the organization. Lwali, a native of Kenya, remains the director of Chi Alpha International as of 2025, while Alex Rodriguez serves as the Senior National Director.

Chapters

Chi Alpha within the United States has a large presence throughout the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. Globally, its second-largest presence is in Europe, within some predominantly and historically

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

countries of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, Central, and

Mediterranean Europe Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...

. At the beginning of the 21st century, there have been Chi Alpha ministries and fellowships on over 310 campuses throughout the United States as of 2010. As of December 2024, Chi Alpha had a presence at 270 campuses throughout the United States.

Controversies

Throughout the organization's history, it has been involved in numerous controversies involving the

, sexual and

, and religious abuse. For instance, Chi Alpha chapters at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

were highlighted in a 2003 article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' entitled "Of Bart and Homer, and the Many Ways of Faith"—an article about their use of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' as a Bible study tool. Additionally, in the 2014-2015 school year, Chi Alpha at CSU Stanislaus was removed from campus because they required that their leaders be Christians. The case gained national attention through conservative news channel

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

. The chapter was eventually reinstated after a year-long dispute between Chi Alpha and the campus. In 2019, Chi Alpha's

Winona State University Winona State University is a public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the fi ...

fellowship was highlighted by former members for allegations of students following " cult-like" personalities. Its campus leader was alleged of favoritism and shaming student party-goers and drinkers; additional allegations included mishandling

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

and

. In 2020, a student from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

alleged discrimination after coming out and being forced to step down. A year later, from 2021-2022, the fellowship was highlighted for leadership's accusations of discrimination against the LGBT community, students having

premarital sex Premarital sex is sex before marriage. It is an act of sex between two people who are not married to each other. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. S ...

, and students who consume alcohol.

Sexual abuse

In July 2022, a pastor working for Chi Alpha was arrested for "continuous sexual abuse of a child," pleading innocence. In May 2023, ''

'' and other outlets reported the organization's platforming of registered sexual offender, Daniel Savala, for more than 30 years. Following, according to a

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

-based law firm, demands have been made to limit the activity of Chi Alpha on multiple college and university campuses. A website was also published, dedicated against abuses within Chi Alpha and the Assemblies of God. On 21 May 2023, board members and elders of a North Texas Assemblies of God church dismissed a pastor of the Texas A&M Chi Alpha chapter and Mountain Valley Fellowship linked to the sex abuse scandal. On 25 May 2023, a Chi Alpha campus minister for

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

was arrested on child sex abuse charges. At the Baylor ministry, the campus chapter has opposed the university allowing an organization for LGBT students. The Baylor chapter was suspended during the sex abuse scandal. In June 2023, Savala was arrested; according to ''

The Christian Post ''The Christian Post'' is an American non-denominational, conservative, evangelical Christian online newspaper. Based in Washington, D.C., it was founded in March 2004. News topics include the Church, ministries, missions, education, Christi ...

'', the Assemblies of God USA noted that Savala was never on staff with Chi Alpha and took steps to sever ties as they learned of his sex offender status. Whistleblowers reportedly disputed the claims. Following Savala's arrest in June, an Alaskan minister linked to Chi Alpha was charged with sexual abuse. By August of 2023, three Assemblies of God pastors from Texas and Louisiana had called for the resignation of the denomination's leaders over the Savala scandal. A pastor from

Orange, Texas Orange is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,324 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houston. ...

criticized his denomination's general superintendent, Doug E. Clay, and alleging minimization of the abuse Savala has been accused of. Clay described the scandal as a series of "hiccups," while Orange, Texas-pastor Armstrong responded, "Hundreds of victims of sexual abuse is not a spot on a spectrum." In October 2023, it was revealed from a 1989 yearbook for the

University of Louisiana at Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a Public university, public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus Universi ...

, that Savala was mentioned as a Chi Alpha staff member alongside campus minister Eric Treuil. Treuil reestablished the local Chi Alpha chapter for the university in 1987, and since 1994, has led the Cajuns 4 Christ athletic outreach program. Prior, in 2012, former Louisiana Ragin' Cajun football players were arrested for sexual assault allegations. Following, some members of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns sought baptism through Chi Alpha and Treuil responded: In November 2023, national director Scott Martin resigned and the Assemblies of God withheld comment from ''

'', referencing its statement on the Savala scandal. In January 2024, additional allegations were presented from an unnamed minor in Texas in a lawsuit set by their father against the Assemblies of God. By March 2024, a church disaffiliated from Assemblies of God USA over the Chi Alpha sex abuse scandal. By May 2024, three men linked with Chi Alpha's Texas A&M chapter were arrested for indecency with a child. In August 2024, the suspended Texas A&M chapter was highlighted for recruiting during its suspension.

Notable members

Following is a list of some of Chi Alpha's notable alumni. * Kris Allen, the 2009 ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' winner, was a member of Chi Alpha when he was a student at

University of Central Arkansas The University of Central Arkansas (Central Arkansas or UCA) is a public university in Conway, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1907, the university is one of the oldest in the state. As the state's only normal school at the time, UCA has hist ...

in Conway, Arkansas. * Jay Huff, professional basketball player wth the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

Carson Wentz Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS national championships as the starter. Wentz was s ...

, professional football players for

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{official website, https://chialpha.com/ Assemblies of God Christian organizations established in 1953 Student religious organizations in the United States Evangelical organizations Fellowships Student organizations in the United States Student societies in the United States Student religious organisations in Germany Christian student societies in Germany Student religious organisations in Belgium International student religious organizations Service organizations based in the United States Christian fraternities and sororities in the United States Missouri State University Student organizations established in 1953 Sexual abuse scandals in Pentecostalism