After decades of exhibiting at the National FFA Convention and Expo, a Christian farming ministry has been shut out over the very faith that defines its mission, according to Liberty Counsel.
The legal organization is demanding that the National FFA Organization reverse its rejection of the Fellowship of Christian Farmers International before the Oct. 21-24 convention in Indianapolis.
According to Liberty Counsel, FFA denied the ministry’s application under a policy stating that “organizations with political or religious affiliations or advocacy are not eligible to exhibit at the Expo.”
FFA defended the exclusion by citing its federally chartered educational status and obligations under the Establishment Clause, Liberty Counsel reported. The organization said it had denied other groups for the same reason and described its policy as an effort “to be neutral to all political or religious affiliations.”
Liberty Counsel’s demand letter directly challenges that defense.
“An exclusion expressly based on religion is not neutral treatment, and purporting to exclude multiple religious organizations does not cure the discrimination against each of them,” the letter states.
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The ministry’s absence from the national expo began in 2018, when it was disinvited after decades of participation. Liberty Counsel said the decision was tied to FFA’s diversity, equity and inclusion goals. The ministry has since exhibited at more than 30 state FFA events but has remained excluded from the national gathering.
That exclusion stands alongside FFA’s public assurances of religious inclusion.
“No matter…what race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic background, or agricultural background you have, there is a place for you in the FFA,” National FFA Foundation President and Chief Marketing Officer Molly Ball said in 2020, according to Liberty Counsel.
Liberty Counsel also identified three Christian universities — Marian, Dordt and Huntington — among the convention’s 357 approved exhibitors.
The farming ministry seeks ordinary exhibitor access, including voluntary conversations and lawful booth activities, without FFA sponsorship or endorsement of its views, Liberty Counsel said.
The legal organization argues that the expo operates as a public accommodation and that the religious exclusion violates federal Title II, Indiana law and Indianapolis’ nondiscrimination ordinance. Its letter demands booth approval, full exhibitor privileges and removal of the blanket religious prohibition.
“Religious discrimination has no place at a public accommodation event that purports to prepare young people through agricultural education for leadership and success,” Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver said.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
