Christians Want to Take Back the YMCA

After decades of emphasis on inclusiveness and physical fitness, some local Ys are putting renewed emphasis on their Christian roots and are delving into support groups for addiction and eating disorders. 

The LA Times (Jenny Jarvie) reports on a religious revival at some YMCAs.  It's a notable reversal of a process of secularization and inclusiveness that has characterized the YMCA for decades at the national level (National Council EIN 36-3258696 Form 990). 

But even more curious is the description of a program called Restore, started up at the Green Hills Family YMCA, a unit of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee (EIN 62-0476243 Form 990).  With five staff and ten therapists, the program seeks to offer a Christian alternative to twelve-step programs for people seeking help with issues like alcoholism, bulimia, divorce, grief, pornography addiction, and other conditions. The program will be rolling out next year to Ys in six other states. 

Restore represents a double-barreled challenge to the current YMCA mission: one, moving back to a more Christian identity after decades of emphasis on inclusiveness.  The other is a broadening of the Ys fitness mission to incorporate a broader concept of health and wellness. 

Restore is also significant from the perspective of our interest in effective charity projects.  To me, this is a promising way to start a successful charity venture:  as a program within a large scale charity organization.  It frees the organizer to focus on the mission rather than the administration, and it provides a mechanism for rapid scale-up.