As a very basic definition… Youth With A Mission (YWAM) trains people of all ages to hear God’s voice and learn to obey Him wherever their mission field is: home or abroad; short or long term.
Who is YWAM? We are aged between 1 and 100. We live in over 150 nations and we like to work with friends in multi-cultural teams, celebrating the diversity of our different experiences, languages, and perspectives.
We come from many different Christian traditions and we love to get together and worship God using our different expressions. We are all committed to growing in our understanding of who Jesus is and how He wants us to love and serve the people of the world.
We are very enthusiastic about new ideas. We travel a lot. We are moved by people in need, and we do something about it. We don’t mind roughing it. We believe that God wants to have a living relationship with every one of us and we want to explore that deeply. We’re not in it for the money. We have discovered that faith in Jesus will take you to places you never dreamed of, to do things you never imagined, in ways you would never believe.
We are Youth With A Mission.
Some of the common denominators found at YWAM locations are:
• The pre-requisite of the Discipleship Training School before other schools or any staff involvement
• The mandate to “know God and make Him known” (Is. 6:8; Matt. 28:18-20; Col. 1:10)
• A three fold ministry of: Evangelism (Rom. 10:14-15), Mercy Ministry (Matt. 5, Eph. 2:10) and Training/Discipleship (Mark 16:15)
• A shared statement of faith, vision and values
www.ywammontana.org
There are hundreds of YWAM schools offered all over the world which are designed to give specific training and opportunities in all spheres of society for you to make a difference with the gospel.
The University of the Nations (U of N) is the YWAM college which gives credits for almost all YWAM schools. These credits can be built up to a BA or MA degree, the equivalent in study time to regular college but with the flexibility to take 50+ years and do all the schools necessary to get your degree. Although these degrees aren’t always recognized by accredited agencies, credits can transfer to many colleges whose own courses are similar and the unique way of getting a U of N degree provides outreaches and on-hands experience after every lecture phase that you do.
Of course, not everyone goes overseas for ministry. God also needs us to stay in the West and our own area of influence. Often times you will have just as big of an impact in your home town/country by living out holiness and showing the people around you what a life truly living for God looks like in your culture.
For us, being staff in YWAM takes commitment and dedication. It also takes faith because all staff are voluntary workers, absolutely no one is paid, from the founder to the kitchen staff. YWAM is NOT a church; it is an interdenominational organization that gives missionary training. We could be working like ‘normal people’ but we feel God has called us here for now and He is giving us the skills and building our character to be influences in this Mission at this time.
The Lakeside Montana Campus
We lived in the staff dorm for the first 3 years of our marriage but with the birth of our daughter we were put on the list for a family house on campus and were able to move in one week before she was born! Even in a house we live in a close community knowing everyone on campus. This is sometimes a challenge but also helps keep us accountable in the lifestyle choice we make that others see daily; especially having new students come each quarter.
Click here to read YWAM’s Foundational Values!
Here is a fast-paced look at YWAM worldwide aimed at getting youth excited and involved. This promotional video was made in 2007:
