Youth With A Mission

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Youth With A Mission (YWAM)
Founder(s) Loren Cunningham
Type Evangelical Missions Agency
Founded 1960
Key people *John Dawson, International President
*Iain Muir, International Director
*Lynn Green, International Chairman
Area served 171 Countries
Employees 16,000 volunteers
Slogan To know God and to make Him known
Website www.ywam.org

Youth With A Mission (YWAM, generally pronounced as "why-wam") is an international, inter-denominational, non-profit Christian missionary organization. Founded by Loren Cunningham in 1960 to "know God and to make Him known," YWAM now has operations in over 160 countries.[1][2]

Youth With A Mission has been active since 1960.[3][4] Originally using the model of sending youth on short-term trips to foreign locations, YWAM has expanded its day to day operations to Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe and The Americas. In the nearly 50 years since its inception, YWAM's activities have expanded from youth-focused short term trips to include educational training, church planting, business as mission, and relief and development services. Today, YWAM involves people of every age group.[5]

YWAM is now comprised of people from over 150 countries and a large number of Christian denominations, with over half of the organization's staff coming from "non-western" countries.[6] YWAM currently has over 16,000 full-time volunteer workers in nearly 1,100 operating locations in 171 nations[citation needed] and trains 25,000 short-term missions volunteers annually.[7] Along with the positive experiences and positive impact which have been attributed to YWAM, the organization has been the subject of controversy and criticism.

Contents

[edit] History

Youth With A Mission was conceived by Loren Cunningham when in 1956, as a 20-year-old college student traveling in the Bahamas, he claimed to have a vision of waves breaking over the earth which became young people taking the news of Jesus into all the nations of the world. He began to envision an organization that would send young people out after high school to the mission field (short term or long term) and would welcome Christians of all denominations.[8][9][10]

The YWAM website states that Cunningham had a desire to teach others what he had learned from his parents about hearing God's voice. This led to the establishment of schools. In December 1960, the name Youth With A Mission was decided on. The small YWAM staff printed out 180 announcements about their mission and sent them to pastors. The result was that YWAM sent two men in their early twenties to Liberia to build a road through the jungle to a leper colony. This was the organization's first official mission trip.[11]

By 1963, Loren had married Darlene Scratch. By this time, the new mission had 20 volunteers stationed in various nations, and the Cunninghams were planning the mission's first "Summer of Service". Later in the year, YWAM teams were being sent to West Indies, Samoa, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America. By 1966, there were 10 full-time YWAM staff including Loren and Darlene and hundreds of summer short-term volunteers. That year YWAM ministries also began in New Zealand and Tonga.[12][13]

In the fall of '67, Cunningham began to work on his vision for the first school. It was to be the School of Evangelism in Lausanne, Switzerland, which was held from December 1969 to the summer of 1970 with 36 students. The students' lodging and classes took place in a newly renovated and leased hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland. By the end of the year, YWAM purchased the hotel and made Lausanne, Switzerland its first permanent location.[14][15]

YWAM's website states that later in the decade, another YWAM school began that would become the foundation for YWAM's many training programs. By 1974, the School of Evangelism was being offered in New Jersey as well as Lausanne. With a focus on biblical foundations and character development as well as missions, much of the material from this course is now taught in the present day Discipleship Training School (DTS).[15] A format of three months of lectures followed by two or three months of outreach is still used in most Discipleship Training Schools today.[9][15]

By the year 1970, YWAM had a total of 40 full-time staff.[15] That year, 1,000 volunteer YWAM staff headed to Munich, Germany to prepare an outreach for the 1972 Summer Olympics. This was the first of many YWAM Olympic outreaches.[14]

The University of the Nations online magazine has stated that Cunningham and Howard V. Malmstadt met at a conference in 1974. They started giving educational seminars together, and eventually, Loren asked Howard to help expand the training arm of the mission. In 1977 YWAM purchased the Pacific Empress Hotel in Kona, Hawaii and began renovations in order to turn it into the campus for what was initially called the Pacific and Asia Christian University--the forerunner of U of N.[16] In 1978, YWAM began Shining Lights, an outreach to prostitutes in Amsterdam.[17]

By 1979, YWAM's Mercy Ships ministry was launched with the commissioning of the ship "Anastasis" (the Greek word for Resurrection).[18][19]

YWAM sources state that at the end of the 1980's, YWAM changed the name of its university to University of the Nations (U of N).The concept of a YWAM university that would encompass training programs in hundreds of YWAM locations was developed both by Loren Cunningham and by scientist and professor, Howard Malmstadt.[16][20] When communist regimes in Eastern Europe began to fall in the early 1990's, Youth With A Mission began outreaches to countries there, including Albania.[21] Other efforts in this decade include a school for the disabled in Mongolia[22]

In 1999, New Zealander Frank Naea was chosen to become YWAM's first non-white president, replacing Jim Stier, who continued as international director of evangelism and frontier missions and national director for Brazil.[23]

By the year 2000, YWAM had over 11,000 staff from over 130 countries. To reflect this diversity and also to lead it well, YWAM developed a new leadership role, the Executive Chairman, which Jim Stier stepped into, and made the presidency a three-year rotating position. It named Frank Naea, who is both Samoan and Māori, its first non-western President. This reflected YWAM itself, which had become almost 50 percent non-western.[24] By 2006, YWAM had joined the International Orality Network (ION), a multi-agency outreach effort to "the world's non-literate masses", employing verbal and dramatic means to introduce the Gospel to populations which do not read.[25]

[edit] Colorado Shootings

Main article: 2007 Colorado YWAM and New Life shootings

A gunman, identified as a former YWAM student Matthew Murray,[26] shot four staff members at the missionary training center near Denver in the early a.m. hours on December 9, 2007, killing two, after being told he couldn't spend the night.[27]Murray stated on an anti-Pentecostal website that he had been removed from the Arvada youth mission program because of his introversion. After the initial shootings, he used the same website to warn of more to come.[28][29]

Twelve hours later Murray arrived at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, armed with five guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition,[26] killing two others and wounding three more before shooting himself in the head with the same gun he used at YWAM, after being shot in the leg by a woman who volunteered as a church security guard.[30][31]

After the shooting, YWAM's School of Writing director Janice Rogers noted that YWAM had been the victim of violent offenders before, including homicides and other violent acts, although this is the first act of aggression against the mission on US soil, according to Mrs Rogers. Rogers stated that there are "two predominant reasons YWAM'ers have been killed; robbery or crime, or spiritual resistance to the Gospel"[32]

Youth With A Mission's Dean Sherman also released two podcast messages in response to the shootings.

[edit] Structure

YWAM leaders characterize the organization as a “family of ministries” rather than a structured, hierarchical entity.[33] YWAM's website says that each of YWAM’s 1000+ operating centers is responsible for determining which training programs it will conduct, the character and destination of its outreaches, personnel recruitment, financial sustainment,and ministerial priorities.[34] YWAM states they have no international administrative headquarters.[34]

YWAM sources cite the following characteristic as common to all operating locations: A) The pre-requisite of the Discipleship Training School. B) The mandate to "know God and make Him known". C) A three fold ministry of: evangelism, mercy ministry and training/discipleship. D) A shared statement of faith, vision and values.[34]

Accountability and leadership are maintained through a system of regional, national and international oversight. The Global Leadership Team (GLT), which consists of approximately 45 leaders from around the world, is considered the authoritative body of leadership for YWAM International. In addition to Loren Cunningham’s influential role as Founder, the GLT elects an international Chairperson, and an international President to provide overall leadership and representation to the organization.[35]

[edit] Doctrine and Practices

According to its Statement of Faith Youth With A Mission “affirms the Bible as the authoritative word of God and, with the Holy Spirit's inspiration, the absolute reference point for every aspect of life and ministry.”[36] YWAM teachers and leaders emphasize the following conduct in response to what they understand to be God’s initiative of salvation toward humanity: A) Worship: A calling to praise and worship God alone. B) Holiness: A calling to lead holy and righteous lives that exemplify the nature and character of God. C) Witness: A calling to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who do not know Him. D) Prayer: A calling to engage in intercessory prayer for the people and causes on God's heart, including standing against evil in every form. E) Fellowship: A calling to commit to the Church in both its local nurturing expression and its mobile multiplying expression.[37]

Discussing YWAM strategy with the Christian Post, Lynn Green has stated that YWAM missions "would be seen as indigenous". The perception, he claimed, combined with the intensive six-month training program, 'ties everyone together' so as to promote cooperation in working toward national goals.[9]

[edit] Foundational Values

YWAM leaders assert that “the unique family characteristics of YWAM--our ‘DNA’”[37] are represented in a document titled, "The Foundational Values of Youth With A Mission." According to this document, “These shared beliefs and values are the guiding principles for both the past and future growth of our mission . . . They are values we hold in high regard which determine who we are, how we live and how we make decisions.”[37] In February of 2004, the Global Leadership Team released a revised statement of YWAM’s Foundational Values. A summary of these is as follows:

1) Know God, 2) Make God Known, 3) Hear God's Voice, 4) Practice Worship and Intercessory Prayer, 5) Be Visionary, 6) Champion Young People, 7) Be Broad-Structured and Decentralized, 8) Be International and Interdenominational, 9) Have a Biblical Worldview 10) Function in Teams, 11) Exhibit Servant Leadership, 12) Do First,Then Teach, 13) Be Relationship-Oriented, 14) Value The Individual, 15) Value Families 16) Rely on Relationship-based Support, 17) Practice Hospitality[37]

[edit] Training

The purpose of YWAM training programs is to raise up men and women who will "disciple nations and transform cultures." A central concept to YWAM teaching is the notion of societal "spheres of influence," such as Education, Government, Arts and Entertainment, Media and Communication, Business and Commerce, Family, and Church. YWAM desires to train and equip Christians to become people of influence within these spheres.[38]

The various training schools of YWAM are organized under the structure of The University of the Nations (UofN).[9] The University of the Nations offers modular courses[9] and is unaccredited.[39] Most schools in the UofN system have a three month lecture phase which is then followed by a two-to-three month field assignment.[9]

[edit] Discipleship Training School

The Discipleship Training School (DTS) is YWAM's entry level training. Discipleship Training Schools are run in YWAM centers around the world with the purpose of providing an opportunity for students to learn more about God and His purposes for humankind. The DTS encourages personal intellectual and spiritual growth and seeks to help graduates find their place serving God throughout the world. It also provides a good foundation for students to continue their education through the University of the Nations. The DTS generally lasts 5-6 months and consists of a 3 month lecture/study phase followed by a 2-3 month evangelistic/service outreach.[40]

Many centers run DTSs that place an emphasis on certain parts of the world or specific ministry strategies which help students use their skills and talents in world missions. Examples of these specialized DTSs include the Mercy Ministry DTS run by YWAM in Melbourne, Australia and a Surfers DTS hosted in Perth, Australia. Information about specialized DTSs and other schools are published each year in the Go Manual, a listing of worldwide training and ministry opportunities with YWAM.[41] DTS, like some other phases of YWAM's operation, sometimes relies on music and dance to help convey vision and purpose.[42]

Discipleship Training Schools are operated according to the guidelines of the YWAM International DTS Centre,[43] which was established to maintain and enhance excellence in DTS programs worldwide in accordance with the DTS purpose and curriculum guidelines set by the International Leadership of Youth With A Mission and the University of the Nations.

[edit] Ministry

The three strands of ministry that the organization emphasizes are Evangelism, Training, and Mercy ministries.

[edit] Evangelism

Sports camps, drama presentations, musical events, along with other creative and performing arts are the avenues through which volunteers and staff share their Christian faith.[44]

YWAM also engages in church planting, in coordination with churches from various denominations, or alone when working among "unreached people groups" who do not have churches among them.[citation needed]

[edit] YWAM's Olympic outreaches

Youth With A Mission has been active in evangelism at the Olympic Games since 1972.

It is believed 1,000 volunteers were part of the outreach effort[45] which included 50 dutch volunteers under Romkje Fountain (who later founded YWAM Holland)[46]
The outreach included street evangelism.[47]
YWAM notes they performed street theater during these games.[51]
YWAM conducted open-air church services and performed gospel drama and dance in the streets.[52]
4,500 YWAM members were active behind the scenes.[53] About 1,000 volunteers were official greeters at the Olympic Village[54][55] and 1,000 more helped with Olympic security and translating.[55]
Southern Baptist International Mission Board missionaries cooperated with YWAM at the Nagano Winter Olympic Games Outreach.[56] According to the YWAM website, the central event was a prayer march from Zenkō-ji, an historic Buddhist temple, to the Olympic Plaza.[57]
YWAM Member Kara Miller Stewart participated in an Olympic dance events.[58] YWAM worked closely with United Bible Societies to distribute Towards the Goal, a sports focused New Testament.[59]
YWAM was hosted by the Salvation Army.[60]
YWAM member musician K. Benny Prasad was invited to perform during these games.[61] YWAM also organized arts and music events.[62] YWAM member Jonathan Irons was arrested for "suspicious activity" and but was later released. Greece is the only European Union (EU) country to ban proselytism in its constitution.[63]
This was reportedly the 16th YWAM Olympic related event. YWAM used entertainment events such as music, street drama, community festivals and snow boarding clinics for creative interaction.[64]
2008 Summer Olympics

Several Christian missionary groups plan to go to Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics even though laws in China prohibit evangelism. The only Chinese Christian groups allowed to operate legally in the country are the Catholic Patriotic Association, the China Christian Council and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement.[65][66]

[edit] Other evangelism ministries

Other notable evangelism ministries include:

See also: Prostitution in the Netherlands
  • YWAM Montana has an outreach to St. Croix which includes dancing, basketball, and cookouts. College-aged youth also perform tasks like painting, landscaping, and school maintenance assisting the mission work of Southgate Baptist Church.[68]

[edit] Mercy Ministries

See also: Mercy Ships (now operationally distinct from YWAM)

The practical and physical needs of the global community are met by YWAM through Mercy Ministries International.[neutrality disputed] Its humanitarian efforts along with partners reach an estimated[who?] 3,000,000+ people annually and is increasing in its aims to be serving 100 million of the world's poor by 2020.[citation needed] YWAM has a mission out of San Diego which builds homes for families in Mexico. Two homes in 2006 were built at a total cost of $30,000. According to Sean Lambert, chief executive officer and president of YWAM San Diego/Baja, teams participating with his base have built 2,084 homes for needy families since 1991.[69][70] YWAM has a mission working with villagers in Uganda to provide relief for HIV/AIDS. They have established orphanages and are ensuring children are educated. British singer Soroti visited there in 2007.[71][72]

  • Marine Reach, the maritime arm of YWAM's Mercy Ministries, uses ships to bring physical and spiritual healing to the poor and needy. YWAM ships have provided vitally important surgeries, dental care, medical supplies, food, seeds, construction materials, development projects, training, and their message to the port cities of the world.[73]
  • ARMS (Australian Relief & Mercy Services Ltd) is a Christian aid and development organization that cares for the poor and needy both within Australia and overseas. It was founded in Canberra in 1988 and is the Mercy Ministry arm of Youth With A Mission in Australia. ARMS works in nations such as East Timor, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, India, Zambia,Vietnam and Uganda. It provides medical support to communities as well as disaster relief teams that serve in natural disasters and war zones. It also supports preschools and orphanages in poor communities, runs primary health care programs, and is also involved in building and construction, water and agricultural projects.[74]
  • Mercy Ships was founded by YWAM missionaries Don and Deyon Stephens in 1978.[18] It is now operationally distinct from YWAM.[75]

[edit] Disaster Relief

Living Waters Church arranged for YWAM to renovate the home of Evelyn and Herschell Hartman in Sulphur, Louisiana after Hurricane Rita.[76] Flooding in Pakistan in 2007 in the Sindh province prompted a reaction by twenty Muslim, Christian, and Hindu volunteers led by YWAM Pakistan chairman Zafar Francis. They were assisted by an appeal by YWAM London's relief office. They were able to distribute food for a month to 3,000 of the 150,000 homeless survivors there.[77]

[edit] Dangerous work

Hurricane Katrina flooded all eleven of YWAM New Orleans' buildings. Personnel were evacuated to YWAM bases in Baton Rouge and Tyler, Texas, where volunteers in their MercyWorks relief arm prepared to take food, "baby items" and water to victims once access was granted to relief workers by the National Guard.[78] Earlier that year, YWAM lodgings in Phuket, Thailand were destroyed by tsunami.[79] In May 2006, Jules Gardner was caught in anti-foreign riots overtook Kabul, Afghanistan in May 2006. Violence there left eight people dead and 107 injured.[80]

[edit] Youth Ministries

Despite its historical and value emphasis on young people, YWAM involves people of all ages. However, there is still a core emphasis on youth ministry. While YWAM has many programs focusing on youth ministry, within the larger organization it has developed two transnational ministries for youth: Mission Adventures (MA), and King's Kids International (KKI). YWAM holds an annual spring event offering free dentistry to children in Lindale, TX. The ministry is first come, first served; while thousands are given free treatment, thousands more are turned away, sometimes coming from many states away.[81]

[edit] Film Projects

YWAM Missionary Lee Isaac Chung's film Muryangabo (Liberation Day) earned Une Certain Regard at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Chung cast two street kids whom he found through YWAM's soccer-outreach program as the stars of a film that dealt with the moral and emotional repercussions of the Rwandan Genocide.[82]

[edit] YWAM Associations and Working Relationships

Youth With A Mission is a global mission with links and partnerships internationally. International Chairman Lynn Green recently reported that YWAM representatives often sit "on boards of other commissions" and organizations.[9]

YWAM also works closely in with various missions and churches, as well as independent missionaries across the globe. One notable working relationship is the the OneStory Project[83] which is a partnership between YWAM, Campus Crusade for Christ, the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Trans World Radio, and Wycliffe Bible Translators as well as other Great Commission-focused organizations, churches and individuals.[84] United Bible Societies has also worked closely with YWAM as a missions partner.[85] YWAM joined with the Evangelical Alliance and John C. Maxwell to design the training program for the Global Pastors Network's Million Leaders Mandate.[86] YWAM and Christian Direction work together to pray for Muslims during Ramadan.[87] YWAM Pittsburgh has been involved in ecumenical local efforts to revive Epiphany School through teaching young people "Christian principles" and exposing them to dance and the arts.[88]

[edit] Partnerships

YWAM partners with:

[edit] Memberships

YWAM is a member of:

[edit] Endorsements

  • Church of God Assistant Director Douglas Leroy has noted the cooperation between COG and YWAM, among others, and endorses cooperation with mission groups "who have expertise in certain areas, without compromising our doctrinal or policy integrity."[100]

[edit] Notable people associated with YWAM

[edit] Criticism & Controversy

 It has been suggested that some of the information in this article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) be merged into other sections to achieve a more neutral presentation. (Discuss)

Along with positive experiences within YWAM,[103][104][44] there have also been allegations by former members that a few YWAM leaders with authoritarian personalities have intimidated subordinates and traumatized those deemed to be "rebellious."[105][106][107][108] Some of the political involvements of its founders and members have also been examined by the media.[108][14][109][110][111][112] It is also claimed by Christian apologists that YWAM has taught some controversial doctrines.[113][114][115]

[edit] Harold Busséll

In 1983, Zondervan published "Unholy Devotion - Why Cults Lure Christians," (later renamed, "By Hook or by Crook : How Cults Lure Christians"). Author Harold Busséll stated, "While living in Europe, my wife and I were involved with an Evangelical youth mission based in Switzerland. We were with the group only six weeks, but it was almost seven years before I had overcome the psychological damage caused by their cult-like control and spiritualization....Questioning a leader was considered an act of rebellion against God and His chain of command." Busséll later confirmed in an interview this organization was Youth With A Mission.[105]

[edit] Dave Andrews

In 1999, Lion Publishing reprinted Uniting Church of Australia's Dave Andrews' account of his YWAM excommunication in his book, Christi-Anarchy. Andrews was excommunicated in 1984 by Youth With A Mission's International Council.[106][116] The reasoning, according to Andrews, was that "I was a rebel and, as an unrepentant rebel, would be summarily excommunicated," and that "it 'was what the Lord told' them to do."[116] Andrews described the aftermath as devastating: "I became suicidal because all the significant people I turned to denounced me, no one else would speak to me, and the people who had promised to protect me ended up having psychological breakdowns. One guy was taken away to an asylum."[106]

[edit] Peak of controversy

In 1986, the Cultic Studies Journal published Laurie Jacobson's account of her experiences within YWAM. In it Jacobson depicts a Discipleship Training School program of eisegesis and social engineering designed to inculcate attitudes and obtain conformity to the group's ways.[107][117] In 1989, James and Cindi Croker left YWAM to start a Canadian Arts Council-funded dance troupe in Toronto, Motus O. Says James Croker, "YWAM taught us how to fail." Croker continued to value the sense of community that YWAM instilled, instituting communal living among his company.[118] In 1990, researcher Rick Ross, retained by a family in Long Island, New York, published an evaluation of YWAM, refusing to recommend them. Ross' research not only included an interview with the YWAM leaders but also was founded on information obtained from Christian Research Institute, the pre-Scientology Cult Awareness Network, the book Spiritual Warfare by Sara Diamond, and further mention of YWAM in Charisma Magazine. In the report he cited their failure on the basis of Robert J. Lifton's eight criteria for recognizing thought reform and mind control.[108]

[edit] Correcting impressions

The Wellington New Zealand Star-Times also examined politician Bernie Ogilvy's connection to the organization during this time period. In the report, Ogilvy confirmed that the group has been called a "cult" by overseas sceptics but said that impression had been corrected. The Star-Times reported that YWAM made enough money to buy up to 12 Auckland houses and that Ogilvy at one point lived in a large house with a swimming pool as the National Director. Ogilvy stated that the houses were all sold and the money given away.[119] James B. Jordan, however, persisted in calling YWAM a cult as late as April 1994.[115]

[edit] Rick Ross re-evaluates "cult" allegations

In the wake of the 2007 shootings, Fox News asked Rick Ross to clarify his position. "Youth With A Mission is not a cult," stated Ross, but acknowledged that he receives complaints about the group on a monthly basis and that brainwashing, financial dependence, and a lack of financial transparency are recurring themes in the more "serious complaints."[27]

[edit] Political involvements

Journalist Frederick Clarkson published an account alleging that Loren Cunningham supported a 1982 coup by Efraín Ríos Montt in Guatemala, an account which is also corroborated in Sara Diamond's book Spiritual Warfare.[108][109]

YWAM has also been described as having "sought to gain influence within the Republican party."[110][111] On October 14, 2005, Youth With A Mission donated $10 million dollars to train youth for Rod Parsley's Restoration Ohio project which worked on behalf of socially conservative Republicans and included goals to register 400,000 voters and to evangelize one million Ohioans.[120][121]

[edit] Theological Concerns

Evangelical theologians Alan Gomes and E. Calvin Beisner claim that certain unorthodox doctrines were taught at some YWAM locations from the 1970s until the 1990s.[113][122]

see also: Controversy and Christian missionaries

[edit] Responses to Criticism

As of 2008, David Clark, director of Youth With A Mission in Minneapolis, acknowledges these concerns with a rebuttal in two main points. "People have been hurt," stated Clark which he attributes to the freedom of the leadership of each base combined with the actions of a few "bad apples" who haven't adhered to core principles. Clark addressed the theological concerns by citing Youth With A Mission's acceptance of the National Association of Evangelicals Statement of Faith. He noted that many YWAM critics are "radical individuals who do not appreciate theological diversity" and "hard-core Calvinists", while claiming the ecumenical spirit within the organization embraces Calvinists.[123]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Founders - Loren and Darlene Cunningham/
  2. ^ "Return from India: A cultural leap", San Luis Obispo Tribune. 
  3. ^ Ari L. Goldman. "A Valentine bargain", New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-01-30. 
  4. ^ Rhoda Tse. "New Yorkers Pray for London Bombings", Christian Post, August 1, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-01-30. 
  5. ^ YWAM Article Library
  6. ^ The 1990s to Present: Looking With Both Eyes.
  7. ^ Youth with a Mission in Derry visit - Derry Today
  8. ^ 1956: Beginnings.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Rhoda Tse. "Interview with the Executive Director of YWAM", Christian Post, April 25, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-01-28. "The vision was really a picture that he had in his spirit. It was a globe - as if seen from space - and there were waves lapping each continent, and each wave would come up further inland until he saw that each continent was completely covered. Upon closer inspection, the waves were actually young people. He knew then that the young people would be taking the gospel to the world." 
  10. ^ http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_his_introhistory.htm
  11. ^ The 1960's: The Vision of YWAM Comes to Life.
  12. ^ http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_his_1960.htm
  13. ^ Catalyst Ministries UK
  14. ^ a b c Anton Chaitkin. "Behind the ABC 9/11 Docudrama: The Axis of YWAM", Executive Intelligence Review, September 17, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  15. ^ a b c d http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_his_1970.htm
  16. ^ a b University of the Nations, Kona - DTS, Discipleship Training School, YWAM
  17. ^ Some Day: Empty Windows | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
  18. ^ a b Deann Alford. "Saving Faces", Christianity Today, December 14, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-27. 
  19. ^ "Miracle-working surgeons float to Africa's poor", WorldNetDaily, November 4, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  20. ^ http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_his_1980.htm
  21. ^ FEATURE: On a Mission - Teens
  22. ^ Yvonne Robinson - Today's Christian
  23. ^ "In Brief", Christianity Today, 03-01-1999. Retrieved on 2008-01-27. 
  24. ^ http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_his_1990.htm
  25. ^ Winning the Oral Majority | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
  26. ^ a b Meyer, Jeremy P.; Erin Emery, Christopher N. Osher. "Police believe revenge motivated shooter", The Denver Post, December 10, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. 
  27. ^ a b Missionary Group Thrust Into Limelight After Colorado Shootings. Fox News (December 11, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-04. “"Some former staffers and families of current members have likened it to brainwashing," Ross said, adding, "When I say brainwashing, I mean breaking people down and molding them into a YWAM mindset that is basically submissive and obedient and pliable to the leader's agenda."”
  28. ^ Larson, Jace. FBI got tip warning them about gunman. Denver 9 News (NBC). Retrieved on 2007-12-12. “In between the shootings, Murray posted violent comments on the Web site. In the posting he warned of a shootout and said he was prepared to kill people. Murray, who went by the name nghtmrchld26, made at least 11 posts between the two shootings. At least one visitor to the site was alarmed and contacted the FBI promptly, before the second attack, the site's administrator said.”
  29. ^ Gunman may have warned of 2nd attack. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
  30. ^ Draper, Electa. "Guard's hands "didn't even shake" as she shot gunman", The Denver Post, December 10, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. 
  31. ^ Nicholson, Kieran. "Vet lauds female guard who felled gunman", December 10, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. 
  32. ^ Patrick Butler. "Shooting Won't Change YWAM", Tyler Telegraph, December 11, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-28. 
  33. ^ Bishop, Bryan, ed. YWAM Go Manual,Youth With A Mission’s World Guide, (Seattle, YWAM Publishing, 2007), p 12.
  34. ^ a b c http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_wha_structure.htm
  35. ^ Bishop, Bryan, ed. YWAM Go Manual,Youth With A Mission’s World Guide, (Seattle, YWAM Publishing, 2007), p 12.
  36. ^ http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_doc_faith.htm
  37. ^ a b c d http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_doc_values.htm
  38. ^ International DTS Centre
  39. ^ University of the Nations, Kona - DTS, Discipleship Training School, YWAM
  40. ^ International DTS Centre
  41. ^ Go Manual
  42. ^ Ghana Music: Diana’s Vision Takes A Leap
  43. ^ YWAM International DTS Centre
  44. ^ a b Cayman Net News: Working for God in the South Pacific
  45. ^ Behind the ABC 9/11 Docudrama: The Axis of YWAM
  46. ^ YWAM Associates InTouch Renewal Gathering to be Held in Switzerland
  47. ^ Christianity.ca - Everyone Benefits from STM
  48. ^ According to the Christian Post, the 2006 Winter Olympic outreach in Turino was YWAM's 16th, yet the total number of Olympic Summer and Winter games from 1972 to 2006 would need include the 1980 Summer Olympics and still only amount to 15 games. One supposes that the Christian Post has knowledge of YWAM activities at Moscow and one previous event.
  49. ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0D57444804920&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
  50. ^ Search Results
  51. ^ Youth With A Mission - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  52. ^ Freethought Challenges Of The '90s
  53. ^ DAWN News from USA (Atlanta Olympics), Islamic World, Russia
  54. ^ NEWS: 1,800 Churches Participating in Olympic Outreach | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
  55. ^ a b http://www.atheists.org/ftpfiles/admin/AANEWS/aanews01.098
  56. ^ International Mission Board :: News & Information
  57. ^ Japan, April 1998 YWAM News Digest
  58. ^ O.C. Religion; Orange County File; Events
  59. ^ UBS World Report 339, March 1999
  60. ^ An army of charming volunteers - 2002 Winter Olympics coverage
  61. ^ Saipan Tribune
  62. ^ Newspaper Archive
  63. ^ http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=321
  64. ^ YWAM Prepares for Winter Olympics Outreach in Italy | Christianpost.com
  65. ^ Christian groups plan for 'spiritual harvest' during Beijing Olympics - International Herald Tribune
  66. ^ Search Results
  67. ^ Ted Olsen. "Some Day: Empty Windows", Christianity Today, October 2, 2000. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. 
  68. ^ Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands Newspaper, A Pulitzer Prize Winning Newspaper, Virgin Islands Guide, Virgin Islands Info
  69. ^ Angela Holman (December 14, 2006). Carlsbad students help build housing for the homeless. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
  70. ^ Fresh Produce Sportswear Brings Color and Hope to Underprivileged Families in Mexico. | PR Newswire (January, 2007)
  71. ^ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/106864252976.htm
  72. ^ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/218275/117931431622.htm
  73. ^ www.marinereach.com/
  74. ^ www.arms.org.au
  75. ^ YWAM Article Library
  76. ^ KPLC 7 At Your Service, the News for Southwest Louisiana, health, sports, weather, video, community events, classifieds and more. | A Happy Ending for one Sulphur Family
  77. ^ Maria Mackay. "Relief Agencies Continue to Respond to Silent Cries of Pakistan Flood Victims", Christian Post, July 29, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-28. 
  78. ^ Katherine T. Phan. "YWAM Houses, Prepares Aid for Hurricane Katrina Victims", Christian Post, September 2, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-01-28. 
  79. ^ | title = Missionaries spared from tsunami's path | author = Bette Nunn | publisher = Mooresville-Decatur Times | date = January 12, 2005 | accessdate = 2008-03-16 | http://www.md-times.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=7008&format=html }}
  80. ^ An extraordinary life amid danger - Local News - The Marlborough Express
  81. ^ KLTV 7 News, Your East Texas News Leader, News, Weather, Sports, Community, Jobs, Cars and Much more. | Free Health Care in East Texas
  82. ^ Peter T. Chattaway. "Out of Africa", Christianity, June 4, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-27. 
  83. ^ The OneStory Partnership
  84. ^ OneStory - About Us
  85. ^ UBS World Report 339, March 1999
  86. ^ Evangelical Alliance & YWAM to Launch Million Leaders Training Programme
  87. ^ Religion Today Summaries - Oct. 4, 2006
  88. ^ Epiphany School given new life - PittsburghLIVE.com
  89. ^ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/106864252976.htm
  90. ^ OneStory - About Us
  91. ^ OneStory - About Us
  92. ^ OneStory - About Us
  93. ^ OneStory - About Us
  94. ^ OneStory - About Us
  95. ^ What Others Say About YWAM
  96. ^ What Others Say About Us
  97. ^ Dawn Herzog Jewell. "Winning the Oral Majority", Christianity Today, March 1, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-01-27. 
  98. ^ YWAMers Join Global Initiative to Bring One Billion to Christ
  99. ^ The OneStory Partnership
  100. ^ FaithNews Network
  101. ^ Mission Frontiers August 1999 Keith Green Commands Us to Go
  102. ^ Hannibal Courier-Post Local Happenings Story Bebo Norman to appear at Orpheum Theatre Oct. 30 10/19/02
  103. ^ Not Married-with-Children | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
  104. ^ College—It's Closer Than You Think! | Today's Christian Woman | Your Life. Your Faith. Your World
  105. ^ a b Youth With A Mission (YWAM).
  106. ^ a b c Mitchell, Paul (December 1999). "Christi-Anarchy". Shoot The Messenger. 
  107. ^ a b Jacobson, Laurie (1986). "My Experience in YWAM: A Personal Account and Critique of Cultic Manipulation" 3 (2): 204-33. International Cultic Studies Association. “Methods used by YWAM at their Discipleship Training School are some of the same types of methods used by Chinese Brainwashing experts, the Moonies, and Scientology. Students are isolated from their families and old acquaintances, forced to participate in obsessive personal confession and exposure in small groups using classical "sensitivity training"/encounter group techniques familiar to many cults, and forced to accept appointed authorities just for authority sake, whether the authorities acted correctly or incorrectly.” 
  108. ^ a b c d Ross, Rick A. (October). Youth With A Mission (html) (english). Retrieved on 2007-12-11. “One former DTS student wrote, "I see how my mind was played with. I feel ripped off—it's just not fair to be taken advantage of". The author of one report stated, "hopefully YWAM is not deliberately brainwashing recruits…they want to do God's work so badly and yet it's wrong". The "ends do not justify the means". Taking into consideration all the available information, it seems to me, that it would not be prudent to recommend Youth With A Mission or any of its Discipleship Schools to anyone.”
  109. ^ a b This Week In Blogging the Religious Right: The Path to 9/11 Edition. Retrieved on 2007-12-22. “Ríos Montt's ascension to power [by coup in 1982] was celebrated by thge U.S. Christian Right as a sign of divine intervention in Central America.... In May, 1982, [Pat] Robertson told the New York Times that his Christian Broadcasting Network would send missionaries and more than a billion dollars in aid to help Rios Montt rule the country. While Robertson's offer never came to fruition, it enabled Rios Montt to convince the U.S. Congress that he would not seek massive sums of U.S. aid. Instead, he would rely on "private aid from U.S. evangelicals. Toward that end, Rios Montt's aide... came to the United States for a meeting with... [Reagan consigliore] Edwin Meese, Interior Secretary James Watt... and Christian Right leaders Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Loren Cunningham (head of Youth With a Mission).”
  110. ^ a b Sara Diamond (1989). Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right. ISBN 9780896083615. 
  111. ^ a b Max Blumenthal. ABC 9/11 Docudrama's Right-Wing Roots. “According to Sara Diamond's book Spiritual Warfare, during the 1980's YWAM "sought to gain influence within the Republican party" while assisting authoritarian governments in South Africa and Central America. Cunningham, Diamond noted, was a follower of Christian Reconstructionism, an extreme current of evangelical theology that advocates using stealth political methods to put the United States under the control of Biblical law and jettison the Constitution.”
  112. ^ ABC 9/11 Docudrama's Right-Wing Roots (September 11, 2006). “Last June, Cunningham's TFI announced it was producing its first film, mysteriously titled Untitled History Project. "TFI's first project is a doozy," a newsletter to YWAM members read. "Simply being referred to as: The Untitled History Project, it is already being called the television event of the decade and not one second has been put to film yet. Talk about great expectations!" (A web edition of the newsletter was mysteriously deleted last week after its publication by the blogger Digby, but has been cached on Google at the link above).”
  113. ^ a b Gomes, Alan W. (1981). Lead Us Not Into Deception - A Biblical Examination of Moral Government Theology
  114. ^ Beisner, E. Calvin. (1994). The False God and Gospel of Moral Government Theology.
  115. ^ a b James B. Jordan (April 1994). PROLIFISM: A New Humanism. Retrieved on 2008-01-27.
  116. ^ a b Andrews, Dave (May 2001). Christi-Anarchy. Oxford: Lion Publishing. 
  117. ^ Youth With A Mission - Ecumenical (Catholic/Charismatic) Evangelism. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
  118. ^ Arts: Let's Get Physical | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
  119. ^ "MP linked to controversial 'cult'", The Wellington New Zealand Star-Times, August 11, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. "New United Future MP Bernie Ogilvy established a religious organization which provoked controversy in the 1970s over the treatment of teenagers in its care. The evangelical organization, Youth With A Mission, (YWAM) established in Auckland by Ogilvy in the late 1970s, took teens off the street and then put them to work - but it drew criticism over the amount of wages it retained." 
  120. ^ Ohio Pastor Launches $30-Million Campaign For Nation's 'Restoration'
  121. ^ "Ohio Pastor Launches $30-Million Campaign For Nation's 'Restoration'", Church and State. Retrieved on 2008-03-13. 
  122. ^ Beisner, E. Calvin. (1994). The False God and Gospel of Moral Government Theology.
  123. ^ David Clark. Concerns about YWAM. Youth With A Mission, Minneapolis. Retrieved on 2008-01-04.

[edit] Further reading

  • Cunningham, L., Is That Really You God?, YWAM Publishing, 1984. ISBN 1-57658-244-2
  • McClung, Floyd Jr. and Charles Paul Conn. Just Off Chicken Street. USA, Fleming H. Revell, 1975. ISBN 0800706994.
  • McClung, Floyd. Basic Discipleship. InterVarsity Press, 1992. ISBN 0830813195.
  • Mc Clung, Floyd. The Father Heart of God: Experiencing the Depths of His Love for You. Harvest House Publishers, 2004. ISBN 0736912150.
  • Schaeffer, Edith, Francis A. Schaeffer and Deirdre Ducker. L'Abri USA, Crossways Books, 1992. ISBN 0891076689.
  • Schaeffer, Francis. The God who is There. 1968.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official

[edit] Criticism

[edit] Response to Criticism