Youth With A Mission

The Founder.

Loren and Darlene Cunningham are the founders of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), an ever-expanding global missions movement born in 1960 which has reached into every nation on earth. 

“Suddenly, I was looking up at a map of the world. Only the map was alive, moving! I sat up. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes. It was a mental movie. I could see all the continents. Waves were crashing onto the shores. Each went onto a continent, then receded, then came up further until it covered the continent completely.

“I caught my breath. Then, as I watched, the scene changed. The waves became young people–kids my age and even younger–covering the continents. They were talking to people on the street corners and outside bars. They were going house to house. They were preaching.

“Was that really you, Lord? I wondered, still staring at the wall, amazed. Young people–kids really–going out as missionaries! What an idea! And I thought ‘Why did God give me this vision?’ ”

The First Base.

By 1966, YWAM had grown to 10 full-time staff and now attracted hundreds of summer short-term volunteers. YWAM teams were being sent to the West Indies, Samoa, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America.

In 1970, YWAM bought the hotel in which it held its first school, and made Lausanne, Switzerland YWAM’s first permanent location. The building offered classroom space and housing for YWAM students.

The Ship.

Loren Cunningham had a long-time vision of a ship ministry, which was finally realized in 1979. The first ship, named “Anastasis” (the Greek word for Resurrection), became the first in a fleet to be known as Mercy Ships–a ministry which would provide hope and healthcare to the needy in port cities around the world.