Young Life's vision remains the same— to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and to help them grow in their faith. This
happens when caring adults build genuine friendships and earn the right to be heard with their young friends. For more than six decades, God has blessed the Young Life staff, increasing its numbers from five to 3,000— from one club in Texas to clubs in nearly every corner of the world. Young Life, which began in 1941, is a non-profit non-denominational organization founded by Jim Rayburn. Young Life's focus is on teenagers. Kids are challenged to explore the purpose of life and the Christian faith through weekly clubs, healthy
relationships with adults and peers, as well as a variety of camping experiences.
Young Life brings the good news of Jesus Christ into the lives of adolescents with an approach that is respectful of who kids are and hopeful about who they can be. Young Life seeks to carry the message of Jesus Christ into that tumultuous tide and point’s teenagers toward life as they were created to live it. Since 1941, the dynamic that has characterized Young Life is its commitment to relationships— Young Life leaders meeting kids on their turf in the interest of friendship. As leaders get to know teenagers, they are able to share the love of Jesus Christ through platforms like Young Life club, Campaigners and trips to camp. Young Life’s outreach to kids outside of the United Statesbegan in 1953 with the work of Rod and Fran Johnston in France. That ministry, under the name of Jeunesse Ardente, continues to this day. Within10 years of that first overseas outreach, Young Life had extended its reach toBritish Columbia, home to a camp called Malibu; to Germany, where MCYM began reaching out to kids on military bases; and to Brazil. In the decades since, Young Life’s international outreach expanded both in scope and types of
ministries. A mix of American and national staff and volunteers are reaching kids with the Gospel through more than 450 ministries in more than 50 countries.