Youth With A Mission
Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, is a global mission movement of Christians from many cultures, age groups, and Christian traditions, united in a common purpose to know God and make him known through training, evangelism, and mercy ministries. When YWAM began in 1960, our main focus was on giving young people opportunities in missions. Today, we still focus on youth, but members are of almost every age group, and many of our short-term efforts have grown into long-term endeavors. We currently operate in more than 1,000 locations in over 180 countries, with a staff of over 18,000.
YWAM Japan began in Osaka in 1975 and presently has ten teams operating in Japan. They’re located in Okinawa, Kyushu, Osaka, Tokyo, Chiba, and Nagano, with staff coming from more than 15 countries and ranging in age from early 20s to late 60s! YWAM Japan teams seek to know God by spending time in his word, worshipping, and in prayer and intercession. Servant leaders work with their teams to make God known by ministering from a biblical perspective and being relationship orientated. Our teams are:
- visionary,
- broad in structure,
- decentralized,
- international, and
- interdenominational.
They are also committed to:
- championing young people
- valuing the individual as well as families
- practicing hospitality
- financial dependence on God
- communicating with integrity
- emphasizing the importance of practicing our faith before teaching it
All YWAM Japan teams are called to bring the gospel to the Japanese people and to see them equipped to spread the gospel both in Japan and abroad for God’s glory and honor, whether through YWAM, another mission organization, or the local church. Evangelism takes place at university campuses, street corners, train stations, public and team facilities through Bible studies, cultural activities, and coffee houses. Teams are also involved in mercy ministries to the homeless, people involved in human-trafficking, and communities affected by natural disaster. Training in knowing God and making him known takes place in church-planting locations (Kyushu, Nagano, and Chiba) as well as in seminars and the five-to-six-month Discipleship Training School (DTS) offered in Okinawa, Osaka, and Tokyo.
Satisfactory completion of DTS qualifies graduates to become missionary staff at any YWAM location globally. DTS is also the entry course required for acceptance to missions programs offered by YWAM’s University of the Nations. Some graduates eventually enter world missions through YWAM or other mission organizations. But many graduates choose to return home to work or pursue studies and participate in outreach though their home church. DTS in Japan is offered in Japanese in Okinawa; Japanese or Korean in Osaka; and Japanese or English in Tokyo. The three-month lecture phase of knowing God is taught in weekly sections by guest lecturers from Japan and overseas. The two- to three-month outreach phase is located in Japan as well as various locations overseas (most recently East and Southeast Asia).
It is a privilege for us in YWAM Japan to be called alongside our brothers and sisters in churches and missions in Japan to see the Great Commission fulfilled!