what's the essence of young life's mission? to know jesus, to know kids, and to make him known — together.

We believe God is calling us to know eight million kids by name in 2030. Eight million kids — roughly the population of New York City. Eight million kids who each have an adult who not only shares the gospel with them but their life as well. This is what we’re calling our KNOWN movement.

To do all of this, we have four simple strategies.

FIRST, WE MODEL RELATIONAL MINISTRY BY BEING WITH JESUS.

A Young Life leader is someone who talks about Jesus like they know him — because they do. They model what Jesus acts like in the way they talk, the way they show up, and the way they live. And just as Jesus spent his time with people, so we are with young people. We take kids to camp and go home with them, creating shared stories along the way. We do club and Campaigners to help kids understand the gospel.

SECOND, WE DEVELOP KINGDOM LEADERS.

Women and men who courageously follow the holy and sacrificial call of Jesus. Our staff exhibit this by being with each other: sharing, encouraging, and exhorting.

Programs like i100 (see page 14) or NextGen Leaders (see page 16) are, more than anything, opportunities to be with each other, learn from each other, and grow deeper in Christ.

THIRD, WE BELIEVE GOD IS CALLING US TO INSPIRE A VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT.

God’s impact through Young Life is too big and too good to keep to ourselves. So we’ll invite more volunteers than ever to join us and we’ll double down on training, certifying, and equipping them to join in what God is doing in the lives of adolescents around the globe.

And we believe this invitation to experience the joy of stepping into the adolescent world through volunteering will spark the next movement of at least 100,000 volunteers by 2030.

FOURTH, ALL OF THESE THINGS ONLY HAPPEN IF WE GO TOGETHER.

Together, we can better create sustainable ministry in places desperate for it. Together, we can we bring ministry into specific cities and create new funding and support models. Together, we can we go into strategic countries like Mexico or India, countries with millions of adolescents looking for Jesus.

Together, we can create pioneering ministries, or sustained ministry in under-resourced areas and show the fullness of the gospel.

Together, we can know eight million adolescents by name in the year 2030.

This is our purpose. To introduce adolescents to Jesus and help them grow in their faith. ​

We do it one young person at a time. Sharing the gospel and our lives. We do it with a leader who knows Jesus. A kid looking for Jesus, whether he or she knows it or not. And a transformed life. One person at a time.