Youth with a Mission
| Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Youth With A Mission (YWAM) |
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|---|---|
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| founding | 1960 (YWAM) |
| founder | Loren Cunningham |
| motto | Know God and make him known |
| main emphasis | mission |
| Action space | Worldwide |
| Volunteers | Over 18,000 |
| Website | www.jmem.de |
Youth with a Mission ( YWAM , pronounced: "Jottmem") is a Christian - missionary organization that belongs to the charismatic movement . YWAM is the German-speaking branch of the mission society Youth With A Mission ( YWAM ) founded in 1960 by Darlene and Loren Cunningham . The German-language YWAM work began in connection with the 1972 Summer Olympics .
In the past, the mission organization was repeatedly accused of spreading a simplistic Christian fundamentalist worldview and sending young people on life-threatening missions .
The American parent organization Youth With A Mission and its country organizations work worldwide under the motto "Know God and make him known" across denominations with over 18,000 volunteers in over 180 countries at more than 1100 locations in the areas of evangelism , training and charitable services.
history
It was founded in 1960. In 1970 there were 40 full-time employees. That year 1,000 YWAM volunteers came to Munich to prepare a mission ( “outreach” ) for the 1972 Summer Olympics, the first of many other “YWAM Olympic Outreaches” .
1977 rented YWAM the Pacific Empress Hotel in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii and began with renovations to convert it into the campus of a university, which originally called Pacific and Asia Christian University wore. Today it is called the University of the Nations (UofN).
In Germany, youth with a mission is now in Hurlach / Bavaria , Hainichen and Herrnhut / both Saxony , Altensteig and Freiburg im Breisgau / both Baden-Württemberg , Frankfurt am Main / Hesse , Cologne / North Rhine-Westphalia , Hamburg , Berlin as well as Erfurt and Bad Blankenburg / both Thuringia represented.
theology
“God has given his followers a calling and a responsibility to bring the gospel to where it has never been heard and accepted,” writes the YWAM mission agency about his commission.
The association takes the view that only through the Christian faith can human salvation take place. All non-Christian religions are viewed as pagan precursors to conversion to Christianity. It is assumed that the people to be converted had religions, but when they learn about Jesus Christ, they will give up these for a conservative Christianity in the understanding of the YWAM. The worship of Hindu gods is known as worship of the devil and demons. YWAM represents a radical evangelical theology that explicitly refers to the Bible as a foundation ( faithfulness to the Bible ) and literally inspired Word of God .
Like other evangelical missions, YWAM speaks of the "10/40 Window", also known as the "Resistant Belt": The majority of all Muslims , Hindus and Buddhists live in the world region between the 10th and 40th degrees north . In these areas there are "fortresses of Satan " ("strongholds of Satan") and there lived the people "previously unreached" by the Word of God. YWAM wants to dedicate its entire commitment to the countries to which Pakistan, Afghanistan and other strictly Muslim countries belong.
Fields of work
Their field of activity divides youth with a mission into three areas:
Evangelism
YWAM organizes short-term missions around the world, in which mainly young Christians testify or live their faith in Jesus Christ . However, there is no restriction to certain age groups. Today employees of all ages from over 140 countries work on international mission projects.
Since the foundation, the focus of the work has been on inspiring young people to live with Jesus and to work on the mission . The organization therefore sees itself as an "international movement of young Christians who are called to serve Jesus Christ and to live and preach the gospel of the kingdom of God holistically".
Spreading and proclaiming the Gospel in all languages to all peoples and all people in the world. The message of Jesus Christ should be passed on in a timely and understandable way so that people of today can understand and accept it.
To do this, they use creative options such as music, video, websites, pantomime, cultural performances, sports and leisure activities. They want to reach people of all ages in the most varied of situations in their lives in all parts of the world.
Training of employees
This is about training new workers and teaching them how to spread the gospel.
The University of the Nations (UofN) was founded by YWAM in 1978 and now has schools in over 190 countries on all continents. Most of the UofN schools offer a three-month theoretical seminar followed by a two to three month practical assignment.
On the basis of biblical-Christian values, they want to help people develop their personality and their abilities so that they can consciously take up and fulfill their place in society and the church, in world missions and in community life. For them, training, discipleship that thrives on relationships, and the practical application of what has been learned are inseparable.
At YWAM's University, the University of the Nations (UofN), Christians can graduate in subjects such as science and technology, languages, development aid and Christian ministry.
The discipleship training school ( English Discipleship Training School [DTS]) is the basic requirement for every full-time YWAM employee and serves at the same time as an introductory program to all other training opportunities.
Every year around 20,000 students take part in UofN courses at one of the worldwide training locations.
Charitable Services (Mercy Ministries)
Practical (development) aid and charitable projects are summarized under this collective term. The development aid projects are often carried out in connection with the training courses (e.g. the seminar group of the seminar for basic medical training then carries out missions together with doctors in areas that do not have a medical infrastructure). One of the best-known concepts are hospital ships , which YWAM operated under the name Mercy Ships . Mercy Ships is now independent, but continues to work with YWAM.
Structures
YWAM is organized on a decentralized basis, and each center is completely independent.
The YWAM Germany Association is a registered non-profit association. The chairman of the board is Frank Bauer (Hurlach), Sokol Hoxha (Hurlach) and James Whitear (Hamburg). YWAM International is now headed by Lynn Green, Ian Muir and John Dawson .
YWAM is a member of the German Evangelical Alliance .
financing
YWAM is financed (like the international work) from donations, seminar and training fees, rents, donations from foundations and grants. The donation principles of the Evangelical Alliance are used as a basis for handling donations .
YWAM employees are not paid centrally by YWAM, but are financed by so-called support groups, consisting of individuals and communities.
Controversy
There have been repeated allegations in the past that some YWAM leaders had authoritarian personalities and thus intimidated subordinates .
Representatives of the Akha people in Thailand accused YWAM employees of a lack of respect for other cultures.
Furthermore, the non-denominational nature of YWAM repeatedly leads to controversies about teaching between YWAM and individual denominations. At the same time, it should be noted that a very large majority of the employees themselves come from a denominational background and the topic of unity among Christians is a central guiding principle of YWAM. This is also how it is described in their basic values.
Some leading representatives of the American YWAM are still considered exponents of the " spiritual warfare ", which is also controversial in charismatic circles . Helge Stadelmann and Alexander Seibel also subsume the YWAM under the representatives of the Toronto blessing .
Dispute about YWAM Herrnhut
The establishment of a YWAM training center in Ruppersdorf near Herrnhut in 2004 met with resistance from the Moravian Brethren , who feared possible conflicts and an occupation of their tradition. The dispute then led to an article in the news magazine Der Spiegel , which was later criticized by YWAM, without, however, denying the differences of opinion with the brother union.
Dispute over infanticide among Brazilian indigenous people
The film Hakani , produced by YWAM, reports that there is a widespread practice of child killing among Brazilian indigenous people , and therefore calls for the introduction of a law that allows state agencies to suspect “harmful traditional practices”, children from indigenous communities or Remove families. Indigenous activists and the human rights organization Survival International accuse YWAM in this case of interfering in the way of life of the indigenous population.
See also
literature
- Loren Cunningham: is it you sir? 6th edition. One Way, Wuppertal 1994, ISBN 3-931822-56-7 .
Web links
Own
- YWAM Germany
- YWAM Switzerland
- English YWAM page
- University of the Nations international site
- YWAM Mercy Ministries International
- Core values YWAM (PDF)
Critical
- Criticism of YWAM at The Apologetics Index
- Frontal21, broadcast on August 4, 2009, Die für Jesus / Gott - Missioning as an adventure
- Panorama, broadcast on October 8, 2009. on Christian / Evangelical Missionaries: Dying for God?
Individual evidence
- ↑ See membership in the Working Group on Pentecostal Charismatic Missions .
- ↑ Loren Cunningham: Is it you, sir? 4th edition. Youth with a Mission, Frankfurt 1989, p. 49.
- ↑ In the following we speak of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) when it comes to the worldwide organization, and of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) when statements refer specifically to the German-speaking branch.
- ^ History . jmem.de; Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ Bishop distances himself from "youth with a mission". In: ARD homepage. NDR, October 23, 2009, accessed January 31, 2016 .
- ↑ Frequently Asked Questions. YWAM, accessed March 20, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d About us on jmem.de; Retrieved October 22, 2012
- ^ "Mission" category. Homepage of YWAM; accessed Jan. 31, 2016
- ↑ YWAM Orlando: YWAM Orlando's Commitment To Reaching The Unreached. (No longer available online.) YWAM Orlando, archived from the original on January 31, 2016 ; accessed on January 31, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ YWAM international at www.jmem.de (accessed on October 24, 2012).
- ↑ a b Finances at www.jmem.de (accessed October 24, 2012).
- ↑ Works and facilities. In: Section “Principles for the use of donated funds”. German Evangelical Alliance, archived from the original on November 10, 2013 ; accessed on March 20, 2016 .
- ↑ The basic values of youth with a mission on jmem.de; Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- ↑ Thomas Kern: Spiritual warfare. Fundamentalist concepts of society and beliefs on religio.de (accessed on October 24, 2012).
- ↑ Helge Stadelmann, Alexander Seibel: New practices within the Pentecostal charismatic movements. vigi-sectes.org, archived from the original on March 6, 2014 ; Retrieved October 12, 2012 .
- ↑ Claudia Keller: With Jesus to the front . In: Die Zeit , No. 52/2007.
- ↑ Andreas Taschen: The Herrnhut Brothers Congregation and the planned center of "mission-live" in Herrnhut (PDF; 11 kB) ( Memento of the original from November 12, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on brueder-unitaet.de, April 15, 2003; Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ Stefan Berg: Front soldiers of the Lord . In: Der Spiegel . No. 45 , 2004 ( online ).
- ^ Keith Warrington: Statement. mission-life.de, 2004, archived from the original on October 8, 2007 ; Retrieved October 24, 2012 .
- ↑ Article Video sparked debate about infanticide in Brazilian rituals on www.tagesanzeiger.ch, May 23, 2009 (accessed October 24, 2012).
