Who is who in YWAM

 Who is who in YWAM. Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is a grass roots movement that has evolved over time from a group of young people with a heart for God and the faith to follow Him, into a ministry with 1,200 locations around the world. That is not to say we do not have the heart or faith now but that YWAM is different now than it was in the 1960's and 70's. From the beginning YWAM has been "You hear God, You follow him" or as the motto is "To know God and make Him known". YWAM is de-centralized, that means that we have values and guidelines and leadership levels but each location or ministry is responsible to God and they choose the course to follow at their location.

Leadership Structure Explained
YWAM leadership are overseers and encourage the level of YWAM they oversee to follow the values of YWAM, to be focused on the kingdom of God and to serve the body of Christ. The different levels of YWAM leadership are broken into these categories: Global, Field, Regional, National and Local. These might express the vertical or line levels of responsibility. There is another category of leadership called Transnational (or Matrix leadership) and relates to leadership of a part of a "family of ministries". Thus Kings Kids, International DTS centre and Marine Reach all have a transnational leader that helps each of the individual expressions of that ministry globally connected and resourced. Transnational leadership might be expressed as horizontally, 'across' YWAM.

YWAM is structured in such a way that each leader is responsible to uphold the "YWAM values" and keeping with a de-centralized structure they are responsible to God for how they lead their level. YWAM works not from a hierarchy or top down leadership style but from a grass roots and almost bottom up style.

There is no one legal structure but YWAM comprises hundreds of smaller locally registered organisations, either one per Nation or several depending on the legal status, and local desirability. YWAM is bound together at the international level only by mutual desire and relationship.

Transnational Leaders
Leaders at this levels are part of the GLF.

Field Leaders
Leaders at this levels are part of the GLF.

Region Leaders
Leaders at this levels are part of the GLF.

GLF
Overall we think the list of GLF members can be found at the following site:

www.old.ywam.org (Currently off-line as site has been re-designed).

National Leaders
Too many to mention (note at National level it is common to have leadership teams).

Local Leaders
Leaders of Bases or Operating Locations. There may be sub-teams and leaders at this level.