YWAM is Family

by Andreas Frész

Have you realized that YWAM uses family terms quite often? We are a Family of Ministries; we call ourselves the YWAM-Family, and John Dawson refers to the role of our elders as parental with a spirit of adoption.It is a great blessing that Loren and Darlene Cunningham, as father and mother of YWAM, continually guard “the Family” by not allowing hierarchical structures to take over, where leadership would be exercised by position and power rather than by relationship and spiritual authority.YWAM´s status right now is due to the fact that we operate more like a family than an institution. Family is open to growth and multiplication. God wants mankind to multiply and fill the earth. He first gave this task to the family.God is family; the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit operating in unity. Every family is an expression of God´s likeness, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.God calls us children, so we are part of the family of God. He builds His kingdom from generation to generation using the concept of family to pass on a legacy.To live in the family of God means to live in close relationship with Him, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Family was the starting point of Jesus here on earth – a baby born to parents, which formed a family. So, family is a most important concept to God and can not be neglected in our efforts to reach the earth with the Gospel.Family has a built-in Discipleship Training School. Family is a great leadership development ground. Family opens the hearts of people in many mission situations.Families living in close relationship with God are open to listen to God and to obey His call. A God-pleasing Family is a Family in Ministry, serving God and making God known to the world.

A hot tip

Do you want to know more about the YWAM family, go to www.ywamlife.com. There you will find the latest developments, such as Team 3+ laying down the titles of International Director, President and International chairman. Also, you will discover that Loren and Darlene Cunningham appointed Tom Hallas, Ian Muir, John Dawson, Lynn Green and Jim Stier as the initial YWAM global elders (Read the full message).

Andreas Frész and his wife Angela currently serve as international coordinators of the YWAM Family Ministry network. They have a heart to see healthy families released into their full potential. They have also written a book: "Families in Ministry - How to thrive, not just survive" (www.families-in-ministry.com)