YFC President and CEO Jacob Bland: ‘Greatest Youth Revival Our Generation Has Ever Seen’
Denver —Youth For Christ (YFC, www.yfc.net), a pillar of missional ministry in America for 77 years, is not fazed by any potential struggles today’s youth might be wrestling with. In fact, today’s cultural challenges inspire YFC leaders to pray more, listen to Christ more and follow Him even more closely, because an entire generation of young people is at stake.
Under the leadership of YFC President and CEO Jacob Bland, who assumed this key role on June 1, 2021, the YFC management team is focusing on three driving goals so that its outreach to America’s youth is as powerful as it can possibly be: continue to develop Christ-centeredness in YFC leaders; create and nurture a more fruitful ministry; and build a better YFC together. With plans to invest in YFC’s leadership and culture to reach one million kids for Christ, members of the management team are currently hard at work to achieve this vision.
“Historians describe Youth For Christ as one of the few catalysts of modern youth evangelism in the last century,” says YFC’s CEO Jacob Bland. “Even so, current scholars admonish us to take another look at the current state of affairs. Through our five-year growth plan, YFC commits to enter the culture with the timeless message of Christ—and with fresh and relevant strategies for engaging kids’ stories.”
Bland emphasizes, “This is our pivotal moment to serve the church by creatively re-imagining youth ministry yet again. I believe the cultural conditions are right for us to experience the greatest youth revival our generation has ever seen. God has given us the right team to do this—and His hand is clearly on our mission.”
The year 2020 was “challenging for so many people,” Bland also notes, “and it disproportionately impacted the kids we serve. This is one of the many reasons I believe Christ’s promises and exhortations in His ‘farewell discourse’ will be truer for us in the execution of this plan than ever before. Namely—as John 14 tells us—that we will see even greater works ahead; that what we ask in His name will be done; and that the Holy Spirit counselor will be with us forever.”
YFC has chapters impacting thousands of communities across the nation that seek out and serve youth from all walks of life. Many teens are silently struggling through a wide variety of challenging issues—and through the ministry God empowers through YFC, they see the living power of a loving God. YFC encourages staff and volunteers to be good news while also sharing the stories of the Good News of Jesus. It involves building relationships through the ups and downs of everyday life in order to lead people to Christ.
YFC has been a pillar of missional ministry since 1944, when the Rev. Billy Graham served as YFC’s first full-time staff member. Since then, Youth For Christ has continued to be both a rural and urban ministry on mission, and it is always about the message of Jesus. YFC reaches young people everywhere, working together with the local church and other like-minded partners to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus who lead by their godliness in lifestyle, devotion to the Word of God and prayer, passion for sharing the love of Christ, and commitment to social involvement. Youth For Christ operates in over 100 nations and has approximately 140 chapters that impact communities across America.
Visit the Youth For Christ media page here. Learn more about Youth For Christ at its website, www.yfc.net, Facebook and Instagram pages, Twitter feed @yfcusa or on Vimeo.
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To interview a Youth For Christ representative, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Jeff Tolson, 610.584.1096, ext. 108, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 1