“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.” Romans 15:20
A vision of waves of young people.
The beginnings of Youth With A Mission
YWAM began in 1960 with a zealous young man named Loren Cunningham who, with a vision, seriously rocked the boat of acceptable-missionary-models. He saw young people, teenagers, as waves pounding the shores of the continents, bringing with them the message of hope to a dying world. Now, if Loren had brothers he may have ended up like Joseph. Instead he managed to escape with little more than a bunch of people thinking he was, well, a dreamer. A little perseverance mixed with large amounts of grace soon led to the birth of Youth With A Mission.
The waves continue to crash
Today Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is a global movement of Christians of all ages, races, and nationalities from just about every sort of background you can imagine. To date there are approximately 25,000 full-time missionaries working at over 1,100 locations. United in our common goal, we have set out to the ends of the earth to know God and make Him known.
Come with us....and share Jesus with the world!
Meet the Founders
Mark Baxter and his wife, Janet, started with YWAM in 1993. After completing a Discipleship Training School and School of Evangelism, they led several training schools in Nashville before moving to Jacksonville, FL and beginning the work here in 2001. Their hearts to see Unreached People Groups reached with the Good News of Jesus was a driving force behind the start of this base and continues to be a deep passion of theirs.
What we believe
YWAM Jacksonville Statement of Beliefs
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
The Bible is God’s inspired, authoritative Word. It is the only Holy Scriptures and is without error and is totally trustworthy. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Is. 40:8; Heb. 4:12)
Hell is a real place where to everyone who dies without having confessed Jesus as lord and believed in Him with their heart will go and suffer torment for eternity. If a person dies without ever hearing about the Lord Jesus and trusting in Him they will go to hell. (Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 20:15, 21:8)
Heaven is a real place where those who have confessed Jesus as Lord and believed in Him with their heart will live for eternity. (John 3:36, 14:1-3, 17:3; 1 John 5:11-13; Rev. 21:4)
God is sovereign and in control. God knows everything about the past, present, and future. He knows what all people will do and what He will do. God is perfect and cannot sin. (Num. 23:19; Deut. 32:4; 1 Sam. 15:29; Ps. 18:30, 115:3, 139:124; James 1:13; 1 John 3:5)
God’s acceptance of us is based solely on His grace and not our works, whether good or bad. In God’s grace He draws us to Himself and His kindness leads us to repentance. (John 6:44; Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)
All people are sinners. All are totally depraved, dead in their sin, and headed to hell apart from the saving grace of God. People’s understanding, or lack of, doesn’t change this truth. (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 1:18-20; 3:10-12,23; Eph.2:1-3)
Jesus paid the penalty for our sin on the cross and satisfied God’s wrath. Jesus paid our sin-debt and redeemed us. (Is.53; Rom. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3;13; Col. 2:13; Heb. 9:14,15)
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended in heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to Judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
