We have a unique opportunity for a larger manpower pool because we are part of a larger organization, Campus Crusade for Christ.

YWJ: What do you want to achieve in 2008, and what are some of the specific initiatives or programs you are initiating to achieve your goals?

Swenson: More growth internationally. We are experiencing exciting growth, especially as God raises up nationals who quickly catch those simple strategies that we use in Young Life.

In the States, we have relatively new initiatives focused on Latino and Asian communities. We are also moving strategically into college ministry with advent of Young Life College. Young Life has been on college campuses for more than fifty years, primarily doing leadership development and discipleship. With Young Life College, we add a more deliberate outreach.

Finally, continued growth in WyldLife and Young Life camp attendance. With a very successful “Fill the Bus” scholarship initiative in 2007, high school summer camp attendance increased by more than 2,000 (to almost 34,000 total—total summer camp attendance, including middle school, was more than 46,000).

Rahn: We’re concentrating on ministry health, so we can push on toward ministry growth. Our key strategy revolves around local ministry sites (we’ve got around 2,100 of them nationally). These are the program venues through which relationships between adults and teens can be established as the gospel is shared.

Five health indicators—we call them our essentials—will help focus on our outreach mission among young people. They are: 1) widespread prayer, 2) loving relationships, 3) faithful Bible teaching, 4) collaborative community strategy, and 5) adults who empower. Whatever creative programs we might deliver through our ministry sites, we ask everyone to practice the five essentials, and our chief goals are to improve how these get practiced in each site and launch new sites with this same focus.

One more initiative is extremely exciting. Our national City Life team (City Life is one our six national core ministries) has made incredible progress toward implementing a plan for holistic urban youth ministry that has a national scope.

Nuss: We have determined that to get every youth worker connected, we need to build 3,900 local networks. We have 900 now.

Also, we’re developing a youth mentoring program, at mentoryouth.com, to recruit mentors and connect them to organizations who mentor kids.

Another opportunity: to reach volunteers and Christians who work with youth outside the church, such as teachers, judges, probation officers, et cetera. How can we connect with them? We’re working on that.

Smith: I’m not for going out for arbitrary numbers. Those results belong to God. But we do want to see more staff come onboard, and grow more volunteers. That will mean that more kids will come to know Christ and to make Him known. We really believe in spiritual multiplication. We want them to back and multiply their faith, not just experience it.