Young Life

Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college.

Young Life
AbbreviationYL
FormationOctober 16, 1941 (1941-10-16)
FounderJim Rayburn
TypeChristian Fellowship
Social Club
University Student Society
HeadquartersColorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Location
  • Worldwide
AffiliationsChicago Agreement: Unity in Mission
Websitewww.younglife.org

Week-long Summer camps are a major focus, and these have a definite evangelizing aspect.[1] For example, there are large-group “Bible talks” once or twice daily often followed by small-group “cabin time” discussions.


The organization was started in Gainesville, Texas in 1941 by Presbyterian minister Jim Rayburn. Young Life operates globally using several different organizations with different focuses. [2]

History

In 1941, Presbyterian seminary student Jim Rayburn started Young Life. He had been challenged to come up with ways to connect with and reach high school students who showed no interest in Christianity. He began hosting a weekly club which featured one or two skits, as well as a simple message about Jesus.

The Young Life website credits the beginning to Clara Frasher, an elderly woman who around 1933 recruited friends to help her pray for teenagers attending Gainesville High School. In 1939, Jim Rayburn who was a young seminarian started a chapter of the Miracle Book Club. He also worked with local pastor Clyde Kennedy. The Young Life approach is to go where teenagers are and make friends with them, thereby earning “the right to be heard.” In the late 1940s at Wheaton College in Illinois, the organization developed its combination of using both paid staff and volunteers. “Campaigners” is a separate Young Life group for teenagers who have dedicated their lives to the Christian faith.[3]

Also per Young Life’s website, they have had partnerships with Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as other seminaries. Capernaum is Young Life’s ministry for young people with developmental disabilities. Wyldlife is Young Life’s ministry for middle school students.[3]

Camps

Numbers and locations
Swimming campers at Young Life's Washington Family Ranch.

Young Life maintains summer camps in 18 American states as well as camps in British Columbia, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Scotland, Armenia, and France. Overall, there are 26 camps, with 6 located outside the United States. These camps incorporate Christian messages presented in a camp setting along with typical camp activities.

The largest of Young Life's camps is the Washington Family Ranch (and accompanying Big Muddy Ranch Airport) in Antelope, Oregon. The ranch was formerly the site of an commune in the Rajneesh movement.[4][5]

Regarding young people from the United States, in 2019, there were 93,000 Summer campers; in 2020, 15,000 Summer campers; and by the Spring of 2021, Young Life had received 61,000 requests for the upcoming 2021 Summer camping season (which is approximately two-thirds as much as 2019).[6]

Evangelizing aspects

The Summer camps have a definite evangelizing or witnessing emphasis with large-group “Bible talk” [7]

Young Life itself estimates, “33% of all summer campers meet Jesus for the first time. (This is based on our own camp director reports as to how many Bibles we gave out, how many kids went on new believer walk, and those who stood at ‘Say-So.’)”[8]

According to a 1994 Vancouver Sun newspaper article, out of 350 students attending one particular week-long session at the Malibu Camp in British Columbia, Canada, more than 100 publicly testified during the informal ceremony of “Commitment Night” on the final night saying they had committed their lives to Jesus. According to the Malibu Camp manager about half of the teenagers end up committing or re-committing their lives either at camp or shortly thereafter.[9]

Controversies

Statement of Non-negotiables

In November 2007, Jeff McSwain, the Area Director of Durham and Chapel Hill, along with others, publicly took issue with the organization's presentation of the concept of sin. McSwain's theology emphasizes that “God has a covenant, marriage-like relationship with the world he has created, not a contract relationship that demands obedience prior to acceptance.” McSwain also said that he felt Young Life's 2007 “statement of non-negotiables” often ended up sounding “more Unitarian than Trinitarian by drawing a sharp contrast between the holy God and incarnated Son who ‘actually became sin.’” [10]

Tony Jones describes Young Life's Statement of “non-negotiables” as telling staffers that “they must not introduce the concept of Jesus and his grace until the students have been sufficiently convinced of their own depravity and been allowed to stew in that depravity (preferably overnight).”[11] Eight members of Young Life's teaching staff based in Durham, North Carolina resigned their positions after these “non-negotiables” were announced.[12]

LGBTQ+ policy

Young Life (USA) allows LGBTQ students to participate in Young Life activities, but does not allow them to volunteer or take leadership roles. In the organization's forms homosexuality is described as a “lifestyle” which is “clearly not in accord with God's creation purposes.” Conner Mertens, the first active college football player to come out as LGBTQ, was active in the group as a teenager, and planned to work with the group in college, but was not allowed due to his sexuality.[13][14]

Young Life's policy also extends to LGBTQ allies. Local leader Pam Elliott stepped down after being asked to remove a photo from her Facebook page showing her support for the LGBTQ community.[15][16]

Notable people

References
  1. When God Shows Up: A History of Protestant Youth Ministry in America, Mark Senter, Baker Publishing Group, 2010, page 220: “ . . but with the purchase of resort camps starting in 1945, a second more effective delivery system was discovered. Clubs became the vehicle . . ”
  2. "Facts at Your Fingertips". www.younglife.org.
  3. History, Young Life website, 2004-2022.
  4. Preusch, Matthew (2 December 2008). "Christian youth camp at ex-Rajneeshee commune gets $30 million gift". The Oregonian. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  5. "Oasis in the high desert". East Oregonian. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2022. Young Life camp was once a huge sheep ranch and later a spiritual retreat for followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
  6. Colorado Springs Gazette, “Christian Camps Predict Near-Normal Summer”, Steve Rabey (religion correspondent), May 17, 2021.
  7. Solstice: The Summer Camp Experience, “New Life at Young Life,” Joey Schwartz, Winter 2016, pages 36-39 in PDF file. As a teenager, the author of this article re-committed his life to Jesus and the Christian faith at a week-long Young Life summer camp.
  8. Young Life Access, “Young Life's Impact Over 8 Decades”, May 16, 2019.
  9. Vancouver Sun, “Club Malibu: Young Life's luxurious Christian camp”, Douglas Todd, Sept. 15, 1994 (reprinted in 2016).
  10. Christianity Today, “Gospel Talk: Entire area Young Life staff out after evangelism mandate”, Collin Hansen, Jan. 7, 2008.
  11. "Something is Wrong at Young Life". Patheos. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  12. Lawrence, Rick (17 December 2007). "Heartbreak and Controversy at Young Life". Simply Youth Ministry. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  13. Zeigler, Cyd (1 February 2014). "Football player's coming-out story disproves every dumb theory about gay athletes". Salon. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  14. Volunteer Leader Packet. Young Life, 2006.
  15. Large, Jerry. “Snohomish Woman's Heartfelt Decision about Young Life.” The Seattle Times, 4 June 2015.
  16. Nile, Amy. “Volunteer Quits Young Life over Ban on Gay Leaders.” HeraldNet.com, 11 June 2015.
  17. "J.D. Gibbs, a Young Life story". jdgibbslegacy.com/younglifestory/. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  18. "Seahawk Clint Gresham, 'I play football to glorify Jesus Christ'". MyNorthwest.com. October 15, 2013.
  19. "New Artist, Brandon Heath". Hope Today Magazine. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  20. "We Were Made For This". younglife.org. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  21. "More than 60 Colts players to participate in 'My Cause, My Cleats' campaign". December 3, 2019.
  22. "Cheering on Aaron". www.younglife.org/relationships/pages/2013/04/cheeringonaaron.aspx. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  23. "Stevie Nicks on Lindsey Buckingham 1". www.inherownwords.com.
  24. "Country hit-maker Chase Rice plays at Keith-Albee on Sunday". AP NEWS. April 13, 2019.
  25. "Jordy Nelson and Young Life". www.wearegreenbay.com/news/jordy-nelson-and-young-life/162083177. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  26. Hare, Kristen. "Volunteer devoted his life to faith and community". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
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