About Us

Youth With a Mission (YWAM) Melbourne is committed to developing people (particularly young people) from all backgrounds and nations who want to change their personal world, and the world around them. As a base, we go all-out to achieve this through: evangelism in the city of Melbourne, outreach teams nationally and overseas, training schools, seminars, and events to equip people for mission, and a focus on mercy ministries to the poor and the needy of the world!

YWAM MELBOURNE - past present and future

YWAM Melbourne was pioneered by a Discipleship Training School outreach team in 1983. This team, led by Steve Aherne, came from Goulburn, on what became a "spying out the land" visit. After and outreach blessed by God, 19 people stayed on to establish the first YWAM base in Melbourne. Their first facility was a few rooms at St. John's Anglican Church in Camberwell. The rooms consisted of a caretaker's cottage and the Sunday school classroom, which meant that every Sunday the guys had to pack up their belongings to make way for the children!

After a while a house became available in Toorak, Melbourne's most fashionable suburb. All 19 stayed in a two-storey house for almost a year until it was auctioned and sold. From Toorak they moved to a facility in Collingwood. Ideally located close to the city, it was an old nursing home, owned by Melbourne City Mission. As the team grew, they began believing God for a permanent property where the work could be established and grow. As they prayed, many felt that God was leading them to work to raise money for a facility. One by one they found work in factories, hospitals, and supermarkets and prayed that God would provide for them.

After much prayer and commitment, they discovered what is now the Surrey Hills base. At first sight they were overwhelmed. They needed $765,000 to be paid altogether over two years. On February 3, 1986, YWAM Melbourne moved to Surrey Hills. The team continued to work and trust the Lord and final payment was made June 15, 1987. Much work has gone into the property since then, including extensive renovations, the building of 7 townhouses and the installation of extensive fire prevention equipment.

In 1997 YWAM purchased the adjoining property, formally St Andrews school, which now houses the administration and training facilities. Even though YWAM Melbourne has made its permanent home in Surrey Hills, a team was able to return to Collingwood and caretake the old facility but it was finally vacated in 2002.

From the very beginning, YWAM Melbourne was active in Evangelism, with the first team ministering through puppets and dramas in high schools, shopping centers, churches, prisons, wherever they could go! Even as they worked, teams continued to go into the countryside, city, interstate and overseas.

From these small teams the work has grown into what can be broadly categorized as the Five Ministry Wheels of YWAM Melbourne:

1. Evangelism
2. Training
3. Gateway Office
4. Mercy Ministries
5. Community Leadership Development

THE VISION

The vision statement of YWAM Melbourne is

To see revival take place in the city of Melbourne, the state of Victoria and all of Australia, and to see the multiplication of people, resources and ministries into world missions.

We believe that everything God gives us to do, it is His intention for it to be multiplied. God's call to us at YWAM Melbourne is that we are to be city takers, and that staff and students alike would carry this anointing with them, thinking on a broad basis, wherever they go. Another of YWAM Melbournes goals is to equip, send and support 100 teams, in partnership with the Body of Christ, to target 100 mega cities/nations by the year 2020. This is called the "2020 Vision".