Youth for Christ, which has 130 chapters nationwide, reports 7,323 individuals gave their lives to Christ this year.
YFC President and CEO Jake Bland was quoted as saying, “It is clear that God’s Spirit is moving through leaders everywhere across the nation, and that the Gospel is as needed and as effective as ever, especially as the unfailing love of Christ meets today’s changing youth landscape.”
Bland added that “there is a growing need among young people,” referring to the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent statement that youth mental health is in a state of emergency.
Bland added, “Two decades ago, the biggest issue for teens was drunk driving or teen pregnancy. But today, those kinds of issues have dropped dramatically, and youth mental health needs are rapidly rising.”
Quoting recent statistics, he lamented that one-third of youth report having no trusted adult in their lives and more than half are not connected to a church.
YFC has been one of the most recognizable youth ministries in the world since 1944 when the Rev. Billy Graham served as YFC’s first full-time staff member.
Last April, Bland told The Christian Post that young people are craving the kind of hope found only in Jesus Christ.
And polling over the years has found that large percentages of students who attend church while growing up in their parents’ homes leave the church once they go to college, and many don’t return.