Helping a generation discover their missional calling and live it wherever they go.

What We Do

How It Began

We first arrived in Germany in the fall of 2007 to participate in a six-month missions training program. At the time, we had no long-term plan to stay, only a growing sense that God was inviting us to trust Him more deeply with our lives. During that season, our hearts were captured by the process of discipling and training young people to follow Jesus with courage, obedience, and faith.

Kristen first sensed a call to missions during a high school outreach trip to Mexico and continued to lead youth mission trips in the years that followed. Josiah grew up as a pastor’s kid and does not remember a time when ministry was not part of his life. From serving behind the scenes to leading worship, ministry shaped his understanding of what it means to serve others, and by the age of fifteen he sensed a call toward international missions.

God used those early years to form in us a shared passion for missions, discipleship, and leadership development. Over time, that passion became a calling to stay, serve, and invest long-term in Germany.

Our Calling in Germany

Germany and Europe remain spiritually open yet deeply under-reached. While the church has a rich history here, many people today have little to no access to the gospel in a meaningful, lived-out way. From the beginning, we felt called not only to reach people directly, but to train and send others who would carry the gospel far beyond what we could do ourselves.

That calling eventually led to the founding of YWAM Nürnberg in 2016, a YWAM location and independently registered charity. Today, we serve as the Executive Directors and base leaders, working alongside a growing team to disciple, train, and develop missionaries and leaders.

What We Do

YWAM Nürnberg exists to help people encounter Jesus, grow as disciples, and step into their role in the Great Commission. Our ministry is shaped by the global YWAM values and mandates and expressed locally through three core focuses:

We Make Missionaries
We help young people discover their place in the Great Commission by equipping them through training, mentorship, and hands-on opportunities to serve both locally and globally. Through programs such as our Discipleship Training School (DTS), we walk with people as they learn to hear God’s voice, grow in character, and take steps of faith into mission.

We Make Disciples
We create pathways for people to encounter Jesus and grow in their faith through evangelism, outreach, international projects, and everyday discipleship. Our heart is not only to see people come to faith, but to help them learn how to follow Jesus in every area of life.

We Make Leaders
We invest in raising leaders who will multiply healthy, Jesus-centered communities in places and spaces where the local church is not yet established. Through real-world experience, guidance, and ongoing support, we help leaders walk in obedience and steward the influence God has entrusted to them.

Places and Spaces We Serve

As YWAM Nürnberg, we believe God calls us to invest in both places and spaces. This means engaging specific geographic regions as well as particular groups of people. Our current focus includes Germany, unreached people groups within the 10/40 window, and young people who are searching for purpose, identity, and meaning.

We believe that short-term missions can and should serve long-term impact, and that God is raising up young people from and through Germany to carry the gospel to the nations.

Our Family and Long-Term Commitment

We were married in 2011, and our family has since grown to include our three sons, all of whom were born in Germany. As a family, we are committed to living out this calling together with joy, resilience, and faith.

We believe ministry is not a sprint, but a long-term journey of obedience. We embrace setbacks as opportunities to grow, remain adaptable when plans change, and trust God to continue shaping us as we follow Him. Joy is not optional for us. It is central to how we live, lead, and serve.

Why Partnership Matters

None of this work is possible without a community of partners who pray, give, and stand with us. Financial partnership enables us to train missionaries, disciple leaders, care for teams, and continue building strong foundations for lasting gospel impact in Germany and beyond.

We are deeply grateful for every person who chooses to walk with us in this calling. Together, we believe God is at work raising up a generation who will discover their missional calling and live it wherever they go.foundations for lasting gospel impact in Germany and beyond.