RALLYING THE YOUTH

A Passion for Youth

Getting to know Youth Alive state leaders for

Western Australia, ANDREW & ASHLEY WILLIAMS

Q: Is there an openness in young people to hear the Gospel and make decisions for Christ, and be discipled?

ASHLEY: We’ve seen people more open to the Gospel than ever before. There is so much uncertainty in the world, fear, and lack of community etc. which I believe is contributing to people pursuing faith. They’ve got questions and we have the opportunity to partner with Holy Spirit to help make the introduction to Jesus, who is their answer.

ANDREW: I think more is caught than taught. If you can share your life with young people, that is the most impactful investment that you can make into their life. Let them see you as Pastor, Father, Mother, Friend, Businessman/woman. I’m the same person on that stage that I am when I am at home with my kids or leading in ministry spaces. I try my best to invite people into our life and let them walk alongside me.

Q: What are you seeing emerge with a new generation of youth leaders, and how are you raising them up? ASHLEY: I see young leaders that want to be a part of an authentic move of God. I believe that Presence-driven churches are key to raising up the next generation of leaders. Young people are hungry for the presence of God; they will go where they can find it.

ANDREW: At every event we host, we try to represent the room. The room is made up of people from different cultures who have different life experiences and 50% of the room is female so we always have strong female

leaders speaking. Heaven will have every tribe and every tongue represented so we try our best to model what heaven will look and sound like when we choose our keynote speakers. We want to showcase different expressions of the kingdom.

Q: What would you say to young women who want to step into leadership?

ASHLEY: I would say “The great commission is your permission.” Start leading from where you are positioned right now. I’ve seen young women in particular try to echo other prominent voices that are in the church. I would say it’s okay to be an echo for a season, but you’ve got to find your voice, your message, your expression in the kingdom and release that. Lastly, be prepared and confident when given the opportunity to lead.

Q: Tell us about one memorable moment that has stuck with you from Youth Alive rallies in Western Australia.

ASHLEY: One of my favourite moments from a YA rally was in 2021. A student had just given their life to Jesus and moments later volunteered to pray us out for the night, but this was no ordinary prayer. it was his very first time speaking to God as a Son. It was the sincerest prayer that I’ve ever heard in my life. As he began to speak to the Lord, he was overwhelmed by the love of God. He could not fathom that he had instant access as a son with nothing to prove. He was so emotional he barely made it through that prayer and the entire room erupted and was left in tears. It was such a beautiful authentic moment of someone sincerely speaking to the heart of God without all the Christian lingo, just a raw real conversation with his Jesus.

Q: What have been some of the key focuses of YA WA for this year?

ANDREW: Many Youth Pastors have transitioned out over the last two years so this year we are putting a focus on building community, relationally connecting Youth Pastor/Leaders. We want to see God move in our schools. We are equipping student leaders to start clubs and prayer meetings on their campuses. We are helping Youth Pastors get connected with their local chaplains. We are also putting a focus on young adults this year. Young Adults are the most unreached people group in the church today. So, we have a few things specifically for them.

Q: What is your personal hope and vision as youth leaders?

ANDREW: Our desire is for young people to have genuine encounters with the Lord. We want to see them carry a revival spirit in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Q: How is God moving in the young people of Western Australia?

ASHLEY: Three incredible things stand out from our recent Youth Alive Conference in September 2022.

Firstly, there was a filling of the Holy Spirit and refilling for many leaders with His tangible presence evident. The Spirit had the freedom to move in the room. We knew coming in from our prayer meetings leading up to the conference that the Spirit of the Lord was not going to be grieved and the room was His to move as He wanted.

Secondly, a renewed Revival Spirit was released into the hearts of our leaders and students. They have a real desire to see the Lord move in their ministries, schools, and homes.

Thirdly, everyone was activated. It was ministry centric as Ps John Wimber used to say "everyone gets to play" and we saw that. It wasn't about a person carrying the ministry moments, it was Holy Spirit moving freely partnering with all who surrendered and stepped out.

ANDREW & ASHLEY WILLIAMS are the Associate Pastor and Creative Art Director at Urban Church. They are the WA Youth Alive State Leaders.