For nearly five decades, the National Network of Youth Ministries has been on a God-empowered journey of unity—linking arms with youth leaders across the nation. What began as a gathering of passionate, like-minded leaders has grown into a nationwide movement committed to serving, supporting, and strengthening those who minister to the next generation.
Our First NNYM Promo Video – 1989
A decade into our journey, this first promo shared the heart of our mission: to unite youth leaders to reach every teenager with the story of Jesus.
Our full story—including the collaborative beginnings of NNYM—is captured in Better Together by Paul Fleischmann, who served as NNYM's first President.
Following is a glimpse into our journey so far.
In 1979, two dozen youth ministry leaders met at Christ Haven retreat center outside of Colorado Springs to discuss what God was doing among youth and what He might want to do in the future. As they shared their hearts and hopes, they discovered how much they had in common, and something powerful began to stir.
By 1983, NNYM was already living out its mission of unifying ministries. When Youth for Christ and Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) planned separate conferences in the same city, NNYM encouraged them to co-sponsor the event. The result was Youth Congress '85, a powerful gathering where 16,000 youth delegates were trained in evangelism. This collaboration led to the creation of the DC/LA conferences, impacting thousands more in the years to come.
The network continued to grow. In 1986, leaders from Australia observed the power of youth ministry networking in the U.S. and brought the concept back to their own country.
Over 100 local youth worker fellowships began to gather around the NNYM core values. Many focused on reaching every student on every campus.
Then in 1990, a small prayer movement exploded. Inspired by a group of freshmen in Texas, See You at the Pole became a national—and soon global—event. NNYM was asked to help coordinate promotion, and God multiplied the impact.
In 1993, NNYM gathered national youth ministry leaders for prayer. That gathering became the annual Youth Ministry Executive Council (YMEC), a unique space where denominational and organizational leaders meet to pray, share, and collaborate. Many God-sized partnerships have been birthed in that sacred circle.
Momentum kept building. In 1996, NNYM hosted the Atlanta '96 Youth Leaders Conference in the Georgia Dome, uniting youth workers from over 100 denominations and ministries. The rally cry—Every Kid, Every Campus, Every Community—sparked the launch of Challenge 2000, a collaborative effort to adopt schools for Christ.
By 2000, 62 national ministries had joined the Challenge 2000 Alliance. Over 35,000 schools were adopted—a 200% increase in five years! The movement to reach every student in every school took root, and the Campus Alliance was born.
In 2004, the federal government invited NNYM to build a mentoring infrastructure across the country. In response, MentorYouth.com was launched to mobilize Christian adults to mentor youth in their communities.
As networks expanded, NNYM focused on strengthening them. In 2007, research led to the development of four essential priorities for a healthy network: prayer, relationships, resources, and strategies.
During the years 2010 and 2011, God brought clarity in leadership and mission. Over a two-year transition process Paul Fleischmann passed the torch, and under the guidance of T. Ray Grandstaff and Daryl Nuss, the focus sharpened—NNYM would champion healthy networks to foster healthy youth workers, ultimately empowering healthy youth ministries.
In 2012, NNYM launched Communities for Hope, based on the realization that effective youth ministry required more than just paid youth workers. Teachers, coaches, parents, and business leaders were mobilized to join intentional collaborative teams to better meet the needs of young people.
By 2014, Paul Fleischmann captured the journey of collaboration in Better Together: Discovering the Dynamic Results of Cooperation a book filled with stories, lessons, and vision for what's possible when we work as one.
In 2015, NNYM introduced QuickStart training to help youth leaders build strong local networks. This free online resource outlined the four network priorities and offered practical tools for leadership. Four years later, it was redesigned and relaunched as the Network Leaders Guide Training.
A major digital upgrade came in 2017 with the launch of a new nnym.org website. Designed to better resource network leaders, it became a central hub for connection and collaboration.
After a season of intentional leadership transition, Dr. Randy Davis was named Executive Director/CEO. With a deep commitment to collaboration and a clear vision for the future, Randy stepped in to lead NNYM into its next chapter—strengthening systems, expanding partnerships, and equipping leaders to reach every student in every community. Under his leadership, the organization began to grow in strategic direction, innovation, and national influence.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, NNYM was ready. Online coaching cohorts had already begun, and suddenly, the need exploded. Over 100 leaders were trained through these virtual gatherings, helping network leaders grow even while physically apart.
The year 2022 brought major momentum. Youth leader cohorts through Tenx10 were launched to disciple and equip leaders more deeply. Footprints on Campus began making an impact in local areas—like one high school in Cincinnati that saw reduced violence and higher graduation rates. NNYM team members conducted listening tours to hear directly from youth leaders, leading to new partnerships, including with PACT Ministries, and the introduction of five key areas of focus.
In 2023, data from community mapping showed that NNYM had a presence in 55% of U.S. counties and ministries connected to 77% of high schools and junior highs. Partnerships deepened, including a new collaboration with Luis Palau Ministries. Footprints on Campus went national, and in a major win, the Cincinnati network received the Collaboration Award from Cincinnati Schools and Juvenile Courts.
The Footprints on Campus initiative gained significant momentum, bringing prayer and presence to 1,627 schools and juvenile detention facilities across the country during a single week. Our strategic objective of prayer for every campus was further solidified through the Symphony of Prayer initiative, which united over a dozen partner organizations to encourage ongoing intercession in these spaces. During the summer of 2024 alone, 900 new schools were adopted for prayer.
Following the renewal of our vision and mission to better reflect current ministry realities and strategic goals for Kingdom collaboration, we reframed our organizational structure to reinforce our values-driven approach. This shift placed local area networks and individual youth leaders—those directly discipling and caring for students—at the heart of our mission. To support this renewed focus, we strengthened internal systems to enhance collaboration, communication, and leadership development across the network