Why the "Y"

The Reuter Family YMCA in the Biltmore Park development of south Asheville is a special place to us.

It’s where we work, it’s where we play, it’s where we serve, and it’s where we belong. It’s also where God has called the people of Work of Christ Church (WoCC) to be about his missionary purposes for this community; exalting Jesus by serving, blessing and loving people in the cross-cultural context of the YMCA and the surrounding communities.

It’s at this intersection of work and play, of serving and belonging, that we’re trusting Jesus to build his church.

The reasons that the YMCA--specifically the Reuter Family YMCA--is so important to us are largely explained in the following excerpts from a Fall 2009 article that appeared in Leadership Journal magazine:

One quality that makes the YMCA attractive to church planters is that they can be found everywhere, from affluent suburbs to inner city neighborhoods, in this country and all over the world. There are nearly 2,700 YMCAs in the United States, which provide services for some 21 million members.

In other words, the YMCA can provide access to a population many churches fail to reach. Over half of Y facilities in the United States are located in neighborhoods where the median family income is below the national average. The organization has more than 10,000 childcare facilities in the U. S. alone, making it the world's largest provider of childcare. And roughly 40 percent of the children in these programs come from single-family homes. Not only that, but YMCAs are allowed in many countries that are closed to missionaries. In terms of mission potential, the YMCA can put a congregation in contact with a population in desperate need of the gospel.

But place is only part of the appeal. Churches can also benefit from the Y's programming. Every YMCA offers slightly different services. A branch may function as a soup kitchen or homeless shelter in some neighborhoods and more like a health club in others. But everywhere, the organization's programming is designed to meet specific local needs. This provides an invaluable opportunity for churches that want to maximize their outreach efforts.

"Instead of creating my own programs and trying to get the community to 'come and see,'" explains Newman, "I can 'go and be' salt and light by infusing Christ into programs that are already in place." Newman's Antioch Church leverages these programs as their primary ministry venues. Church members serve on the board, coach in sports leagues, teach classes, and volunteer at after school programs organized and funded by their host YMCA.

This means that the relationship between a church and local Y can be a boon for both. A church committed to the Great Commission can offer to help a YMCA fulfill its own purpose. Greg Douglas's launch strategy for Work of Christ Church illustrates how a church can prove its commitment to fulfill the Y's mission and vision, as well its own.

Church planters usually begin a new congregation with a core group of committed volunteers. They may have come from a sending church, or the planter spends months building a network of relationships across an area to form this core. Once a core group is developed, the official launch of the church usually corresponds with the first public worship service.

Douglas's approach with Work of Christ has been very different. He is approaching the Y as a missionary might. Rather than building a core group and launch team, his first priority is to understand the context of the mission field. This means becoming better acquainted with the mission, vision, personality, and needs of the local Y branch. To do that he volunteers in Y programs, meets with staff and administration for prayer and counseling, and generally makes himself available to the branch's members. So while Work of Christ Church is not holding regular public meetings, Douglas feels that the church is being planted.

"We have moved into the Y and are trying to align ourselves with where God is already at work," he says.

Moreover, Douglas is building a core group of Y members and staff. Rather than canvassing the neighborhood and trying to attract likeminded worshipers, he has focused his attention on the branch that will be his congregation's home. Because his Y does not have a chaplain (many do), he feels his first pastoral responsibility is to be a "spiritual resource" to the staff. From there, he says, "I have to trust Jesus when he said, 'I will build my church.'"

One key way a church can benefit the Y is through volunteerism. Because every local branch organizes and funds its own programming, it depends on volunteers to make those programs run smoothly. Many of these programs target children, families, and older adults.

Another concern for every Y is membership development and retention, because YMCA branches are supported by paid memberships. A church becomes very attractive indeed if it can help its host branch find new members and keep the ones it has.

Douglas found another way to partner with his host Y on the issue of membership retention. Although the Y is supported by paid memberships, the organization has a policy not to refuse people services for financial reasons. People are encouraged to pay what they can and the YMCA provides considerable amounts of financial aid to make up the difference.

Work of Christ now raises money to provide scholarships for needy families so they may benefit from the Y's services. They are also working with the branch administration to develop a personal finance class for people receiving aid from the Y. Again, this appeals to the branch's desire to attract and retain members, and gives the church a great opportunity to meet and minister to its neighbors.

Greg Douglas has learned that any Y-based church also needs to think differently about ministry.

"You have to look at the Y church through a different grid," he says. "You have to be sensitive to the expressions of the gospel that can take place in the context of the Y."

Ultimately, a pastor with all the necessary resources and experience may fail in the Y if he or she can't see where God is already at work in the Y and its programs. They can make the fatal mistake of trying to turn the Y into a giant church.

"I don't want the Y to be a church," says Douglas. "I want it to be a cultural common ground where people who otherwise wouldn't can encounter the gospel of Jesus Christ."

A Look at the YMCA

From its inception, the YMCA was purposed to meet spiritual needs. George Williams began the YMCA in 1844 with twelve men and obvious needs in the area of London where he was based. The YMCA’s original mission addressed its understanding of the unmet spiritual needs of its community and determined to solve them when it stated that it would:

…Seek to unite those young men, who regarding Jesus Christ as their God and Savior, according to the Holy Scriptures, desire to be his disciples in their faith and in their life, and to associate their efforts for the extension of his Kingdom amongst young men

Today, this original mission has expanded in scope to include all people while remaining connected to its Judeo-Christian heritage. More remarkably, as the YMCA has grown to over 14,000 locations worldwide, it has maintained an ability to tailor its program offerings specifically for its host community. This has been key to its long-term effectiveness and is one hallmark of a missional organization.

Reuter Family YMCA and Work of Christ Church

The Reuter Family YMCA expresses its concern for all people of its host community by declaring its mission as follows:

To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

When comparing this mission to WoCC’s Purpose & Process, much common ground emerges. It is in this common ground--this overlap of missions--that the missionaries of WoCC will serve to the benefit of the YMCA, its host community and to God’s glory.

If you’d like more information on WoCC’s relationship and calling to the YMCA, please don’t hesitate to contact us.