More than 30 years ago, a group of teenagers came home from a mission trip with a simple, but bold idea: What if we could reach our own city?

They wanted to create something where students could invite their friends, hear the gospel and encounter Jesus Christ in a way that spoke their language. They didn’t have a master plan for what it would become. They simply had young people willing to say yes to God, with a community willing to believe in them.

That yes became YouthQuake Live.

What began with a handful of students grew into something none of us could have imagined. Over the years, thousands of teenagers became YQL cast members and interns, and thousands more have walked through the doors to attend YouthQuake events. They worshiped. They laughed. They performed. They served behind the scenes. They brought their friends. They heard about Jesus Christ. And, most importantly, lives were changed.

Some of those teenagers are now pastors, missionaries, worship leaders, teachers, parents, business leaders and faithful followers of Jesus raising families of their own. Some are now watching their children step into ministry. The reach of YouthQuake has always extended far beyond a stage or an event, and we believe we will continue to see its impact for generations to come.

After much prayer and discernment, the leadership of YouthQuake Live has made the difficult decision to bring this chapter of ministry to a close.

There is sadness in those words. You don’t spend more than three decades pouring into young people without feeling the weight of an ending like this. But there is also tremendous gratitude.

We are grateful for every teenager who was brave enough to step onto a stage, pick up an instrument, run a camera, learn a dance, memorize a script, share a testimony, lead a peer to Christ at an altar call, invite a friend or simply show up.

We are grateful for the parents who drove countless miles, waited through rehearsals, fed hungry teenagers, prayed faithfully and believed that investing in young people was worth it.

We are grateful for the youth pastors, churches and community partners who believed that the church is stronger when we work together.

We are grateful for our volunteers and donors who invested their time and treasure in the next generation.

We are grateful for our board members and staff who championed the vision of YouthQuake and empowered young people to reach their generation.

And we are especially grateful to God, who took the faith of a few teenagers and their crazy youth pastor and multiplied it beyond anything we could have planned ourselves.

YouthQuake Live may be coming to an end as an organization, but its mission was never meant to live inside an organization.

It lives in every person who discovered that God could use them before they were “grown up.” It lives in every student who learned to share their faith with courage. It lives in every friendship formed across church and denominational lines. It lives in every person who encountered Jesus Christ because someone cared enough to invite them.

Maybe that’s the greatest legacy of YouthQuake: a sincere conviction that God wants to use young people right now, while they are young, and a sincere love for the whole Body of Christ.

To every person who has been part of this story: thank you. Thank you for believing, serving, giving, praying, showing up and making room for generations of young people to discover who God created them to be.

More than 30 years ago, we challenged a generation of teenagers to step outside what was comfortable, trust God and live their faith boldly.

That challenge hasn’t changed.

So, wherever God takes you from here, keep going. Keep reaching. Keep taking risks for the kingdom. Keep believing in young people. Keep making room for the next generation to lead. Defend the unity of the church.

And never forget…

…If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space!

– Pastor Sean Yost and the Board of Directors of YouthQuake Live