I have had some great people invest in me. I am sure you have too. At its roots, the word “invest” is the picture of surrounding or clothing. When I think of the investment others have made in me, that is the exact picture I have: people surrounding me with care and examples, clothing me with values and skills.

AYME is “committed to developing the next generation of youth ministers.” That is an investment. We hope that AYME can invest in each other and help each other invest in current and future youth leaders. We want to care for each other, moving beyond differences and journeying with each other through life. We want to model a commitment to Jesus, Youth Ministry excellence, and scholarly work that improves the discipline. We want to make space for each other to grow, discover, and become who God is lovingly and creatively calling us to be.

AYME has invested in me. I believe AYME can invest in you as well.

AYME is curated by a member-rotating board that works hard to invest in our membership and those “committed to developing the next generation of youth ministers.” Our work shows up in our annual conference, a space where we gather together, learn together, share with each other, challenge each other, and invest in each other. We also work to provide an excellent resource, The Journal of Youth Ministry, twice yearly to advance research and scholarship for youth ministry. But at its core, AYME is the people, the members who invest in each other and in future youth ministry leaders.

I pray that you will find AYME’s investments in youth ministry to be an investment in you and a place where you can invest in others.

For Christ and the Church,

Brian Hull, Ph.D.
AYME President