YL Netherlands
kievitenburg 9
3181SJ, Rozenburg (ZH)
The netherlands
Who We Are
at a Glance
1941
Young Life begins in the USA...
In a town in Texas, at the request of his pastor, a young associate pastor named Jim Rayburn began showing young people how much God cares about them by showing up in their world and sharing the message of God's love through Jesus in ways and words they could understand and relate to.
... and expands to the Netherlands
Since 2005 we have started to copy this model in The Netherlands, adapting it to the culture and needs of Dutch kids.
Starting in one city (Dordrecht) we now have a presence in a total of 4 cities, all located in the southwest of the country, with an ambition to expand to other cities and areas across the country and reach Dutch kids with the greatest and most powerful story ever told.
Reaching kids
in a country that's lost god
Until late 20th century the population of The Netherlands was predominantly Christian. However, Christianity has rapidly eroded over the past decades and now seems to have hit rock bottom.
Only 14% of the roughly 17 million people believe there is ‘one God’ and 82% do not or hardly ever attend church.
Of its 1 million teenagers in the age group 15-20 90% are not reached by the church.
Every day 267 people leave the church and every week over the past 5 years approximately 1 church has closed its doors. Besides being demolished they are now being used as supermarkets, apartments, fitness centers, concert venues and even a brewery.
A major national research into religion in the Netherlands back in 2016 concluded that ‘the country has lost God and is no longer to be consider Christian’.
It's in that challenging, highly secularized environment that we are committed to going after every kid in every neighborhood, every town & city and each of the 12 provinces.
You Were Made for this
Your story matters, and it can make a difference beyond what you imagine.
Volunteer your time to work directly with young people.
Support the staff and leaders as part of the local adult committee.
Give resources to start or sustain the financial foundation at the local or national level.
