As Hal was praying about starting the work here in Budapest, the movie “Field of Dreams” had a big impact on him.  In the movie, a man builds a baseball field in his cornfield after hearing a voice tell him, “If you build it, they will come.”  That baseball field became a place where people could live out their dreams, and Hal’s desire is for YWAM Budapest to be a sort of “Field of Dreams.”  God has brought people from all over the world to Budapest with dreams in their hearts to minister to the city and region.  As a base, we’re committed to help support you and the dream God’s put in your heart.

One of the questions you’ll hear Hal ask a lot is, “What’s in your heart?”  We’re not a base that’s going to stick you in a box and assign you to a ministry.  We’re trusting that you’ve heard from God yourself; that He’s poured ideas, dreams, visions, and goals into you.  What’s God calling you to do?  You may have very specific ideas or something general, but we want you to be released into that dream.

Another big part of our ethos is grace.  Hal’s life was majorly impacted by the Grace Ministries “Exchanged Life” teaching, and most of the team members have gone through this 3 day course.  God doesn’t value you on how well you perform as a missionary; He values you because you’re His.  He’s set us free to be ourselves and do what He’s put in our hearts; we don’t have to do things just to be accepted or please someone.  We hope you’ll have an opportunity to go through the “Exchanged Life” teaching yourself and discover the nature of your flesh, how Christ set us free, and what it means that “I no longer live but Christ lives in me”.

One area of anointing God’s given us as a base is pioneering.  Even though we’ve existed for 15 years, we still think and act like a pioneering base in many ways.  We LOVE starting new projects and going places where no one’s gone before.  This is part of the reason why God has used us in the Balkans so much:  we were willing to go!  This pioneering anointing means that every team member wears a lot of hats.  We’re not very departmentalized and we like it that way.  You might work with a band (for example), but you can be expected to help lead worship, do some office work, be a member on an outreach team, host a visiting team, etc.  Our work tends to revolve around projects, and when we’re starting a new project, everyone rallies around to help where they can.  When the DTS found the big house with NO furniture, everyone spent a week building beds, sewing curtains, cleaning, assembling shelves, etc. even if they weren’t on DTS staff.

God also uses us a lot to bring the Body of Christ together across denominational, ethnic, and national lines.  We often host YWAM conferences in the city, festivals, and other big events that gather many people from the region.  Our coffee bar and SOS gathers Hungarian Christians from many churches with a common goal.  In this region where the walls are big between churches, ethnic groups and nations, we feel privileged to be used by God to help build bridges.

 

The following things are what we all do together as a staff.  We’re a unique YWAM base in that unlike many other bases, we don’t all live in community in one building.  This has its advantages, but means that we must work hard to stay in connected with each other and help support all the ministries taking place.  As a YWAM Budapest Staff member, here are the things you are expected to do:

 

Worship Times

Every Monday we gather as a staff, and sometimes with other YWAM workers or teams that are visiting to spend time worshipping, listening to God, praying, and sharing a word.  Staff meeting is our “business” time together; Worship Times are our fellowship/seeking God time together, which is more important than discussing business.  If you’re not able to attend, please inform someone on the leadership team in advance.

Staff Meeting

Our once a week meeting where we get the chance to catch up with what’s happening with people, communicate important information, and pray for the ministries.  Everyone, including school staff, is to come. It takes place every Monday at the office.  We often change time to later in the afternoon to accommodate school staffs.  Everyone has something to contribute and we want to hear from everyone during this time.  If you are unable to come, please let someone on the leadership team know in advance.

Staff Days

From time to time we set aside a whole day to gather as a staff to worship, hear from God, and spend time together with no time restraints.  We often hear testimonies from each other and pray for team members.  Many times this is a day to involve the families too.  These are valuable times together and we make them a priority.

Retreats

Throughout the year we have retreats where we get away and spend some concentrated time together.  These are important and fun times of getting to know each other and hearing from God.  We have a YWAM Budapest staff retreat in the fall, but there are also prayer retreats, school staff retreats, and rumors of a guys only run-around-in-the-woods-like-wild-men retreat.  We will let you know about the retreat several months in advance so that you can take steps to clear your schedule and save money to attend.  This is the single most important gathering we have all year.

Base Contribution

Working as a team involves our time, talents, and also our finances.  It would be nice if we had a rich Uncle paying for our base, but God is asking each one of us to give. Over 60% of the costs of running the office (phone, e-mail, electricity) as well as most ministry costs (Soup Run, evangelism, hospitality) come from us as a team.  Each member is expected to give to help meet base expenses. We simply ask you to pray to see what amount God leads you to give. Please let our accountant know how much you will be giving.  This is important so we can plan a budget.  As we give sacrificially, God will multiply our “loaves and fishes” to meet our needs and enable us to give to others.

  

Participation

As we talked about in the Ethos section, we all wear a lot of hats in YWAM Budapest.  Our schedule tends to revolve around projects and often these are pioneering efforts.  At these times we need help from everyone to help build beds for the DTS house, help move furniture, help at the music festival, etc.  So, despite the fact that your main ministry may be in another area, your help may be needed on different projects.  We’re not into forced labor, but hope that you’ll be willing to serve gladly! The greatest in the Kingdom of God is the Servant of all!

Support

Your ministry leader has spoken to you about the amount of financial support you’ll need to live and work in Budapest.  You’ll be responsible for your support and your ministry funding.  YWAM Budapest doesn’t have buckets of money that you can use for your projects (sorry!); you’ll be seeking God for those finances.  So keeping contact with your supporting church and financial supporters is very important.  Newsletters, regular e-mails, letters, a web page… all of these are great ways to let your supporters know what God’s doing through you in Budapest.  People contribute prayer and finances when they have specific information about what they’re supporting.  But don’t be intimidated if you’ve never done this before!  Raising support is something very new for most of us.  The Leadership Team is happy to help you how they can.

Language

If you already speak magyarul, you can thank God and your mother for teaching you!  If you don’t, we strongly encourage you to take some kind of Hungarian lessons to learn some.  Because many Hungarians don’t speak English, you will find it necessary to speak some Hungarian for day-to-day survival while shopping, asking directions, etc.  But it also speaks highly to the people of this country that we care enough about them to learn their language, and even knowing just a little Hungarian opens many doors and hearts.  There are a number of good schools in Budapest with classes as well as tutors or friends that would be happy to help.  We’ve found that many missionaries who don’t learn Hungarian don’t stay here long term.  And no matter what you think, it really and truly isn’t difficult to learn some basics!

Staying Spiritually Healthy

Life on a DTS is great—the schedule has times of worship, prayer, intercession, and Bible study built in.  But life after a DTS requires that you take the initiative to involve yourself in the things that build you up and encourage your relationship to God.  We ask you to join a local church to have times of worship, teaching, and fellowship with people outside of YWAM (very important).  We expect that you have developed your own ways of seeking God and encourage you to not let the demands of ministry eat into your personal time with God.  If you’re in a “dry” time, it’s important to let people know (we’ve all been there).  Sometimes a group of us have decided to meet for Bible study or prayer.  At times there has been a Women’s Group where we gather to study, pray, talk, and eat (very important!).  There’s even been a few meetings of the guys, but you’ll have to ask them what they did!  As a family, we want to help and encourage each other to stay close to Jesus, but ultimately, it’s up to you to take the steps.

 

Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is an international movement of Christians from many denominations dedicated to presenting Jesus personally to this generation, to mobilizing as many as possible to help in this task, and to the training and equipping of believers for their part in fulfilling the Great Commission. As citizens of God's kingdom, we are called to love, worship, and obey our Lord, to love and serve His Body, the Church, and to present the whole Gospel for the whole person throughout the whole world.

We of Youth With A Mission believe that the Bible is God's inspired and authoritative word, revealing that Jesus Christ is God's son; that people are created in God's image; that He created us to have eternal life through Jesus Christ; that although all people have sinned and come short of God's glory, God has made salvation possible through the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that repentance, faith, love and obedience are fitting responses to God's initiative of grace towards us; that God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth; and that the Holy Spirit's power is demonstrated in and through us for the accomplishment of Christ's last commandment, "...Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)

YWAM FOUNDATIONAL VALUES

Since the beginning of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in 1960, God has emphasized certain Biblical values which serve as spiritual foundations for the mission. The combined strength of these Biblical values has strongly influenced the nature and character of YWAM around the world. These shared values are the guiding principles for both the past and future growth of our mission. They are beliefs we hold in high regard which determine how we live and make decisions.

God's Word is the final authority for conduct and faith in Youth With A Mission. Our foundational values are not a list of rules to be adhered to; they were not written down until YWAM was 25 years old. Rather, these values are recorded here in an attempt to pass on to successive generations that which God has emphasized to us as a mission.

The following list has been reviewed by the YWAM International Executive Committee and approved by the International Council.

1. YWAM is committed to know God, His character and His ways. We affirm the vital importance of hearing God's voice, seeking His counsel and obeying His instructions. (Numbers 23:19-20; Deuteronomy 32:3-4; John 5:30; 10:1-4; 16:13; Isaiah 6:8; Acts 16:6-10)
2. YWAM is called to make God known, through Evangelism, Training and Mercy Ministries. All our activities should contribute toward the goal of discipling nations. (Acts 13:2-3; Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-18; 15:18-21)
3. YWAM recognizes the Bible to be God's inspired and authoritative Word and relies upon the authority of the Holy Scriptures as the standard for life and ministry. Obedience to the Word of God is an evidence of our commitment to Jesus' Lordship. (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16; John 3:31-32; 2 Timothy 2:15)
4. YWAM is visionary, doing new things in new ways where new initiatives are required to accomplish the Great Commission. (Isaiah 42:8-9; John 4:35; Matthew 10:1-10; Hebrews 11:1-3; Proverbs 29:18; Habakkuk 2:2)
5. YWAM is international and interdenominational in its scope and constituency. We believe that cultural, racial and theological diversity are positive factors that contribute to the health and growth of the mission. (Matthew 24:14; Ephesians 4:1-16; Revelation 7:9)
6. YWAM affirms the importance of the local church and seeks to promote unity among all God's people. We endeavor to work in partnership with other believers, building bridges among Christian leaders, churches and missions for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. (Philippians 1:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; Ephesians 3:8-10)
7. YWAM is broad structured and decentralized, with operating locations linked together by relationship, shared values, accountability to leadership, and a commitment to world evangelization. (Mark 10:42-43; Exodus 18:17-26; John 8:36; 1 Corinthians 3:4-9; Hebrews 13:7,17)
8. YWAM is called to praise and worship of the Lamb of God, intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare. We endeavor to resist the devil by moving in the opposite spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ. In all things, we desire to keep Jesus central to our lives and ministry. (Ephesians 5:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 32:6; 100; 150; John 17:15-21; Mark 11:24; Acts 1:14; Colossians 4:2-3; 1 Timothy 2:1, Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; James 4:7, Matthew 12:23-29)
9. YWAM affirms the importance of living holy and righteous lives. We believe that holiness is a fruit of God's grace, transforming the motives of the heart, and affecting our words, conduct, business dealings and relationships. (1 Samual 15:10-28; Psalm 32:1-5, 51:6-17,; Matthew 5:8; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:7)
10. YWAM is committed to doing, then teaching, according to Jesus' example. We affirm the importance of living a concept, theory or belief in personal experience as essential to passing it on to others. We believe that godly character and the fruit of the Spirit are more important than an individuals's gifts, abilities and expertise. (Ezra 7:10; Acts 1:1; Phillipians 4:8-9; Colossians 3:1-17; 2 Peter 1:5-10; Micah 6:8)
11. YWAM is dedicated to being relationship oriented in our living and working together. We desire to minimize the need for structures and rules by leading lives of transparency, humility and open communication. (1 John 1:7; Galatians 5:1)
12. YWAM is called to value each individual. We believe all races, ages, cultures and individuals - male and female - have distinctive contributions and callings. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-16; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Acts 13:1-3; Ephesians 2:19-22; 4:4-7)
13. YWAM recognizes the value of the family. We affirm the importance of fathers, mothers, and children all sharing a call to missions and contributing in unique, complimentary and vital ways. We support the neccessity for each individual family to be a strong and healthy unit. (Deuteronomy 4:9-10, 40, 6:6-7, 32:46; Proverbs 31; 1 Timothy 3:4)
14. YWAM is called to champion young people. We believe in their leadership and potential to change the world and are dedicated to equip them with the tools to do so. (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17; 1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Samuel 2:18-19; 17:33-37; Danial 1:4, 8-9; Jeremiah 1:5-10)
15. YWAM is called to team ministry. We recognize that functioning in teams at all levels of the organization provides an opportunity for balance of spiritual gifts and insights. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Mark 6:7; Ephesians 5:21; Proverbs 15:22; Acts 15:22; Acts 10:25-26)
16. YWAM affirms personal responsibility and volunteerism, encouraging individuals to seek God for guidance and direction regarding ministry roles and methods of performing their work. We encourage personal initiative in these areas, making decisions together with their leaders both YWAM and others. (Exodus 3:4; Isaiah 6:8; 1 Samuel 3:10; Mark 1:17-18; Matthew 9:9; Acts 26:12-20)
17. YWAM is called to servant leadership. A servant leader is one who honours the calling of his/her followers and guards their rights and privileges. Just as Jesus served His disciples, we stress the importance of those with leadership responsibilities in our mission serving those whom they lead. (Luke 17:7-10; John 13:12-17; Mark 10:42-45)
18. YWAM makes no distinction between the sacred and the secular. We seek to honor all functions equally within the Kingdom of God. No roles or ministries are more important or spiritual than others. We seek to equip and mobilize men and women of God to take roles of service and influence in every sphere of society. (Acts 11:9; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Zechariah 14:20-21; Romans 12:3-8, 13:1-10, Philemon 1-2; Titus 3:13; Colossians 4:14; Hebrews 13:16)
19. YWAM is called to practice a life of dependence upon God and His people for financial provision, both corporately and individually. (Phil 4:6-7, 10-20; 3 John 5-8)
20. YWAM is dedicated to hospitality. We believe it is important to serve and honor our fellow YWAMers, guests, and the poor and needy through this ministry. (3 John 8; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; Romans 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9)
21. YWAM is called to practice generosity and to model and teach the spirit of generosity in all we do. (Romans 12:8-13; 1 Timothy 5:17, 6:18; Philippians 4:17-18; Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; Psalm 112:5)