DIRECTORS REPORT

It has been a remarkably fruitful year for Youth Alive across NSW and the ACT. We are deeply grateful to God, and we can clearly see His hand at work in everything our teams have put their hands to throughout the year.

This year, we pioneered three new regional rallies—North Sydney, Port Macquarie, and the Upper Hunter. Each of these gatherings served as a catalyst for unity within their regions and collectively saw 102 teenagers commit their lives to Christ.

Our regional rallies experienced extraordinary growth, increasing by 1,000 attendees to a total of over 6,000—the largest number we have ever recorded. What encouraged us most, however, was the surge in church engagement. A total of 240 churches participated this year—75 more than last year. It is clear that youth ministries are hungry for connection and unity, and we count it a privilege to steward this in NSW and the ACT.

Under the leadership of Joel Mitchell, our Young Adults ministry continued to expand its network and impact. More than 500 young adults from over 60 churches gathered at our annual YAYA Conference, which proved to be a powerful and transformative weekend.

Another exciting development was the launch of our Leaders Equip Tour—a series of dinner events across NSW and the ACT designed to connect youth leaders and provide practical leadership tools for building strong, healthy youth ministries. We hosted Equip events in 11 regions, with 450 leaders in attendance. Through this tour, we were also able to welcome a significant number of new churches into the Youth Alive network and officially plant two new regions—Blacktown City and the Hills Shire. More than 100 leaders from these regions attended their Equip gatherings.

All Of Us 2025 was one of the year’s highlights. In faith, we booked the ICC Sydney for our state gathering—an iconic, world-class venue in the heart of Australia’s largest city. The significance of the evening for me was using a venue purpose built for the world to usher in heaven and see teenagers come to know Christ, it doesn’t get much better. We saw 750 teenagers commit their hearts to Jesus and had just under 4000 attend.

This year we also celebrated the release of the first Youth Alive NSW song in 25 years: “The Jesus Way,” written by Luke O’Dea and Beth Gleeson. Youth Alive Music is officially back, and in November we recorded three original songs live at the ICC, set for release in February 2026. Luke and Beth are doing a phenomenal job leading Youth Alive Music as we seek to cultivate a culture of worship across NSW and the ACT.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our donors. To each of you who have given sacrificially—thank you. Your support has made it possible to reach teenagers with the gospel, raise leaders, and resource youth ministries across our state.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Matt and Beck Wiley
Directors, NSW Youth Alive

YEAR-ON-YEAR
GROWTH CHART

DENOMINATIONS AT ALL OF US
BY NUMBER OF CHURCHES

REGIONAL VS METRO ENGAGEMENT
BY NUMBER OF CHURCHES

YEAR-ON-YEAR
GROWTH

This year we pioneered a leadership dinner tour called ‘EQUIP’. The aim was to create a connection point for youth leaders and to equip them with practical tools to build strong healthy youth ministries. This was a great on-ramp into the Youth Alive network for new Churches and a brilliant opportunity for youth leaders to build strong relationships with each other. 

NEW REGIONS ESTABLISHED

Port Macquarie, North Sydney, Upper Hunter, Blacktown City, Hills Shire​

This year, we successfully established Youth Alive in five new regions across NSW. A region is considered “established” when:

  • A regional leader is appointed and actively serving local churches
  • A Youth Alive event is hosted in that region
  • Multiple churches are engaged and participating in the Youth Alive network


1.

Port Macquarie

For many years, Youth Alive had limited influence in Port Macquarie. This year, we connected with a number of pastors and youth pastors, introduced the vision of Youth Alive, and began building relationships. Together, we hosted a regional rally involving 12 churches across 10 denominations, with 180 in attendance and 60 decisions for Christ. We also held a Leaders EQUIP Tour event, which served as a strong connection point for leaders across the region.

2.

North Sydney

In North Sydney, we ran both a regional rally and a Leaders EQUIP Tour event. The rally brought together four youth ministries with 183 attendees. We celebrated 28 gospel responses, including 20 first-time decisions for Christ. Momentum is building steadily, and a number youth ministries have expressed interest in joining the Youth Alive network in 2026.

3.

Upper Hunter

The Hunter region has experienced growth in recent years. However, due to its large geographical spread, we identified the need to divide the area into the Upper and Lower Hunter to better reach young people. The Upper Hunter is less densely populated and had fewer connected churches, limiting our reach. This year, we hosted a regional rally with 349 attendees and 32 decisions for Christ, marking a strong step forward in strengthening ministry in this area.

4.

Blacktown City & Hills Shire

We are incredibly encouraged by what God is doing in these two regions. We hosted a Leaders EQUIP Tour event at Dayspring Church, gathering 20 churches, many of which had not previously been connected to Youth Alive. This was our largest leaders gathering in NSW, with over 100 leaders in attendance. We are excited to pioneer two new regional rallies in these regions in May and June next year.

NSW Youth Alive
Music

In October, we released the first Youth Alive NSW song in 25 years, titled “The Jesus Way.” The response from youth ministries across NSW and the ACT has been overwhelmingly positive. In November, we recorded this track—along with two additional original songs—live at the ICC Theatre. We look forward to releasing these new songs early next year.

There is a significant need for fresh worship music within Australia, and we are committed to equipping youth ministries with high-quality praise and worship resources that their young people can engage with and use in their own contexts.

Leadership Training
& Youth Alive Academy

The Youth Alive Academy had a great year, thriving under the leadership of Chris Klum (NSW/ACT Academy Leader) and Aywan Suleiman (Sydney Academy Coordinator). Next year we are pioneering an Academy in the ACT! This will be our third Academy location and we’re excited to announce we have already received 10 applications. 

We’re all about raising leaders who raise DISCIPLES! This year, we trained 795 leaders statewide, equipping them to lead effectively in their youth ministries and fields of endeavor. We’ve resourced youth ministries with Alpha, Love Is Our Weapon, Nikki Dent’s Breaking Up with Babel, Teen Freedom, and tools from ythmin.com. These resources empower leaders to disciple teenagers and build strong, thriving youth ministries that transform lives.

DIRECTORS REPORT

It has been a remarkably fruitful year for Youth Alive across NSW and the ACT. We are deeply grateful to God, and we can clearly see His hand at work in everything our teams have put their hands to throughout the year.

This year, we pioneered three new regional rallies—North Sydney, Port Macquarie, and the Upper Hunter. Each of these gatherings served as a catalyst for unity within their regions and collectively saw 102 teenagers commit their lives to Christ.

Our regional rallies experienced extraordinary growth, increasing by 1,000 attendees to a total of over 6,000—the largest number we have ever recorded. What encouraged us most, however, was the surge in church engagement. A total of 240 churches participated this year—75 more than last year. It is clear that youth ministries are hungry for connection and unity, and we count it a privilege to steward this in NSW and the ACT.

Under the leadership of Joel Mitchell, our Young Adults ministry continued to expand its network and impact. More than 500 young adults from over 60 churches gathered at our annual YAYA Conference, which proved to be a powerful and transformative weekend.

Another exciting development was the launch of our Leaders Equip Tour—a series of dinner events across NSW and the ACT designed to connect youth leaders and provide practical leadership tools for building strong, healthy youth ministries. We hosted Equip events in 11 regions, with 450 leaders in attendance. Through this tour, we were also able to welcome a significant number of new churches into the Youth Alive network and officially plant two new regions—Blacktown City and the Hills Shire. More than 100 leaders from these regions attended their Equip gatherings.

All Of Us 2025 was one of the year’s highlights. In faith, we booked the ICC Sydney for our state gathering—an iconic, world-class venue in the heart of Australia’s largest city. The significance of the evening for me was using a venue purpose built for the world to usher in heaven and see teenagers come to know Christ, it doesn’t get much better. We saw 750 teenagers commit their hearts to Jesus and had just under 4000 attend.

This year we also celebrated the release of the first Youth Alive NSW song in 25 years: “The Jesus Way,” written by Luke O’Dea and Beth Gleeson. Youth Alive Music is officially back, and in November we recorded three original songs live at the ICC, set for release in February 2026. Luke and Beth are doing a phenomenal job leading Youth Alive Music as we seek to cultivate a culture of worship across NSW and the ACT.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our donors. To each of you who have given sacrificially—thank you. Your support has made it possible to reach teenagers with the gospel, raise leaders, and resource youth ministries across our state.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Matt and Beck Wiley
Directors, NSW Youth Alive

YEAR-ON-YEAR
GROWTH CHART

DENOMINATIONS AT ALL OF US
BY NUMBER OF CHURCHES

REGIONAL VS METRO ENGAGEMENT
BY NUMBER OF CHURCHES

YEAR-ON-YEAR
GROWTH

This year we pioneered a leadership dinner tour called ‘EQUIP’. The aim was to create a connection point for youth leaders and to equip them with practical tools to build strong healthy youth ministries. This was a great on-ramp into the Youth Alive network for new Churches and a brilliant opportunity for youth leaders to build strong relationships with each other. 

NEW REGIONS ESTABLISHED

Port Macquarie, North Sydney, Upper Hunter, Blacktown City, Hills Shire​

This year, we successfully established Youth Alive in five new regions across NSW. A region is considered “established” when:

  • A regional leader is appointed and actively serving local churches
  • A Youth Alive event is hosted in that region
  • Multiple churches are engaged and participating in the Youth Alive network


1.

Port Macquarie

For many years, Youth Alive had limited influence in Port Macquarie. This year, we connected with a number of pastors and youth pastors, introduced the vision of Youth Alive, and began building relationships. Together, we hosted a regional rally involving 12 churches across 10 denominations, with 180 in attendance and 60 decisions for Christ. We also held a Leaders EQUIP Tour event, which served as a strong connection point for leaders across the region.

2.

North Sydney

In North Sydney, we ran both a regional rally and a Leaders EQUIP Tour event. The rally brought together four youth ministries with 183 attendees. We celebrated 28 gospel responses, including 20 first-time decisions for Christ. Momentum is building steadily, and a number youth ministries have expressed interest in joining the Youth Alive network in 2026.

3.

Upper Hunter

The Hunter region has experienced growth in recent years. However, due to its large geographical spread, we identified the need to divide the area into the Upper and Lower Hunter to better reach young people. The Upper Hunter is less densely populated and had fewer connected churches, limiting our reach. This year, we hosted a regional rally with 349 attendees and 32 decisions for Christ, marking a strong step forward in strengthening ministry in this area.

4.

Blacktown City & Hills Shire

We are incredibly encouraged by what God is doing in these two regions. We hosted a Leaders EQUIP Tour event at Dayspring Church, gathering 20 churches, many of which had not previously been connected to Youth Alive. This was our largest leaders gathering in NSW, with over 100 leaders in attendance. We are excited to pioneer two new regional rallies in these regions in May and June next year.

NSW Youth Alive
Music

In October, we released the first Youth Alive NSW song in 25 years, titled “The Jesus Way.” The response from youth ministries across NSW and the ACT has been overwhelmingly positive. In November, we recorded this track—along with two additional original songs—live at the ICC Theatre. We look forward to releasing these new songs early next year.

There is a significant need for fresh worship music within Australia, and we are committed to equipping youth ministries with high-quality praise and worship resources that their young people can engage with and use in their own contexts.

Leadership Training
& Youth Alive Academy

The Youth Alive Academy had a great year, thriving under the leadership of Chris Klum (NSW/ACT Academy Leader) and Aywan Suleiman (Sydney Academy Coordinator). Next year we are pioneering an Academy in the ACT! This will be our third Academy location and we’re excited to announce we have already received 10 applications. 

We’re all about raising leaders who raise DISCIPLES! This year, we trained 795 leaders statewide, equipping them to lead effectively in their youth ministries and fields of endeavor. We’ve resourced youth ministries with Alpha, Love Is Our Weapon, Nikki Dent’s Breaking Up with Babel, Teen Freedom, and tools from ythmin.com. These resources empower leaders to disciple teenagers and build strong, thriving youth ministries that transform lives.

DIRECTORS REPORT

It has been a remarkably fruitful year for Youth Alive across NSW and the ACT. We are deeply grateful to God, and we can clearly see His hand at work in everything our teams have put their hands to throughout the year.

This year, we pioneered three new regional rallies—North Sydney, Port Macquarie, and the Upper Hunter. Each of these gatherings served as a catalyst for unity within their regions and collectively saw 102 teenagers commit their lives to Christ.

Our regional rallies experienced extraordinary growth, increasing by 1,000 attendees to a total of over 6,000—the largest number we have ever recorded. What encouraged us most, however, was the surge in church engagement. A total of 240 churches participated this year—75 more than last year. It is clear that youth ministries are hungry for connection and unity, and we count it a privilege to steward this in NSW and the ACT.

Under the leadership of Joel Mitchell, our Young Adults ministry continued to expand its network and impact. More than 500 young adults from over 60 churches gathered at our annual YAYA Conference, which proved to be a powerful and transformative weekend.

Another exciting development was the launch of our Leaders Equip Tour—a series of dinner events across NSW and the ACT designed to connect youth leaders and provide practical leadership tools for building strong, healthy youth ministries. We hosted Equip events in 11 regions, with 450 leaders in attendance. Through this tour, we were also able to welcome a significant number of new churches into the Youth Alive network and officially plant two new regions—Blacktown City and the Hills Shire. More than 100 leaders from these regions attended their Equip gatherings.

All Of Us 2025 was one of the year’s highlights. In faith, we booked the ICC Sydney for our state gathering—an iconic, world-class venue in the heart of Australia’s largest city. The significance of the evening for me was using a venue purpose built for the world to usher in heaven and see teenagers come to know Christ, it doesn’t get much better. We saw 750 teenagers commit their hearts to Jesus and had just under 4000 attend.

This year we also celebrated the release of the first Youth Alive NSW song in 25 years: “The Jesus Way,” written by Luke O’Dea and Beth Gleeson. Youth Alive Music is officially back, and in November we recorded three original songs live at the ICC, set for release in February 2026. Luke and Beth are doing a phenomenal job leading Youth Alive Music as we seek to cultivate a culture of worship across NSW and the ACT.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our donors. To each of you who have given sacrificially—thank you. Your support has made it possible to reach teenagers with the gospel, raise leaders, and resource youth ministries across our state.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Matt and Beck Wiley
Directors, NSW Youth Alive

TESTIMONIES

YEAR-ON-YEAR
GROWTH CHART

DENOMINATIONS AT ALL OF US
BY NUMBER OF CHURCHES

REGIONAL VS METRO ENGAGEMENT
BY NUMBER OF CHURCHES

YEAR-ON-YEAR
GROWTH

This year we pioneered a leadership dinner tour called ‘EQUIP’. The aim was to create a connection point for youth leaders and to equip them with practical tools to build strong healthy youth ministries. This was a great on-ramp into the Youth Alive network for new Churches and a brilliant opportunity for youth leaders to build strong relationships with each other. 

NEW REGIONS ESTABLISHED

Port Macquarie, North Sydney, Upper Hunter, Blacktown City, Hills Shire​

This year, we successfully established Youth Alive in five new regions across NSW. A region is considered “established” when:

  • A regional leader is appointed and actively serving local churches
  • A Youth Alive event is hosted in that region
  • Multiple churches are engaged and participating in the Youth Alive network


1.

Port Macquarie

For many years, Youth Alive had limited influence in Port Macquarie. This year, we connected with a number of pastors and youth pastors, introduced the vision of Youth Alive, and began building relationships. Together, we hosted a regional rally involving 12 churches across 10 denominations, with 180 in attendance and 60 decisions for Christ. We also held a Leaders EQUIP Tour event, which served as a strong connection point for leaders across the region.

2.

North Sydney

In North Sydney, we ran both a regional rally and a Leaders EQUIP Tour event. The rally brought together four youth ministries with 183 attendees. We celebrated 28 gospel responses, including 20 first-time decisions for Christ. Momentum is building steadily, and a number youth ministries have expressed interest in joining the Youth Alive network in 2026.

3.

Upper Hunter

The Hunter region has experienced growth in recent years. However, due to its large geographical spread, we identified the need to divide the area into the Upper and Lower Hunter to better reach young people. The Upper Hunter is less densely populated and had fewer connected churches, limiting our reach. This year, we hosted a regional rally with 349 attendees and 32 decisions for Christ, marking a strong step forward in strengthening ministry in this area.

4.

Blacktown City & Hills Shire

We are incredibly encouraged by what God is doing in these two regions. We hosted a Leaders EQUIP Tour event at Dayspring Church, gathering 20 churches, many of which had not previously been connected to Youth Alive. This was our largest leaders gathering in NSW, with over 100 leaders in attendance. We are excited to pioneer two new regional rallies in these regions in May and June next year.

NSW Youth Alive
Music

In October, we released the first Youth Alive NSW song in 25 years, titled “The Jesus Way.” The response from youth ministries across NSW and the ACT has been overwhelmingly positive. In November, we recorded this track—along with two additional original songs—live at the ICC Theatre. We look forward to releasing these new songs early next year.

There is a significant need for fresh worship music within Australia, and we are committed to equipping youth ministries with high-quality praise and worship resources that their young people can engage with and use in their own contexts.

Leadership Training
& Youth Alive Academy

The Youth Alive Academy had a great year, thriving under the leadership of Chris Klum (NSW/ACT Academy Leader) and Aywan Suleiman (Sydney Academy Coordinator). Next year we are pioneering an Academy in the ACT! This will be our third Academy location and we’re excited to announce we have already received 10 applications. 

We’re all about raising leaders who raise DISCIPLES! This year, we trained 795 leaders statewide, equipping them to lead effectively in their youth ministries and fields of endeavor. We’ve resourced youth ministries with Alpha, Love Is Our Weapon, Nikki Dent’s Breaking Up with Babel, Teen Freedom, and tools from ythmin.com. These resources empower leaders to disciple teenagers and build strong, thriving youth ministries that transform lives.