Youth Alive | Billy & Katy Willis
- Ashland Church of Christ
- Oct 4
- 4 min read
“Students sharing Jesus, connecting churches to schools.” — Youth Alive mission statement agyouth.org
What Is Youth Alive?
Youth Alive is a movement of the Assemblies of God designed to partner with students in launching peer-led, student-initiated clubs and ministries on school campuses. The goal is to give young people tools, training, and encouragement so they can personally share the gospel with their friends and help connect their peers into local churches. agyouth.org+1
Some key features:
Student-initiated — A student senses a calling and takes the lead in starting a club. AG News
Student-led — The ministry is run and driven by students themselves (with adult support), not as a top-down program. AG News
Church-fed — The local church, youth pastors, and leaders provide discipleship support, resources, and long-term care for students involved. AG News
Campus Missionaries — Youth Alive encourages students to live missionally in their schools, neighborhoods, and peer groups. agyouth.org
Resources and training — There are curricula, “Alive in 5” booklets, and leadership development resources to equip student leaders. agyouth.org
In a recent article, AG News highlighted stories of students like Madi and Ashton, who launched clubs in middle and high school, ministered to their peers, and grew spiritually through the process. AG News The article also notes that since 2022, Billy and Katy Willis have helped launch nearly 30 Youth Alive clubs across Illinois. AG News
Why this matters: a Barna Group statistic cited in the article says only 6% of adult Christians made their decision to follow Christ after the age of 18 — meaning our greatest opportunity to reach someone is while they’re still young. AG News
The Story of Billy & Katy Willis
Billy and Katy Willis serve as U.S. missionaries through the Assemblies of God, leading the Youth Alive work especially in Illinois and beyond. AG News Their history in student ministry started as youth pastors, doing school outreaches and assemblies. But after facing opposition from organizations like the Freedom from Religion Foundation, their access to campuses was restricted. AG News
In response, they leaned into a more sustainable, student-driven model: Youth Alive. Now they travel across Illinois, training students and youth pastors, helping them start clubs, and equipping them to live missionally. AG News
In the AG News article, Billy says:
“One of the reasons we lose teenagers is because we have not given them something more appealing to live for than sin … we must help our students pursue a purpose that is greater than the sin that pursues them.” AG News
Their work is not just about events or assemblies — it’s about generational change through peer ministry, discipleship, and church partnership.
How You Can Support Billy & Katy Willis (and Youth Alive)
If you believe in this vision, here are some practical ways to support:
Pray
Pray for Billy, Katy, their family, and the students they serve.
Pray that new clubs would be launched in more schools, and that existing clubs would flourish.
Pray for favor with school administrations, local churches, and communities.
Give Financially The Assemblies of God has set up a giving channel specifically for supporting their work: Donate to Billy & Katy Willis / Youth Alive giving.ag.org These funds help with training, travel, resources, and supporting student missionaries.
Be a Champion Locally
Encourage your church leaders, youth pastors, or boards to adopt a “church-fed” mindset: let students lead and be supported rather than always being the primary drivers.
Offer your church as a partner to local student clubs (meeting space, mentorship, prayer support).
Invite Billy & Katy to come speak, train, or lead workshops in your region.
Connect Students
If you know students who are passionate about sharing their faith, encourage them to connect with Youth Alive or reach out to Billy & Katy.
If you lead youth, invite them to consider becoming a campus missionary.
Youth Alive at A-C Central / in Ashland
We’re blessed to have a Youth Alive presence locally in Ashland among the A-C Central schools! Here are the contacts:
Faith Wells — High School Youth Alive leader
Lanie Wells — Middle School Youth Alive leader
If you are a student or parent at A-C Central and want to get involved:
Reach out to Faith or Lanie to find meeting times, locations, or how to join.
Pray for their leadership, wisdom, and for more students to be bold in their faith.
Invite friends to the club, help with logistics, or see how the church can support.
Here’s a video to help you see Youth Alive in action and hear testimonies from students:
More videos from Billy and Katy Willis https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSZtsiK0qHY4wc9wHI3UOJdsA3eUDq7jA&si=rF9w-6MCYdmIY91s
Final Thoughts & Call to Action
Youth Alive is more than a youth program. It’s a movement: students stepping up, sharing Jesus with their friends, and connecting their peers to local churches. It’s a sustainable, reproducible model built on the conviction that the greatest harvest field is among young people.
If you’ve been touched by youth ministry, believe in the power of peer ministry, or simply want to see students transformed, here’s what you can do now:
Pray for Billy & Katy Willis and Youth Alive.
Donate via the Assemblies of God giving link above.
Encourage your church and youth leaders to adopt and support a student-led model.
Help spread the word locally — share this blog, share the video, talk to parents and students.
Support the Youth Alive club at A-C Central by connecting with Faith Wells or Lanie Wells and asking how you can help.
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