what we believe 

Youth With A Mission Pittsburgh was founded in 1999 by Doug and Debra Tunney. They dreamed of an opportunity for the church of Pittsburgh to be prepared for and mobilized towards the mission field. Their vision was to reach the world for Christ by equipping believers with a relevant message and an effective tool set. YWAM Pittsburgh has since developed into a movement of missionaries passionate to see God’s desire for all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We began running our Discipleship Training School (DTS) in 2001, with a school beginning each Spring and Fall. YWAM Pittsburgh continued to run Joshua Generation (JG) each summer, a dynamic youth missions program for teens that the Tunneys founded in 1995.

In 2006, God moved the Tunneys and 4 of our staff to Boston, MA to pioneer a new YWAM work. In 2020, Doug and Debi pioneered their 3rd YWAM ministry in Philadelphia, PA which continues to thrive today. Their son, Jeremy, now faithfully leads the work at YWAM Boston. To this day, our YWAM bases in Pittsburgh, Boston, and Philadelphia Our 3 bases continue to collaborate for ministry, invarious ways, including joining together to run JG in Philadelphia each summer.

In the summer of 2011, YWAM Pittsburgh moved from Belle Vernon, 45 minutes outside the city, into South Side, just over the river from downtown. This opened up many doors for refugee and urban ministries, amidst our other continuous programs. We were graciously allowed to rent the 3rd floor of an old monastery where we lived and worked for 5 years before moving to Carrick, another neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

In 2016, through the generous support of friends, family and local churches and businesses, we purchased our very own Ministry Center in Carrick, a strategic location. This new center allowed for growth of our refugee “Kidz Club” program and our Open Gym Basketball and Bible study ministry to young men. It also kickstarted a girl’s group, a Carrick after-school program, and Alpha Groups, a discipleship program for refugee teenagers.

Soon after, a YWAM Boston staff joined us to pioneer Discipleship Bible School (DBS) in Pittsburgh. DBS is a secondary school that reads through and studies the entire bible in just 3 months. We also began regularly hosting Mission Adventures (MA) each summer, a full-service outreach opportunity for groups.

In 2021, a local elementary school reached out for help with their students. We began a weekly mentorship program that meets on campus and we now partner with them for special students events. At the end of 2022, the Pittsburgh Public School District voted to make YWAM Pittsburgh an official partner. We are grateful for the ability to serve the young people of Pittsburgh in this capacity.

As part of our mission, we strive to mobilize the church. Since the beginning of YWAM Pittsburgh, our staff have served their local church communities by volunteering with and leading youth groups, worship teams and church boards. They have also run church Bible studies, evangelism trainings and outreaches, and apologetics courses.

As we seek to fulfill our mission, God continues to network us with local churches and passionate Christians like you who also desire for our city to know Jesus. Let’s work together to advance the Kingdom of God here on Earth!

Fulfilling the Great Commission by reaching the lost, discipling believers, and mobilizing the church.

To reach every nation, tribe, and tongue with the gospel in Pittsburgh and to the ends of the Earth.

Relationships

Integrity

Evangelism

Discipleship

Worship

The Church