I’m excited to see how the future of YS will continue to develop. Like many of you, YS has a special place in my heart.
Tic has been accessible to all of us over the years, a great friend to many of us and a mentor to a few of us. Much of the recent growth and momentum of Barefoot can be attributed to Tic’s brief but very effective role as a consultant to Barefoot (in between the time he was released by Zondervan and taking the Exec Dir role at YS/Youthworks!).
I remember Tic telling me a couple of years ago just before he re-joined YS, “I don’t think I am the future of YS. I don’t know who is, but this thing can’t just go away. I can help YS by being a bridge to the future.” He has certainly done that and very effectively.
I’ve known Mark for a bunch of years. I can’t remember when and where we first met but since meeting Mark we’ve developed a working and personal relationship. Mark is an innovator. He is a futurist. He is a thinker. But before any of that, Mark is a faithful father and husband, a volunteer youth worker and an active participant in his community. Who knows where YS will go — but I’m confident that Mark’s leadership will provide YS will a healthy and effective future of serving youth workers and youth ministries around the globe.
I think good things are ahead for YS. It will be interesting to see how many changes are made, if any, and how quickly. It has played such a large role in shaping the youth ministry landscape and I think many of us know there is still much to come.