Larry and Gail Williams

Kansas City, Missouri

Larry and Gail Williams

Larry can trace his Youth for Christ history back to seventh grade when he participated in Youth for Christ rallies and Bible Quizzing. Both Larry and Gail were involved in Youth for Christ during their high school years and served as Youth for Christ volunteers throughout college. They began their full-time ministry with Youth for Christ in 1977 with Youth for Christ Head of the Lakes (Duluth, Minnesota) where they served as Campus Life school ministry staff and eventually Larry became the Executive Director. Participation in a Youth for Christ Project Serve mission trip to Haiti broke Larry’s heart for youth ministry in the developing world and planted a life-long passion to help Youth for Christ ministries in the developing world become more effective.

That passion led Larry and Gail to move their family to Monrovia, Liberia where Larry served as the West Africa Regional Director for Youth for Christ, overseeing the Youth for Christ work in the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria from 1984 to 1988.

At the conclusion of their term in West Africa they were asked to return to the USA to lead Youth for Christ USA’s Project Serve (short-term missions) ministry. For the next twelve years, Larry served as the Director of Project Serve, sending thousands of short-term missionaries to assist Youth for Christ ministries around the world, while Gail served in various short-term office positions with Youth for Christ, as the needs arose.

Larry then served as the Americas Area Director for Youth for Christ International, serving the Youth for Christ ministries and leaders in North and South America and the Caribbean for nearly a decade.

Following the Area Director Role, Larry served as Vice President for Youth for Christ International from 2010 to 2015. This role included equipping national Youth for Christ ministries with ministry resources, methods, and training programs to enhance the ministry of evangelism and discipleship and engaging the indigenous leaders of Youth for Christ ministries around the world.

Larry stepped back from full-time Youth for Christ ministry in 2015. He continued mentoring Youth for Christ young leaders while serving as the Missions & Executive Pastor of Hillcrest Covenant Church in Kansas City. Larry “retired” from Hillcrest Covenant at the end of 2020 and has reengaged with Youth for Christ International at a deeper level. He currently serves as the North America Regional Director for Youth for Christ International. Current responsibilities include:

Serving on the National Boards of Youth for Christ USA and Youth for Christ Canada and engaging with their leadership staff to facilitate good alignment with the international ministry and encourage these two large and influential Youth for Christ ministries to engage with the global Youth for Christ family, which operates in 110 countries across the globe.
Serving on the Americas Area Leadership Team.
Providing care and connection for the five Youth for Christ ministries in the Caribbean where there has been no Regional Director for a few years.