Art Deyo

Dr. Art Deyo met Jesus when he was nine, and Lois, Art’s wife, met Jesus at age 10. They were called into Youth for Christ in 1964, and Art has served in eleven different positions since then. Art is part of the “Legacy Staff” of YFC International. Art and Lois, are Ambassadors at Large for Youth For Christ, writing YFC history, working with historical archives, mentoring and advising young staff, and mobilizing prayer for the ministry.

Art and Lois have raised personal support for the entire 58 years they have been in YFC. Art has traveled to 81 countries and Lois to 54 countries, and in most of them they have worked with both American missionaries and nationals. From 2005-12 they visited missionaries on six continents to advise and encourage them. In 2014 Art received a service award for his 50 years of YFC ministry in 10 different positions. Lois has been quite involved and so supportive of his work all that time.

From 1993-2005 he served as the International Liaison Director for the Asia-Pacific Area. He led many Project Serve and Medical Mission Trips to Asia, helped build the Ragpicker Shelter in India, and pioneered the start-up of YFC in the six countries of Central Asia. He was Regional Director for Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky from 1984-93. He pioneered YFC in Columbus, Ohio, from 1981-84 and served as International Training Director from 1978-81. He served on the Denver Area YFC staff from 1972-81. He directed Youth For Christ in the Los Angeles Area from 1969-72 and in East Central Illinois from 1964-69. A graduate of Taylor University in Physics and Math, Art has a Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois, a Masters in Youth Ministry from Fuller Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Denver Seminary (1986).

Lois studied vocal music for three years at Taylor University, and later she returned to Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Education in 1981. She has a special license from the National Association for Learning Disabilities (NILD) and spent 20 years working one-on-one with students who have learning difficulties.

Art and Lois have a daughter and son-in-law, Deanna and Tim Smith, living in Colorado Springs, who are missionaries with Greater Europe Mission. They have two boys, Luke, 26, and Levi, 22. Luke is married to Elise, and they have two boys, Ryker, 7, and Jayce, 5. The Deyos have a son and daughter-in-law, Jeff and Martha Deyo, who live near Minneapolis where Jeff teaches music and worship on the faculty of North Central University. He is a solo artist, author, and travels on some weekends speaking, and performing with his Christian pop/rock band. They have three boys, Roman, 18, Evan, 17, Channing, 12, and a daughter, Clara, 10.

Since 2012 Art has been the Historian for Youth For Christ and has written an extensive autobiography called From Fission to Fishin’, My Lifelong Mission in Youth for Christ, which was published in April, 2020. The title of the book reflects the fact that God called Art from the field of Nuclear Engineering to the vocation of Youth ministry in Youth For Christ. Thus, he went from working with “fission reactors” to working with “teenage reactors.” His book can be purchased on Amazon and at other retail booksellers.

In 2019 Art wrote the history of YFC/USA and in 2021 he wrote the history of YFC International. In the spring of 2022 he took on the part-time role of support raising coach and mentor on Zoom for some of the indigenous National Directors and staff who need training in how to ask for personal support in appropriate ways for their culture. He is responsible to hold them accountable for their fund-raising.