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 YFC rallies and Bible Quizzing. Both Larry and Gail were involved in YFC during their high school years and served as YFC volunteers throughout college. They began their full-time ministry with YFC in 1977 with “Head of the Lakes YFC” (Duluth, Minnesota) where they served as Campus Life school ministry staff and eventually Larry became the Executive Director. Participation in a YFC Project Serve mission trips to Haiti broke Larry’s heart for youth ministry in the developing world and planted a life-long passion to help YFC 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 YFC, overseeing the YFC 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 YFC 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 YFC ministries around the world, while Gail served in various short-term office positions with YFC as the need arose.

Larry then served as the Americas Area Director for Youth for Christ International (YFCI), serving the YFC 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 YFCI from 2010 to 2015. This role included equipping National YFC ministries with ministry resources, methods, and training programs to enhance the ministry of evangelism and discipleship and engaging the indigenous leaders of YFC ministries around the world.

Larry stepped back from full-time YFC ministry in 2015. He continued mentoring YFC 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 YFCI. Current responsibilities include:

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