About Us

We are a part of a larger movement called Youth With A Mission (YWAM), which was founded in 1960 by Loren & Darlene Cunningham. This decentralized, organic movement is truly global, present in most countries of the world. YWAM is characterized by an apostolic passion, and it has mobilized millions of believers to spread the message of Jesus through evangelism, training and mercy ministry.

Who We Are
Our staff have lived long-term as YWAM missionaries in places like Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Finland and Russia. We have established refugee ministries, ministry schools, crisis pregnancy centres, outreach to trafficked women.  We have engaged in church planting and prayer projects. Since 2006 our focus has shifted on the new spirituality mission field, esp. in the Western nations.

Multitudes are searching for spiritual life outside of traditional religions. New spiritual movements are spreading and they offer healing & wellness, as well as esoteric experiences.  Alternatives Network believes that the Holy Spirit is preparing many Christians to tackle this new mission frontier.  With at least 20% of the population involved in alternative spirituality, this is not a fringe phenomenon.

Our History
Apart from our YWAM journey described above (which began in 1987), the history of our new focus has its roots in the 2006 Basel Consultation on Evangelism in a New Age. This event gathered practitioners who were already involved in the "spiritual mission field". Others came to learn and get fresh direction. The consultation was convened by Jeff Fountain, then YWAM's European director, and we as a YWAM ministry (out of Cyprus at that point) decided to explore this new type of missional outreach.

Since relocating our ministry from Cyprus to Canada in 2007, our "missional shift" has grown into an international network of people who want to bring the love and power of Jesus into the spiritual marketplaces of Europe and North America.  Our teams have ministered at many holistic health and alternative spirituality expos, with hundreds coming to Christ and many reporting healings. We also train churches and organizations to do this kind of contextualized ministry in their region. Our flagship training for that is called "Carry the Light".

Alternatives Network also offers different retreats, which focus on renewal, contemplation, healing etc. Another aspect of our work is inner healing.  See more under We Offer.