We exist to:

  1. Witness to all that Jesus Christ came to suffer, die, and rise in victory to pay for their sins.
  2. Invite the unchurched to join local congregations to be fed and strengthened in Word and Sacrament and invite other youth and adults to join us in Witnessing.
  3. Train other youth and adults to Witness.

We do this in six ways:

  1. Bible Study
  2. Songs
  3. Puppet Shows
  4. Dramas
  5. Personal Witnesses
  6. Neighborhood Canvasses

Where we gather:
Local/District Group Weekends

  • During our weekends across the country, leaders and experienced youth train new youth in using these 6 witnessing methods Friday night through Sunday mornings. Youth train in small groups in these methods and then share them in the community with the neighborhood survey, devotions at local Nursing Homes, Sunday School openings, and any other venues the local congregation would like.
  • We encourage Local/District groups to host weekends each month at a different LCMS congregation in their District so that youth can experience growth, confidence, leadership, and various congregations within the LCMS – as well as get to know other Lutheran youth in their area with a passion for Christ.


National Training Gatherings

  • Here youth from various local/district groups gather together to better equip themselves for Witnessing in their local groups. With in-depth workshops, relevant-issue large group presentations, rehearsing and putting into practice our witnessing methods, and fellowship, youth return to their local groups more apt to lead and share.

How do I start an OAFC group in my area?

First check our Local Groups to see if there is a group near you. If not, a local group needs 4 things to get started:

  1. An adult leader
  2. A pastoral advisor/advocate
  3. Interested Lutherans
  4. Congregations willing to host weekends

Our national organization will assist you in starting a group by sending you a starter kit with songbooks, drama books, and all the forms you'll need. We can even send an experienced team of Ambassadors to help promote OAFC in your area and train a core group for you to get started!

A History of OAFC:

            Ongoing Ambassadors For Christ (OAFC) began in 1970 in Brownsdale, MN by Pastor Fred Darkow as a means of anchoring post-Confirmation youth to the witness and ministry of the Church. It quickly spread to many congregations in the LCMS and became a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1980 as a youth and evangelism program. From Minnesota OAFC has impacted most of the states and districts in the Synod with groups from New York and Pennsylvania down to Florida, Washington and Oregon down to California, and states in between. Wherever there are youth who want to learn more about their faith and who want to share their faith in Christ with a world in need, OAFC is a program for them.

            We are called Ambassadors because the calling of all of Christ's Church is to speak and proclaim His Gospel of forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation on His behalf to His world. The Apostle Peter says to all Christians, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light," (1 Peter 2:9), and again, "In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense (lit. apologetic) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). With such a great responsibility given to the Church, we need to train youth and adults to be prepared to witness Christ and speak about Him and for Him to our world.

            We are called Ongoing because we seek to gather in local groups each month to grow ourselves, spiritually, and seeking to assist others to grow by God's power through His Word. By meeting each month in local groups youth are encouraged to become proficient in our methods and so learn to take leadership and teach others. It also allows us to reach more people with the Gospel by going to different places and speaking to different people. 

            Because OAFC engages youth with God's Word in very real-life situations, many of our youth come to realize that the need for professional witnesses to the Gospel is great. A number of our youth go on to fields in Church work, like pastors and DCEs and teachers, and many more go on to be elders and church members who know that the Church needs to reach out and not keep the Gospel to ourselves.