About Us

Mission

That young people in every culture will personally encounter Jesus Christ and have an opportunity to grow in their faith through transforming wilderness experiences.

Vision

Developing outdoor leaders who are committed to local relational youthwork, who are humble in the heart, and who will excel in the skills of safely and effectively introducing young people to Jesus Christ through outdoor adventure.

Wilderness and Transformation

Throughout history, God has used the wilderness as a special place for transformation. The Biblical text indicates that God’s strategy for developing mission-focused leaders has often involved transforming wilderness experiences. This is an integral part of God’s design for apprenticeship. Yet today in our increasingly urbanized world young people are less able to experience the wilderness. In developing strategies today for recruiting, training, sending and sustaining young leaders as cross cultural or local youth workers who can effectively introduce the young to Jesus Christ, we must re-emphasize this ancient apprenticing method which produced leaders such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, Jacob, David, Peter, James, John, and Paul. Each of them were profoundly called and shaped by the God in the wilderness.

Wilderness and the Missionary Spirit

Throughout biblical history, there has always been an essential connection between wilderness experiences and the missionary spirit. It is clear that Jesus modeled for His disciples a rhythm of engaging people in missions then retreating for rest and reflection in the wilderness. This model is especially crucial as the peoples of the world continue to migrate to the city. Young people today are unsure how to engage a world of poverty, religions, violence, and clashing civilizations.

Wilderness and Raising Up Leaders

As we look afresh at the experiential nature of Jesus Christ’s teaching and training methods, there are many contemporary implications for recruiting, training, sending, and sustaining leaders in urban mission movements today. Whether from developed or undeveloped nations, there is a need for raising up more young mission leaders who have the character, confidence, and competence to engage their local mission field. Outdoor adventure is a proven training ground for developing these kinds of leaders.

Meet the WMI Team

Joel V.

Director

Efraín A.

Latin American Coordinator

Forrest C.

Special Projects

Andrew U.

East Asia Coordinator

Ellis H.

Media Specialist

Andrei S.

Central Asia Coordinator

Ashley D.

Founder

Jon H.

Nexus VP of Asia and Innovative Divisions

Ministry Distinctives

Developing indigenous leaders
Starting and sustaining a culture of disciple-making in the local church
Relational training
Lifting up the young and the poor of our world’s cities
Providing young people the highest quality wilderness experiences at the lowest possible cost
Developing technical outdoor leadership skills equivalent to international standards
A team approach to leadership
International partnership and collaboration among outdoor leaders and youth workers.

The trail helped me understand that my relationship with God will be more about the journey then the end result. What God is doing is more important then finishing!

Greg Fuchs Youth Pastor/Mile High Ministries, Denver

Being on the trail created raw space for God to work in me and the girls that I guided like nothing else has. I was face to face with myself and face to face with the wildness and adventure of Jesus. The climb doesn’t just teach you, it changes you and makes you into more; it forces you to move. I was honored to watch transformation not only in myself, but also within the lives of dozens of teenagers.

Rickelle Hicks Young Life Staff & RMR Backcountry Guide

One of my favorite things about the trail is the community it brings. Defenses come down. Barriers are breached. Authentic relationship is possible. Once you get a taste of that, reality changes. Your expectations are higher. Desire comes alive. In this post-modern culture, often marked by isolation and loneliness, the community formed on a backpacking trip meets the core hunger of both teens and adults today.

Cara Maiolo RMR Backcountry Guide

Joel V.

Director

Currently serving as the Director of WMI, Joel has been actively involved in outdoor leadership and wilderness ministry for over 25 years. With a passion for seeing people’s lives transformed by Christ, He brings his experience of thousands of field days in more than 50 countries to the training courses he leads. He has been working with Nexus and WMI since 2010.

Joel holds a B.A. in Intercultural studies from Biola University, and an M.A. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Talbot Theological Seminary. Joel is a PCGI certified Single Pitch Rock Climbing guide, and a PCGI approved Top Rope Guide Mentor. Joel has stayed current as a Wilderness First Responder since 1994.

Joel and his family live in Oregon where they love skiing, gardening, cycling, climbing and hiking.

Efraín A.

Latin America Coordinator

Efraín has been dedicated to working with youth and adventure camp ministries in Central America since 2007. He is deeply passionate about investing in his local church and community, with a vision to cultivate a culture of disciple-making and develop leaders across Latin America.

Efra is Wilderness First Aid certified, and is a PCGI certified Top Rope Guide.

Forrest C.

Special Projects

Forrest has served for many years as the Director of True North Navigators, an outdoor ministry in Southern Oregon. He has been actively serving in outdoor ministry for over 30 years and is passionate about using adventure and creation intentionally for spiritual formation, especially among young people.

Andrew U.

East Asia Coordinator

Andrew joined our team in 2018, bringing with him over 15 years of experience in international experiential education, outdoor leadership, and camp management. He has been active in youth ministry since 2006. Andrew holds a degree in experiential education and business leadership and has received extensive training in international missions through multiple institutions. Passionate about developing disciple-makers and nurturing leaders worldwide, Andrew currently resides in Tennessee with his wife and son.

Andrew is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and a PCGI Top Rope Guide.

Ellis H.

Media Specialist

Ellis is currently serving as the media specialist for WMI, heading up our storytelling, education and marketing efforts through video and photos. He earned a B.A. in Cinema and Media Arts from Biola University before joining the WMI team in 2024. He was first introduced to wilderness ministry guiding backpacking and mountaineering trips for two summers at a christian camp in British Columbia, Canada. He continued to pursue using wilderness as a tool to reach young people with the gospel in his local community. Ellis has been involved in youth ministry locally in the US through para church organizations like YoungLife but now is more involved through his local church in Colorado. He spent a good portion of his years growing up in Hong Kong which instilled a heart for those around the globe to know Jesus. It also inspired a passion for cross cultural communication and connecting with those different than us. Ellis is a PCGI certified Top Rope Climbing Guide as well as a Wilderness First Responder.

Andrei S.

Central Asia Coordinator

Since 2009, Andrei has been dedicated to serving youth by turning the mountains into a transformative space for young people seeking strength, connection, and personal growth. Through multi-day mountain treks across the majestic landscapes of Central Asia, he combines adventure with education, providing youth with a unique journey of self-discovery and a deeper introduction of the Creator through His creation.

Since 2012, he expanded his impact, becoming a professional guide and entrepreneur in the field of mountain tourism, reaching audiences far beyond his homeland. Now, married for over a decade and a father of three, Andrey remains deeply committed to his calling — inspiring young people to explore both the world around them and their own relationship with Jesus.

Ashley D.

Founder

Ashley is the founder and visionary behind the Wilderness Ministry Institute. He holds a Doctoral degree in Missions and Cross Cultural Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of Christian Outdoor Leadership: Theology, Theory, and Practice and is currently involved in church planting where he and his family currently live.

Jon H.

Nexus VP of Asia and Innovative Divisions

WMI Field Staff

Since 2008 Jon has been working with Nexus and WMI and has been working in youth ministry since 1999 in over 30 countries. Jon also serves as the Vice President of Asia and Innovative divisions of Nexus. He currently holds the Single Pitch Guide certification with PCGI.