We exist to develop high-capacity and high-character leaders

Graduates of all of Waymaker Institute’s programs have been sent out across the world. Their development has equipped them to lead in their community, local church, and across the nations to further the Kingdom of God.
Graduates
Ministry Leaders
Countries
Graduate data as of October 2022
What Waymaker Institute graduates are saying
I absolutely loved being a part of the internship at Waymaker during my Junior year of college! Having the opportunity to serve the Lord through local church ministry while at the same time experiencing so much growth and development is something I will be forever thankful for. It opened my eyes to how the Lord is working through His church, and laid a powerful foundation for my next steps in ministry through serving on staff at Waymaker, interning at Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, and working as a graduate assistant at Liberty University while pursuing my MBA! God is so good and I’m forever grateful for how this internship sharpened and equipped me — not just with a skillset, but with intentional character development that shaped who I am today.
Waymaker Institute provided me a safe place to awaken my calling and embrace my identity in Christ. Surrounded by a spirit-led community, I have been developed and cared for like never before.
The Waymaker Institute Internship has given me so many opportunities for growth and development unlike anywhere else. Being able to work with the Students Team has been life changing and has had such a huge impact on what I want to do for the rest of my life.
The Academic Program was life-changing. This year shifted old ways of thinking and perspectives to new, transformative, godly approaches to the world and the church. I know I can walk confidently that the Lord has equipped me and will continue to equip me with the things for his mission. I am so grateful for WMI in how much this year taught me.
At the time, the Residency was one of the most challenging, yet developmental seasons of my life. It was a safe space to fail, so God was consistently refining and growing me spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. The season of residency truly grew me in dependence and faithfulness in the Lord as well. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” (Luke 16:10) The Residency also prepared me to be able to humbly yet confidently run after the callings that God has given me, both in ministry and in the nations!
Waymaker Institute has changed my view of ministry. It has prepared and equipped me to go after more within ministry than I would’ve ever thought possible.
The Residency at Waymaker.Church was a life-changing experience that set me up for success in my calling to ministry. From the practical side of growing in my leadership and ministry execution to the spiritual transformation that God did within me, I was forever changed. This is the best place to be if you have a calling to ministry and want the opportunity to grow and learn.
My experience with the Waymaker Internship was a great time of reflection on what I thought ministry was verse what ministry truly is. I learned that ministry is solely about bringing glory to God and serving His people no matter what capacity that is in.
Waymaker Institute has prepared me for living out my life on purpose and being obedient to where God leads me.
The residency is the best thing that could have happened to me when I graduated from college. I have been fiercely prayer over, protected, and loved on, and I now know the voice of the Holy Spirit in ways I could have never imagined.
From being an Academic Student at WMI to being a Summer Intern, I truly don’t think I would be where I am today without the development and growth I experienced at WMI! I had the pleasure of working with our Student Ministries Team during my time at Waymaker Institute – and I learned so much. I got to be a part of seeing The Lord transform the hearts of young people. God taught me that He wants to use my story and testimony to minister to the hearts of the next generation. All followers of Jesus have a role in building the kingdom of God, and Waymaker Institute gave me the space to learn how I can best serve with the giftings God has given me. I believe WMI was an amazing launching pad that has equipped me for a deep pursuit of ministry and as a follower of Jesus in everyday life!
The Residency was one of the hardest and most fruitful experiences of my life. Yes, I do believe deeply that there was so much preparation for the task of ministry; however, even greater than that, residency forced me to be open-handed with Jesus, ingrained in me the practice of doing hard things, and helped produce endurance in my faith. And exponentially grew my love for the local church! All of this has played a huge role in what I get to do now, loving and leading our middle and high school students!
I am nowhere where I thought I would be, but I’ve never been more certain about where God has me going. I have new passions and have seen new gifts emerge that align with those passions. I have no doubt that God is using this time to train and prepare me for leadership in His church.
From the functions of a church staff to practicing spiritual disciplines, WMI has trained me in both knowledge and practice to deal with the harder parts of ministry that I had never learned in a classroom before. What started as my next step academically, has now become a milestone in my spiritual maturity.
Going through the academic program transformed my mindset in regard to walking faithfully and being Gospel-minded in all aspects of life. In addition to learning practical ministry skills, one of the most prominent lessons I still dwell on is the concept of beginning with the end in mind and allowing God’s heart for His mission to inform my decisions.
The Waymaker Institute Residency has been radically transforming not only for my ministry experience, but also for my spiritual formation and relationship with God. It has provided a new perspective and understanding of God’s calling in my life for His Kingdom.
My experience as a worship intern was very growing, both personally and professionally. I learned a lot about the role of the Church and the value of serving the Body of Christ.