Our Story

In October 1985 during a silent retreat, Colin Sutton sensed that the Lord was wanting to initiate a new model of youth ministry that would be founded in and through the Christian Community he was leading, the Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community. That day, a vision for an unprecedented model of youth ministry was born, that would play a vital role in the renewal of the Australian Church in the spirit of the New Evangelisation.

In January 1986, the very first Youth Mission Team was established in Sydney. As a remarkable indication of the source of that vision, YMT continues in the present day having come through extraordinary changes in both the Church and the Catholic education system but having maintained an exceptional integrity to the original blueprint mapped out by Colin all those years ago. The outcome of these first 32 years has been the faith conversion of thousands of young people across Australia.

Throughout the YMT journey, Colin demonstrated a tireless belief in the importance of this work and a deep love and concern for those comprising YMT. Through Colin’s legacy, this concern for the well-being of every individual remains one of the contemporary core values of YMT. In February 2016, Colin entered heaven from where we believe he continues to play a vital role in supporting the mission of YMT.