Name: Loren D. Cunningham
Graduation Year: 1957
Major: Bible and Christian Education
Current Position: Founder YWAM, Leader in Missions
City and State: Kailua- Kona, HI
Tell us about your career and what you do now.
I promote the Great Commission Worldwide, traveling up to 200 days a year with YWAM. I visit every continent each year.
What is your favorite memory from CBC?
It was my in-depth study of the Bible, under people like Dr. Johns and others.
How did CBC help you identify/develop your calling?
I believe that you don’t identify your calling by searching but by serving. Transferring from one year at UCLA to CBC, only two weeks after arriving, I founded a small church in a churchless community about 45 minutes away from Springfield. When the Church stabilized I turned it over to others and it continued on. I joined with a singing group designed for evangelism. Every weekend we traveled to states all around from Minnesota to Florida leaving Friday at noon and getting back Monday morning in time for class. My call came to me at age 13, but the experience at CBC certainly helped me to develop.
How did your experience at CBC prepare you for life after graduation?
After graduation, I went on to receive more degrees, both undergraduate and graduate at USC. My experience with the moves of God in the chapel and the study of the word of God and my outreaches in pastoring a little church and evangelizing prepared me for life after graduation.
What advice would you give a current student preparing for the workforce?
I would advise current students to be well grounded in the Word with a Biblical Christian worldview for whatever workforce they are led to join
What would you look for if you were in a position to hire a new graduate?
In YWAM, as a mission’s movement, we don’t hire, we join. YWAM has over 2,000 permanent locations in 191 countries having started over 2,000 preschools worldwide and K-12 schools in every continent and UofN courses in 162 nations at permanent locations in 785 locations with staff and students. Students wanting to get involved in this mission movement need to go through a Discipleship Training Course, which consists of 3 months preparation in the classroom and then traveling with small teams into other cultures of the world and other nations for the last 2-3 months.