Amanda Roozeboom Appointed Director of ThereforeGo Ministries

ThereforeGo Ministries recently appointed Amanda Roozeboom as executive director of the organization that has long been the main resource partner for youth ministry in the Christian Reformed Church.

Roozeboom comes to the position after 10 years serving other roles at ThereforeGo, most recently as director of the SERVE program. “I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside teens in youth ministry for nearly 30 years,” she told The Banner. She said what began as a volunteer role grew into becoming a commissioned pastor and serving as youth and ministry coordinator at Seymour CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich. “It was at Seymour that I was first introduced to SERVE and attended five SERVE trips with the youth from the church.”

SERVE trips started in 1989, sending members of youth groups out across North America to serve communities, often with work projects. Rozeboom said that 153 churches have been SERVE hosts. This summer, 19 sites in the U.S. and Canada will host over 900 participants. Roozeboom has gone on more than 40 SERVE trips and adds to that number each summer.

ThereforeGo started more than 100 years ago as the American Federation of Reformed Young Men’s Society. In 1957 it amalgamated with the federation for young women, forming the Young Calvinist Federation. In 1993, the name was changed to Youth Unlimited, and was changed again in 2020. “We changed our name to ThereforeGo Ministries to better reflect our calling to equip not just the youth of the church, but to support intergenerational communities within the church,” Roozeboom said. Rick Zomer, currently a faith formation consultant with CRCNA’s Thrive, was a previous executive director.

The organization has sponsored youth trips since 1962. Generations of young adults have gone on four-week trips, known as SWIM, which stood for Students Working in Ministry but was also known as Summer Workshops in Missions. It was a collaboration with Christian Reformed Home Missions (now Resonate Global Mission) to immerse young people in hands-on ministry experiences. Rozeboom said that for many participants, it ultimately led to careers in ministry.

“As a youth-focused organization, what Gen Z and Gen Alpha think and feel about the church has a direct impact on what we do,” said Rozenboom of the organization’s challenges. “However, when a local church hosts SERVE, they expand their reach within the community, raise up new leaders and volunteers within their congregation.”

Roozeboom said one of her greatest joys in leading the organization in a world that is more and more divided, is seeing unity in action. “It is such a beautiful sight to watch people set aside their differences and work together for a common goal: loving Jesus and serving their neighbors.”