Yaconelli, Mike (1942-2003)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2003 Nov 10 p. 3

Birth date: 1942

text of obituary:

Popular youth ministry leader dies in truck crash Spoke at Atlanta 2003 convention

By Robert Rhodes

Mennonite Weekly Review

Popular author and youth minister Mike Yaconelli, who spoke at several Mennonite youth conventions, including Atlanta 2003 in July, died Oct. 30 after the pickup he was driving struck a light pole near his hometown of Yreka, Calif.

Yaconelli, 61, author of such youth-oriented books as Messy Spirituality and Dangerous Wonder, was alone in the vehicle and apparently veered off Interstate 5 about 8 p.m. Oct. 29, striking the light pole.

Yaconelli died early Oct. 30 after being airlifted to a Redding, Calif., head trauma unit.

"This is like Billy Graham passing away for the evangelicals," said Jorge Vallejos of Elkhart, Ind., director of convention planning for Mennonite Church USA. "He was a regular at our youth conventions. . . . He was always rated the No. 1 speaker."

Vallejos and Yaconelli's approach to youth ministry elicited strong reactions from both fans and critics.

"I think he ruffled some feathers," Vallejos said. "He especially made adults feel uncomfortable sometimes.

"But youth loved him. He knew his audience. . . . He felt called to speak to youth in a way they could understand."

In addition to Atlanta 2003, Yaconelli spoke at Mennonite conventions in Nashville in 2001 and Wichita, Kan., in 1995.

"The church ought to be opening its arms and looking at each one of us and saying, "Come on in,'" Yaconelli told a youth assembly during Atlanta 2003. "We don't like [church] most of the time because it's boring. . . . All we're asking is, talk a language we all understand. . . . If we're welcome at the table, then listen to us."

Yaconelli, who is survived by his wife, Karla, and five children, was cofounder of Youth Specialties, a ministry for youth and youth workers.

Robert Yoder of Goshen, Ind., conference youth minister for Central District Conference, said Yaconelli was a pioneer in youth ministry, in part because he stuck with it for more than 30 years.

"One of the things that I appreciated is his passion for youth ministry," Yoder said. "He definitely has influenced thousands and thousands of people."