Thoughts from a Resident Alien

Lynn Green
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

Lynn Green and his wife Marti first came to England and began the work of Youth With A Mission here in 1971. From 2004-2011 Lynn was YWAM's International Chairman. He continues to convene YWAM's global leadership meetings and focuses much of his energy on international leadership development. In past years Lynn has been much involved in serving other movements and organizations, including Challenge 2000 (the DAWN movement in England), and "March for Jesus", of which he was a founder. He is currently a trustee of CARE Trust. Lynn also directed the "Reconciliation Walk", when thousands of Christians prayerfully retraced the route of the First Crusade, thereby helping to defuse 900 years of bitterness between Muslims, Christians and Jews.

  1. Apr 10

    #296 - Should Elders Retire?

    Prompted by Numbers 8's rule that Levites retired from active service at 50 but "may" continue as guards, Lynn Green revisits Loren Cunningham's own puzzling "retirement" announcement at age 50 in 1985 — a move that turned out to be less about stepping away and more about shifting into a guarding, prophetic role, culminating in the pivotal 2002 "tripod message" on eldership.  Drawing on the rise and later leadership failures of the UK's "New Wine" neo-denominations, Lynn argues eldership is a function of a plural team, not a title, and that retirement means stepping back from day-to-day leadership — not disappearing from the tribe.   Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00) — Loren's Puzzling "Retirement" at 50 Lynn connects Numbers 8:23–26's rule that Levites retired from active tabernacle service at 50 (but "may" continue as guards) to Loren Cunningham's own mystifying decision to step back from day-to-day YWAM leadership at that same age in 1985 — handing oversight to an executive team while quietly devoting himself to rebuilding YWAM's rundown Lausanne training centre for seven sacrificial years.   ▶️ (00:09:35) — Lessons from the "New Wine" Neo-Denominations A look at the UK charismatic renewal's "stay or leave" debate and the remarkable growth of neo-denominational networks (like Holy Trinity Brompton's church-planting model) — followed by the sobering pattern of high-profile leadership failures within those same networks, traced to a lack of genuine accountability at the top.   ▶️ (00:15:55) — Why Eldership Has to Be Plural, Team-Based Leadership Using Acts 15's Jerusalem council as the biblical model, Lynn argues real accountability requires teams of elders with differing gifts — not a single senior leader — and that eldership is earned through the fruit of a person's life and character, not conferred as a title or position.   ▶️ (00:20:18) — What Lauren's "Guarding" Led To, and What Real Retirement Looks Like Tracing Loren's role from 1985 through the pivotal 2002 "tripod message" (prompted by a prophetic warning that YWAM risked losing its apostolic anointing to unaccountable hierarchy), Lynn closes with practical guidance: elders should step back from direct day-to-day leadership around age 50, build and coach a team, and gauge their ongoing role simply by whether they're still being called on for help, teaching, or mentoring — not by a formal announcement. • • ** This is a personal podcast and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth with A Mission.** website - https://lynngreen.blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063522648400 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@MrCLynnGreen

  2. Apr 3

    #295 - Does YWAM plant churches? Why? Why not?

    Lynn Green revisits a recurring question with his own personal history: why doesn't YWAM plant churches — and what does it do instead? He recounts the painful 1970s experience of a gifted team of church-planting leaders who ultimately parted ways from YWAM (eventually founding what became Church of the Nations), a blunt challenge from missionary Don Richardson that YWAM had "no right" to call itself a missions movement without church planting, and the theological distinction (sodality vs. modality) that ultimately shaped YWAM's answer: church-plant only in frontier missions with no existing church, and otherwise stay interdenominational. Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00) — The 1970s Church-Planting Crisis Lynn recounts how a gifted group of charismatic leaders — dismissed from their denomination and welcomed into early YWAM — sparked explosive evangelistic growth but repeatedly found that new converts didn't fit into existing local churches, eventually pushing them toward wanting to plant their own congregation, which created real tension with the interdenominational churches YWAM had partnered with.   ▶️ (00:08:50) — Don Richardson's Challenge and the Sodality/Modality Distinction Missionary Don Richardson's blunt 1979 challenge — "if you are not church planting, you have no right to call yourself a missions movement" — forces YWAM to work out a nuanced answer, landing on Ralph Winter's sodality/modality framework: church-plant only in frontier missions with no existing church, but stay interdenominational everywhere else to avoid poaching from local congregations. ▶️ (00:19:03) — A Painful, Amicable Parting of Ways Lynn's own personal experience serving briefly as an unpaid elder in a congregation YWAM planted, before realising his calling was to the "mobile," interdenominational missions movement rather than local church leadership — leading his closest friends and colleagues to eventually separate from YWAM entirely and found what became Church of the Nations, a painful but ultimately fruitful and honoured parting. ▶️ (00:24:05) — Applying the Lesson to Movements Leaving YWAM Today Drawing the historical lesson forward to today's departures — movements like Fire and Fragrance and Circuit Riders discerning their own calling to plant churches — Lynn closes by describing YWAM's current openness to home Bible studies and small "spot fire" groups (without becoming congregational churches themselves), preserving its core calling to stay interdenominational and mobilise people into missions from churches everywhere.   • • ** This is a personal podcast and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth with A Mission.** website - https://lynngreen.blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063522648400 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@MrCLynnGreen

  3. Mar 27

    #294 - Fundraising and Spiritual Warfare - part 3

    Closing out the series before a youth camp of over 200 campers, Lynn Green defends wealth itself as morally neutral and even a blessing when stewarded generously — citing a real-life example of an open-handed benefactor — while warning that pursuing wealth ("Mammon") functions as ancient idolatry, no different in kind from Molech, Dagon, or Baal. He grounds YWAM's founding "Value 16" (practising dependence on God rather than transactional fundraising) in personal stories, including a remarkable account of provision found literally underfoot in Edinburgh, and closes with a challenge to examine whether Mammon holds too much authority in daily decision-making. Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00) — Wealth as Blessing, Not Sin — With a Real-World Example Framing wealth as morally neutral and potentially a great blessing when generously stewarded, Lynn shares a personal story of a wealthy, open-handed benefactor from his early Colorado years who freely loaned money for education without expecting repayment, illustrating what godly wealth-stewardship can look like in practice. ▶️ (00:11:03) — Mammon as Ancient Idolatry Lynn frames the pursuit of wealth as humanity's oldest and most common idol, drawing a direct line from ancient prosperity gods (Molech, Dagon, Baal) to today's temptation to expect money to deliver the security and fulfilment only God can provide, and introduces YWAM's founding "Value 16" — practising dependence on God for provision rather than transactional fundraising. ▶️ (00:16:24) — Stories of Radical Provision Two vivid stories illustrating dependence on God over financial systems: a colleague named Rihanna finding exactly the money she needed for a train fare lying under her foot on an Edinburgh street corner, and Lynn and Marty's own decision to give away wedding-gift money toward recording equipment early in their marriage, trusting God rather than a financial safety net for their move to Europe. ▶️ (00:28:14) — Closing Reflections: Wealth Inequality, Generosity, and a Heart Check Lynn closes with reflections on the dangers of both entitlement-driven welfare dependency and resentment toward wealth, arguing the goal is godly, generous stewards rather than either extreme — reiterating that fruitful ministry attracts its most sacrificial donors relationally, not transactionally — and ends the series with a personal challenge: examine whether Mammon holds too much authority in your own life. • • ** This is a personal podcast and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth with A Mission.** website - https://lynngreen.blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063522648400 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@MrCLynnGreen

  4. Mar 20

    #293 - Fundraising and Spiritual Warfare - part 2

    Wrapping up the series, Lynn Green digs deeper into the spiritual hierarchy behind Mammon — drawing on Daniel 10's angelic conflict, C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, and Moloch worship in the Old Testament — before turning practical. He recounts nearly being persuaded by a slick charity governance workshop to make fundraising a founder's "number one responsibility," and lays out the alternative: obedience to God first, expressed through generosity, honest communication, real friendship over donor-cultivation, and careful bookkeeping. Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00)  — The Spiritual Hierarchy Behind Wealth Lynn builds a speculative but Scripture-grounded case for a rebellious angelic hierarchy tied to centres of wealth — drawing on Daniel 10's account of angelic resistance, C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, and Ezekiel 28's King of Tyre — then connects it to the disturbing Old Testament practice of child sacrifice to Moloch, the ancient idol of prosperity, as an extreme example of what serving Mammon can demand. ▶️ (00:11:19) — Money Is Neutral; the Love of It Corrupts Clarifying that money itself is a morally neutral medium of exchange representing labour and skill, not something inherently evil — but citing the example of a famously wealthy, deeply isolated acquaintance to illustrate how putting money first corrodes trust and relationships, regardless of the currency's form (cash, gold, or crypto). ▶️ (00:16:17) — The Trap of Fundraising Techniques and a Near-Miss Workshop A cautionary account of a polished nonprofit governance workshop years ago that taught fundraising should be a founder's top priority and that wealthy, influential board members should hold final strategic authority — principles Lynn ultimately rejected, alongside a broader warning against manipulative fundraising imagery and exaggeration that "misrepresents what you're really about." ▶️ (00:26:04) — Practical Keys: Obedience, Generosity, Integrity, and Friendship Lynn's closing framework for financial provision without serving Mammon: obedience to God first, cultivated generosity (including a story of giving away donated ship funds and seeing greater provision follow), honest communication without exaggeration, treating wealthy acquaintances as friends rather than prospects, and maintaining careful, accountable bookkeeping.

  5. Mar 13

    #292 - Fundraising and Spiritual Warfare - part 1

    Lynn Green opens a new series exploring why money matters spiritually, not just practically. Framing Mammon as a real spiritual force per Jesus's words in Matthew 6, he draws on Ezekiel 28's portrait of the King of Tyre (widely read as a type for Lucifer's fall through pride and greed), a covenant blessing statement compiled by his friend Father Macarius, and formative early YWAM stories — including Loren Cunningham's tearful confession of pride over never asking for money — to argue that stewarding finances righteously is inseparable from spiritual warfare, and that systematised, transactional fundraising methods risk quietly enthroning money in place of trust in God. Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00) — Mammon as a Spiritual Power, Not Just Currency Lynn frames the series with Jesus's warning that no one can serve both God and Mammon, arguing Money carries a personality and spiritual weight in Scripture, and grounds this in Ezekiel 28's description of the King of Tyre — widely understood as depicting Lucifer's fall through beauty, trade, greed, and pride. ▶️ (00:10:27) — The New Covenant's Provision Over Mammon's Power Reading a compiled set of covenant blessing statements from his friend Father Macarius, Lynn emphasises that the blood of Jesus purchases genuine prosperity and victory over Mammon's spiritual grip — while cautioning that prosperity is meant to be received in obedience and trust, not pursued as an end in itself. ▶️ (00:18:47) — Early YWAM's "No-Ask" Culture and a Lesson in Hidden Pride The story of YWAM's first five years operating as a traditional faith mission (in the George Müller tradition) that never mentioned financial needs — and a pivotal moment at an early leadership gathering in Desert Hot Springs where a leader publicly wept in repentance, realising that quietly refusing to ask for money had become its own source of spiritual pride rather than genuine faith. ▶️ (00:26:09) — The Risk of Turning Fundraising into a Transaction Closing caution: while many fundraising methodologies work and aren't wrong in themselves, Lynn warns that adopting systematised, culturally-specific fundraising "formulas" risks shifting ministries from acting in obedience and faith toward a cause-and-effect mindset where money — not God — quietly starts running the ministry, illustrated by a real story of a City of London businessman whose confidence in the city's integrity was later shattered by a greed-driven hostile takeover. • • ** This is a personal podcast and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth with A Mission.** website - https://lynngreen.blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063522648400 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@MrCLynnGreen

  6. Mar 6

    #291 - Is this Really Revival? part 4

    Closing out the revival series with a health update six months post-surgery, Lynn Green reflects on the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference and public intellectuals like Ayaan Hirsi Ali converting to Christianity as markers of today's spiritual awakening — then turns to the harder question of physical manifestations (falling, shaking, "bouncing off the walls") that accompany genuine revival. Drawing on Finney, Watchman Nee, and his own experience of staying upright while others fell, he lays out how to discern real encounters with God's presence from soulish or manufactured imitations, and closes with practical safeguards for ministering deliverance responsibly today. Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00) — Health Update and the ARC Conference A personal update six months after intracranial surgery — facial spasm resolved, but lingering memory gaps, balance issues, and a brief return of cardiac arrhythmia — followed by reflections on the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference, especially Ayaan Hirsi Ali's public journey from Islam through atheism to Christianity as a marker of the wider intellectual turn toward faith. ▶️ (00:14:37) — Intercession and the Weight of God's Presence Returning to the series' core theme, Lynn connects this awakening to genuine biblical encounters with God's holiness (Isaiah 6, Daniel, Ezekiel, Abraham's intercession for Sodom), reinforcing that sustained intercessory prayer is what enables God to move in mercy, and encourages both intercessors and leaders not to lose heart or sideline that gift. ▶️ (00:19:31) — Discerning Real Manifestations from Manufactured Ones A candid look at physical manifestations — falling, trembling, shaking — that often accompany genuine revival, illustrated by a story of remaining the only person standing during a powerful prayer time, and a cautionary tale of an evangelist nicknamed "the blow and chop man" who physically pushed people down to simulate the Spirit's power, raising the question of how to tell authentic encounters from performance. ▶️  (00:28:22) — Keeping Revival on the Rails: Order, Teams, and Safeguarding Closing guidance for ministering responsibly during a move of God: citing 1 Corinthians 14's call for order, Acts 2's model of staying rooted in teaching and fellowship, and the necessity of ministering deliverance in trained, accountable teams (recommending John Thompson's book) — especially given today's legal and safeguarding requirements around emotionally intense ministry. • • ** This is a personal podcast and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth with A Mission.** website - https://lynngreen.blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063522648400 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@MrCLynnGreen

  7. Feb 27

    #290 - Is this Really Revival? part 3

    Continuing the series, Lynn Green tackles why genuine revivals so often fizzle out quickly. He revisits his Eagle Grove story with a new detail — a tense theological interrogation by local ministers that nearly shut it down — before drawing a striking parallel between revival's "afterburner" intensity and the sustained "cruise altitude" of ongoing holiness that must follow. He closes with a candid personal account of drifting into counterfeit, "soulish" prophecy in the pursuit of spiritual power, warning that emotional intensity can easily be mistaken for the Holy Spirit's genuine work. Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00) — Awakening vs. Revival, and the Role of Intercessors Lynn distinguishes today's "spiritual awakening" (rising interest in faith, public figures coming out as Christian) from true revival (a heaven-sent, unmistakable conviction of sin and holiness), then makes the case — via Peter Wagner's statistic that only ~2% of believers carry a specific gift of intercession — that sustained, often invisible prayer is the necessary precursor that opens the door to genuine revival. ▶️ (00:16:42) — Why elders nearly shut down Eagle Grove? A previously untold detail from the Eagle Grove story: local town ministers, alarmed the movement might be a cult, summoned Lynn for a tense theological interrogation — and despite disagreeing sharply with his theology, ultimately chose to support what was clearly happening in their young people's lives, opening their churches to the meetings. ▶️ (00:23:17) — Revival's "Afterburners": Why Intensity Can't Last? Using the image of a jet's afterburners (needed for takeoff, but switched off once cruising), Lynn argues that revival's intense initial power is meant to launch believers into a sustained "cruise" of ordinary holiness — reading Scripture, fellowship, daily obedience — and that revivals often falter precisely because leaders try to keep the initial intensity going indefinitely rather than transitioning into steady spiritual growth. ▶️ (00:30:40) — The Danger of "Soulish" Counterfeit Gifts Drawing again on Watchman Nee's The Latent Power of the Soul, Lynn tells a candid personal story of striving to replicate the prophetic gifting he admired in close friends — eventually realising he was reading people's souls rather than hearing from God — and warns that as more young people involved in occult practices seek deliverance, leaders must guard against emotional intensity masquerading as genuine spiritual gifting. • • ** This is a personal podcast and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth with A Mission.** website - https://lynngreen.blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063522648400 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@MrCLynnGreen

  8. Feb 20

    #289 - Is this Really Revival? part 2

    Continuing the series, Lynn Green revisits YWAM's founding season with a key correction from Darlene Cunningham: the real theme of those early revivals wasn't revival itself, but the revelation of God's nature and character — the true common thread from Jonathan Edwards through Charles Finney to the Hebrides. He shares a striking eyewitness letter about a 1973 youth revival, traces the hidden intercessors (Peggy and Christine Smith, Mabel White, Joy Dawson) behind history's great awakenings, and closes by previewing next week's topic: why revival so often provokes opposition from church leadership. Chapters: ▶️ (00:00:00) — Correction: It Was Never About Revival Itself Recapping last week's story, Lynn shares a key correction from a call with Darlene Cunningham and Marty: the early YWAM founders' formative teaching sessions weren't actually themed around revival, but around the revelation of God's nature and character — a thread running through the First Great Awakening's Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, and Finney despite their theological differences. ▶️ (00:17:12) — A 1973 Eyewitness Account and the Pattern That Repeats Lynn reads a lengthy letter from a former YWAM student describing a spontaneous 1973 youth revival at a Baptist church — complete with spontaneous unified singing, healing, and over a hundred conversions — that was ultimately shut down and pushed underground by cautious elders, echoing his own Eagle Grove story and revealing another hidden intercessor behind it. ▶️ (00:20:59) — The Hidden Work of Intercessors Across History A survey of the unseen prayer warriors behind major revivals: Peggy and Christine Smith in the Hebrides, Mabel White in Iowa, Joy Dawson's international intercessory ministry, and Father Nash's practice of praying ahead of Charles Finney's preaching tours — all illustrating that sustained, often obscure intercession consistently precedes visible moves of God. ▶️ (00:29:21) — Setting Up Next Week: Why Revival Gets Opposed Lynn closes with his own story of praying "concerts of prayer" with Graham Kendrick in early-1980s London (which later fed into March for Jesus), reflects on why cautious local church leaders often resist revival's disruption, and previews next week's topic: why revival is so often opposed by those responsible for others' spiritual wellbeing, especially in today's safeguarding-conscious environment. • • ** This is a personal podcast and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth with A Mission.** website - https://lynngreen.blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063522648400 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@MrCLynnGreen

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About

Lynn Green and his wife Marti first came to England and began the work of Youth With A Mission here in 1971. From 2004-2011 Lynn was YWAM's International Chairman. He continues to convene YWAM's global leadership meetings and focuses much of his energy on international leadership development. In past years Lynn has been much involved in serving other movements and organizations, including Challenge 2000 (the DAWN movement in England), and "March for Jesus", of which he was a founder. He is currently a trustee of CARE Trust. Lynn also directed the "Reconciliation Walk", when thousands of Christians prayerfully retraced the route of the First Crusade, thereby helping to defuse 900 years of bitterness between Muslims, Christians and Jews.

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