What is Awana?

Awana is an international, Bible-centered children's and youth ministry providing local churches with weekly clubs, programs and training for students in preschool through high school. Our goal is to equip churches to reach kids, and their families, with the gospel of Christ and train them to serve Him. (Learn about the prayer, vision, mission and values of Awana.) The acronym Awana comes from the first letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed as taken from 2 Timothy 2:15.

Awana began in 1950 as a youth program at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago, Illinois. Lance Latham, the church pastor, worked with Art Rorheim to develop a program that would appeal to young people, reach them with the gospel and train them in the Lord's work. Other churches heard about the success of the Awana program and asked if they could use it. By 1960, Awana had registered 900 churches to start Awana.

Today, more than 12,000 U.S. churches run Awana. There are clubs in all 50 states. Awana can also be found in over 3,300 churches in 109 other countries and six continents. Jack Eggar is our President/CEO. Art Rorheim serves as our co-founder.

Regional missionaries and ministry teams will assist you in establishing Awana as a vital part of your local church's outreach, discipleship and volunteer training. Find your area missionary and contact him today, or learn more about what we believe as a Bible-teaching ministry. If you're interested in working for Awana, check out our current job openings. If you're looking for an Awana program in your area, use our club finder to locate local churches with Awana.