Meet the National BYM Team

Merrilyn Withers

Merrilyn Withers is a youth ministry legend!

Merrilyn began her youth ministry career as Youth Pastor of Wellington South Baptist Church in 1980 and served as a regional consultant in Canterbury and Wellington before taking on her current role as National BYM Leader in 2004.

Merrilyn loves to equip young people and youth leaders to be the very best they can be for God! She has a special heart for teenagers on the edge of society and longs to see their lives transformed through genuinely loving and life-giving youth ministries and churches.

Everyone who has the privilege of hearing Merr speak is inspired by her love for God.

P 04 973 1825
M 021 793 412 (Baptist plan)
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S 20 Marsden Avenue, Karori, Wellington 6012

GARY GRUT

Gary (Gazza) started as National Manager in February 2010.

Gary loves golf and spent 20 years playing professionally in Asia and the Pacific before hearing God's call to pastor youth at Titirangi Baptist where he started in 1996.

Gary's passion is to develop and train young leaders you will often hear him saying, "Grow the ministry grow leaders".

P 09 526 7950

M 021 476 946 (Baptist Plan)

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S PO Box 12149, Penrose, Auckland 1642

Alan Ameye

Alan Ameye is BYM's Regional Consultant in Auckland. Alan, and his wife Heather, spent thirteen years working for YFC in Wellington before moving to the City of Sails to serve as youth pastors, for nearly eleven years, at Windsor Park Baptist Church on the North Shore.

Alan enjoys identifying and observing new trends in youth ministry and endeavours to keep up with new initiatives around the world. He's made a habit of leading groups of youth pastors to conferences in Australia and the USA, exposing them to other ways of 'doing' youth ministry well.

Alan's current role enables him to support, train and equip youth leaders.

M 021 526 393 (Baptist plan)
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S PO Box 8936, Symonds Street, Auckland 1010

Nigel Cottle

Nigel Cottle is BYM's Young Adults Researcher in Auckland. His initial involvement in youth ministry was serving as Youth Pastor at Glen Eden Baptist Church in Auckland, before moving to Kumeu Baptist Church, on the city's north-west edge.

Nigel is deeply concerned about the missing generation - young adults - in our churches.

Nigel, along with his family and another (Blue Bradley's - Northern Easter Camp Director), are planting a missional church in the inner city suburb of Kingsland. There's never a dull moment in Nigel's life!

M 021 899 087 (Baptist plan)

Johanna Vannathy

Johanna stared in Wellington as Regional Consultant March 2011.  Johanna is a legendary Youth Pastor pastoring at Hosanna Poirua for 10 years voluntary before taking up a paid role on 2011.

Johanna is a visionary full of passion and energy and a love to see young people on fire for God.

M 021 269 3379 (Baptist plan)
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Kim Barker

Kim is the Regional Coach for Invercargill/Southland.  Kim is passionate about seeing healthy youth ministries well networked in Southland.

M 022 076 3218

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Tracey Wakefield

Tracey lives in the Bay of Plenty and works as a BYM Regional Coach, in addition to her role as Youth Pastor at Whakatane Baptist.

Her primary role is connecting and supporting Baptist youth work in the Bay of Plenty.

Tracey completed pastoral leadership training at Carey, graduating  with a degree in Applied Theology and Diploma in Pastoral Leadership, and is a registered Baptist pastor. She has a love for young people and youth work, a heart for the wider picture, and she brings enthusiasm, commitment and a breadth of experience in youth work to this position

Mike Dodge

Mike Dodge has been involved in youth ministry since he started running the Christian group at his school and looking out for the fringe kids in his youth group at the age of fifteen! Mike cut his teeth in YFC for ten years, working with youth work veterans like Ian Grant, before becoming Youth Pastor at St Albans Baptist Church in Christchurch in the early 90's.

Fourteen years ago Mike took on the role of regional consultant role for Canterbury/Westland. Mike and his team established a trust called Canterbury Youth Services to work across the churches and denominations in his region. CYS runs New Zealand's largest Easter Camp, in addition to training events for youth leaders and young people. 

In recent times, Mike has become a big fan of Strength Finder. Strength Finder helps people discover their top five strengths and then focus on developing them.

Mike is a sought after speaker at youth ministry events. His sense of fun and practical teaching is appreciated by teenagers and youth leaders alike.

P 03 354 2181
M 027 485 7772
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S PO Box 5533, Papanui, Christchurch 8051

Mike Enright

Mike Enright is the Chairperson of the National BYM Team and the BYM Executive. He is also the Senior Pastor of Karori Baptist Church in Wellington.

Mike has a long history of involvement in youth ministry. He was the Youth Pastor of Whangaparoa Baptist Church before studying at Carey College and then becoming the Pastor of New Plymouth Central Baptist Church.

As a father of five, Mike brings a wise head and decades of experience to his leadership role in BYM.

P 04 476 9697
M 021 114 8910
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S PO Box 17192, Karori, Wellington 6147

Mike Enright (Chairperson), Keith Taylor, Brian Krum and Jane Wilkinson.

The BYM Executive was established in April 2008 and consists of people who believe in the long term significance of youth ministry and desire to see BYM flourish. The executive is responsible for the governance of BYM, and appointment and oversight of national staff.