Verley Sangster

A beloved leader to so many, Verley Sangster helped oversee the growth of Young Life’s multiethnic (formerly “urban”) work in the ’70s, ’80s, and early ’90s. From area director in Westside Chicago to the executive vice president of field ministries, he faithfully served his Savior through the various ups and downs along the way. An advocate for every kid to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, Verley was a voice of care and concern throughout his service to the mission, and in his later years in other organizations.

In the summer of 1972, Verley and his wife, Pearlean, were invited to Frontier Ranch as adult guests. The time spent seeing kids encounter the Lord at camp left an indelible impression upon the couple.

“This was something that we could not even dream about as young people,” Verley said, “and we were going to do all we could to see that every kid of color had the opportunity to have that experience while they were kids. That was our initial involvement, and certainly it was the greatest week of our life.”

They answered the Lord’s call by leaving their home in South Bend, Indiana, and moving with their eight children to the west side of Chicago. Here Verley became the director of the Young Life Center which provided community resources, including legal and medical aid for residents, in addition to urban youth development work. The Young Life Center ran four Young Life clubs. Verley’s vision and pioneering ways can be seen in these early days as he led what some might argue to be the first of our present-day WyldLife programs.

Verley was a natural leader, as seen in the various roles he took on during his 21-year tenure on staff. During his time in Chicago, he and Bo Nixon, a pioneer of the work in New York City, formed what was to become the Urban Primus Council. The assembly, consisting of ​ seasoned urban staff, helped give voice for the urban staff to tell the larger mission of Young Life what they needed.

Verley was called upon frequently to bridge the gap between the urban staff and mission leadership; throughout the time he served there were many growing pains as urban and suburban staff sought to understand each other and their needs. In an often emotionally charged atmosphere, Verley often served as a voice of reason, clarity, and understanding.

In 1979, these qualities were one of the many reasons President Bob Mitchell promoted Verley to the position of national Urban director, a role he served in for a decade. His duties included pastoring and counseling the Urban field staff; planning for staff growth and training; serving on boards and councils of national Young Life to represent urban interests; and evaluating and assessing each of the urban areas. When he began there were 16 Urban areas around the U.S.; by 1987 that number had grown to 45.

His last two titles reflect the honor and respect he had engendered throughout his career. Verley served as the executive vice president of U.S. field ministries (1989-1993) and vice president of Multiethnic and Urban Ministries (1993-1994). President Doug Burleigh, who appointed Verley to the first position, said he sensed in Verley, “A man deeply committed to a prayer ministry with this mission and one who draws from significant spiritual resources in his own personal life. I believe Verley is uniquely qualified to hold together and unite this diverse field team in the United States Leadership.”

In 1994 Verley left Young Life to become president of the Center for Urban Theological Studies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fulfilling a long-held dream to develop an urban leadership training program. He held this position until his retirement in 2004.

In a 1987 edition of Relationships​ magazine, Verley shared his passion for the work of Young Life:

“Young Life’s mission is ‘the gospel to every kid.’ Not just rich kids or poor kids. Not just black kids, brown kids or white kids. Not just your kids or my kids. Every kid. Not just a lot of kids or even most kids. Every kid. Not just charming kids or beautiful kids. Not just lovable kids or intelligent kids. Every kid … it’s a dream worthy of our time. A dream worthy of our energy. A dream worthy of our money. A dream worthy of our lives.”

Quite simply, and without fanfare, Verley was the embodiment of this belief to a deeply grateful mission.