Partner Architects: Building a Thriving YWAM Community in a Non-Christian Nation
Partner Architects helps build the mission by working with ministries to create places that support God’s redemptive work in the world. Underserved nations with low Christian populations often have no access to professional services. Partner Architects fills that need by providing design services. One of their ongoing projects is in The Gambia, West Africa.
Since 2024, Partner Architects has been helping design a new YWAM campus in Soma, The Gambia. YWAM Gambia is reaching its local community, the surrounding villages, and the nations while also discipling Muslim converts in how to thrive as Christians in a Muslim country. They minister to youth by giving them real world skills through their welding apprenticeship school. Partner Architects came alongside YWAM Gambia to execute a campus development plan to meet their diverse ministry needs.
One challenge that Partner Architects and the YWAM Gambia team faced was how to creatively make use of inexpensive and readily available building materials. For example, earthen blocks have been dug and pressed by ministry members who are actively part of the construction process.
A key structure the YWAM team has built is the Bantaba. Partner Architects director, Ross Lackey, says: “In designing a Christian campus in West Africa, one of the most significant spaces may be the Bantaba – a large, open-air gathering space positioned near the main road and front gate. It serves as both a communal hub and a symbolic bridge to the surrounding population, which is 97% Muslim. Although the country has long been known for its religious freedom, rising radicalization within the Muslim majority and efforts to rewrite the constitution now threaten these liberties. In this context, spaces like the Bantaba become essential for fostering dialogue, building trust, and reaching across deepening community divides.”
YWAM Gambia has now completed a water tower, a workshop/vocational training building, a bathroom block, and a staff housing structure. Their missionary team has labored diligently and are very proud of their accomplishments. Watch a short clip of their progress here.
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