Sarah Young

Christian author and missionary.
Born on March 15, 1946 in Nashville, TN, USA.
Died on Aug. 31, 2023 in Brentwood, TN, USA.
Sarah Young's journey began with studying philosophy at Wellesley College and child development at Tufts University. A book by Francis Schaeffer sparked her interest in evangelical theology, leading her to visit his retreat in Switzerland. It was there that she felt a personal connection with Jesus. In 1977, she married Stephen Young, whom she met at Covenant Theological Seminary in Missouri. The same year marked the beginning of their missionary journey to Japan, where they stayed for eight years. Their journey continued to Atlanta, where Sarah earned a master’s degree in counseling at Georgia State University. Three years later, they moved to Australia and lived there for 13 years. In 1992, Sarah began writing her devotional journal based on her daily prayers and meditations. Despite initial rejections from publishers, a Christian publisher in Nashville eventually offered her a contract. This led to the publication of her book “Jesus Calling” in 2004. Although sales were modest at first, a renewed marketing campaign by her publisher led to the book becoming a huge hit. Sarah went on to write more than a dozen books in the “Jesus Calling” series, selling 45 million units as of August 20235. Her calm and concrete messages from Jesus resonated with both celebrities and ordinary readers alike. Expanding her brand further, she created a podcast, an app, a magazine, and a TV show. Despite suffering from several chronic conditions including Lyme disease and leukemia, Sarah continued her work. She valued her privacy and rarely gave interviews or public appearances.