About

Tim is a Professor of Youth Ministry at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL. Each day he has the unusual privilege of investing in the next generation of Christian leaders.

Tim and Kaye have been married 30+ years. They met and married in Memphis, TN while attending college. They have three wonderful daughters and live in the Chicagoland area.


After having served 20+ years in Youth Ministry, planted a church in Budapest, Hungary, and trained leaders in post-communist Eastern Europe, God brought Tim to MBI. Beyond MBI, He is actively involved in coaching/training young leaders both in the USA and Europe.

As a youth pastor with a heart for missions and training leaders, Tim Downey began entering Eastern Europe less than two years after “The Wall” came down.  In October of 1991, twenty-two months after freedom began to ring out in Romania, Tim was there training youth leaders in local churches.  Providing hope, help, and the promise of a long-term commitment to this area of the world has been and continues to be the heart of Tim’s passion for ministry.

At the request of Dr. Barry St. Clair of Reach Out Youth Solutions, Tim, Kaye and their three young daughters relocated to Budapest, Hungary for the purpose of assuming the position of National Director of Hungary for ROYS. The Downeys began building deep relationships with youth leaders throughout the country.  Through national conferences, networking, and partnering with various denominations and mission agencies, key leaders in Hungary were identified and asked to join an intensive training/mentoring group led by Tim.  This group of key leaders met for approximately three years.  Out of that group, God raised up nationals who would be His vehicles to spread the ministry of training leaders throughout Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Serbia.

Tim intentionally worked himself out of a job and with much joy handed the work of the ministry over to these key leaders. Since that time God has continued to bless, and the ministry of multiplication has far exceeded all expectations. At one of the most recent conferences, over ten denominations were represented.  Hundreds of youth leaders have been equipped for the work of the ministry with teens throughout Eastern Europe through these key leaders!  Additionally, thousands of students across Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Serbia have been influenced through well-equipped leaders, discipleship materials, campus missionaries, evangelistic efforts, and conferences as a result of the Downeys’ ministry.

After moving back to the United States, Tim continued to be involved with these key leaders, and has made numerous trips back to Europe to continue the mentoring process. During these return trips the vision for a ministry to aid leaders in ministry grew. From this vision Cutting Edge Ministries was born, and in the fall of 2000 the ministry was granted nonprofit status.