New Team. Same Goal.

We’ve been coy. We’ve been guarded. We’ve hinted. But now it’s time to share the awesome news.

We’re Joining a New Team!

Bethany and I are excited to reveal that we’re joining a new ministry team! And before I go any further, I want to make it clear that we’re still serving as missionaries with Ethnos360. That isn’t changing. What is changing is the team that we’re serving with. The end goal that we’re working for isn’t changing. 

But the role we’re playing, in how that happens, is changing and we’re excited because this change means SO much to us. 

Someone once told us, “You don’t need to go to great lengths to explain exactly what you do with Ethnos360 for us to understand why it’s important. We care about what you’re a part of, and we know that what you’re doing is going to change at times.” While that’s a relief, because most of the time, it’s hard to explain how what we’re doing is a part of the end goal, this time, however, what we’re doing really needs highlighting.

You may have noticed that I made the word “we’re” bold. I did that on purpose. Bethany and I are joining a team and ministry where we are both actively engaged in the work together. This isn’t a first for us. We were able to do that for many years both in we lived overseas and while we were serving at the Bible Institute in Michigan. But since we have lived in Florida, Bethany’s role needed to switch to keeping our kids and her Mom going and doing well, while I served with the Communications Team.  Her role at home these last eight years has been essential but it has meant that I have an active role in missions and she supports me in that. Our “Happy Place” if you want to call it that, is to be serving side-by-side, both actively engaged in ministry within our organization, which is something we’ve wanted from the beginning of our marriage. In order for that to happen though, it meant that we needed to be a part of a team where Bethany could have a role and that both of us could work on that team from home. It was a prayer in our hearts that God would move us in that direction, but we weren’t actively looking for ways to make it happen.

Once again, our good God has seen fit to maneuver us into a ministry where we can work together, literally across the desk from each other. It’s a sweet blessing for us.

What are you doing and when will this happen?

We’ve joined a team of other “workers” from a handful of the Global Partner organizations that Ethnos360 works alongside. This team is specifically focused on providing training for Christians around the world, in countries where attending an in-person church-planting training program isn’t possible or even allowed. Right now, we’re building a training platform for these dear believers, so they can get this training. 

Our Global Partnership has over 75 years of experience training and discipling believers and this endeavor will take that experience even further. It’s our greatest asset as an organization and NOW is the time for us to share it with the Church around the world. Our students will learn from a wide cross-section of trainers and instructors who also serve with many of our Global Partner organizations. And when we say that term “Global Partners” we mean organizations like Ethnos360, Ethnos360 Germany, NTM UK, Etc.. There are a number of autonomous organizations that all work together to see unreached people groups have access to the gospel. 

Bethany and I were approached back in January about joining this team as a new full-time ministry. It was very clear, very quickly that this was a perfect fit for us.

Are you kidding me? How could we pass it up?

So, this means that we’re going to be working full-time, from home (which has tremendous benefits for the needs of our family right now), helping with online course creation, video editing, academic administration, and project management. Currently, Bethany and I are the only ones to be working exclusively on this initiative, which means high demand on our time. Our “partners” in this team are all doing multiple ministries, often world-wide ministries, and are giving some of their time to this team and some of their time to other initiatives.

There are so many details I’m leaving out right now and I know I may not keep your attention much longer so I’ll wrap this up. What this means for us now, is that I’ll be transitioning out of my Social Media Strategist role on the Communications Team, over the coming few months. In early August, when our Home Assignment (details about that next) officially comes to an end, I’ll be in the office for a few weeks of intensive transitional work and training, to help my previous team prepare for my transition off of their team. Then I’ll be home for the rest of the month, with some exceptions. September may look similar to that as well. While the exact timing is up in the air, we hope to be fully transitioned to our new role by the latter part of this year.