Andy Roberts, CEO of Church Mission Society, marked his first year on the job by calling for a “radical realignment” of global mission, Premier Christian News reports. It pairs nicely with J.John’s warning that churches spend almost nothing on witness.
What he said
- “The world desperately needs the good news of Jesus,” he said, pointing to unrest, fractured communities and economic volatility.
- The “mission map” runs in every direction now: “Today a missionary might be an African serving in Europe, a Middle Eastern Christian reaching fellow Arabic speakers in Britain.”
- CMS is staying at “the edges”: people hit by conflict, Indigenous communities, migrants and pioneers starting new Christian communities. “This is where God is on the move.”
- He wants deep discipleship, not a Sunday-only identity: it “changes how we use money, how we exercise power, how we treat people who are different from us.”
- His closer: “Jesus has always been rather good at disturbing those assumptions. I suspect he isn’t finished with ours yet.”
My take
Amen. The Great Commission never changed, go and make disciples of all nations, but the Spirit keeps changing who He sends. The church in Africa, Asia and Latin America is on fire, and now they’re sending missionaries back to us. That’s God’s sense of humor and His grace.
And he’s right about discipleship. A conversion that never touches your wallet or how you treat people isn’t the full deal. Ask the Holy Spirit where your “edge” is this week, and go there.
Have a blessed day! And Happy Hacking!
