Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The late missiologist Andrew Walls noted that the global missionary movement of the 19th century led to the cultural and demographic transformation of Christianity in the 20th century. He further observed that the cross-cultural diffusion of the gospel is “the lifeblood of historic Christianity.”[1]
We in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) are the indirect beneficiaries of 19th– and early 20th-century Anglican missionaries who left their families and homelands, crossed cultures, made disciples, and planted churches in the Global South. When we needed rescue from the revisionist leadership of the Episcopal Church, it was the spiritual great-grandchildren of Anglican missionaries who threw us a lifeline.
We serve a global God with a boundless heart for each of the 17,000 people groups on the globe.[2] As World Mission Sunday for the ACNA on February 4 is fast approaching, I want to remind our Province of tried-and-true global Anglican mission partners with whom ACNA churches can partner.
First, the New Wineskins Missionary Network is the global hub for Anglican missions. In addition to their tri-annual conferences (the next is Sept. 17-20, 2025), they provide resources, networks, and training to engage and equip individuals, churches, and dioceses in mission. At newwineskins.org/worldmissionsunday, you’ll find a promotional toolkit and ideas for celebrating World Mission Sunday. For global short-term mission trips to revive Anglican churches and to equip Anglican leaders in prayer, personal holiness, and the ministry of the Spirit, consider partnership with Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA).
Interested in longer-term mission-sending? Engage with the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders (SAMS), which serves and supports established Anglican Churches across the globe, or partner with Anglican Frontier Missions (AFM) to make disciples and plant churches among people groups without viable, visible, or self-reproducing churches. And while you’re at it, check out AFM’s new video-driven missions curriculum.
We all were shocked by Hamas’ attack on Jewish civilians and the subsequent bloodshed. The Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ) has been sharing and modeling Jesus’ love to his Jewish compatriots since 1809. Now, more than ever, CMJ is looking for partners. Finally, the Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) partners with provinces in the Global South to fund effective development programs and bring relief to communities struck by natural disasters both at home and abroad.
Each of these distinctly Anglican organizations has been spreading the gospel globally for decades and is a member of the Anglican Global Mission Partners (AGMP) network. We commend all 50 AGMP member organizations to you! They all stand ready to help mobilize you and your church not only for this coming World Mission Sunday, but also all the time.
Every diocese now has a Global Mission Initiative (GMI) Advocate that can help you get started or connect you to mission resources and opportunities. They are excited to soon be launching a 6-week curriculum called Anglican Introduction to Missions (AIM) that can help get your church activated in fulfilling the Great Commission! Find your GMI Advocate at newwineskins.org/gmi or by contacting your diocesan office.
Finally, I want to leave you with the Prayer for Mission that we pray each week:
And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful
witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
In Christ,
The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church in North America
1 Walls, Andrew. The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History. Maryknoll, NY: 2002.
[2] https://joshuaproject.net
