Let’s Discover What’s Next Together –

By Jim Ramsay –

In 1985, Good News magazine posed a critical question on its cover: “Which Way to the Future?” Photographed against the backdrop of Atlanta’s iconic “spaghetti junction,” two men, Revs. H.T. Maclin and Virgil Maybray, stood ready to lead a new chapter in United Methodist missions.

Maclin, the president, and Maybray, the vice president, had founded The Mission Society for United Methodists – now TMS Global – in 1984. Why? To ignite passion within United Methodist congregations for cross-cultural witnessing.

By design, TMS Global would receive no denominational funding, “rising or falling according to the wishes of the United Methodist people,” as H.T. Maclin stated.

Forty years later, as the current president of TMS Global, I praise God that TMS Global continues to “rise,” thanks in part to support from many of you, our Good News readers. Today, we train, mobilize, and serve cross-cultural witnesses (CCWs), presently living and serving in 29 countries. We also partner with U.S. and international pastors, lay leaders and congregations, helping them discover and fulfill their unique missional calling.

A Changing World, A Renewed Call. With the world constantly evolving, we must continue to ask together, “which way to the future?” While the good news of Jesus Christ remains constant, engaging in missions requires us to adapt to realities like globalization, urbanization, access to travel, digital communication, and the globalized church.

I see three key areas, in this new era of local and global witnessing, where focused prayer and partnership can bring about redemption and reconciliation through Christ.

Offering Christ in our neighborhoods. My doctoral research explored migration and mission. Across our country there are millions of first-generation Americans who are connected with people groups from every corner of the world. How do we equip local churches to connect to these migration streams? One solution is our Who is My Neighbor? small-group study, used by over 400 small groups on RightNow Media. This video-based curriculum teaches the same cross-cultural principles we use globally, equipping Christ-followers to engage effectively with culturally diverse neighbors in their own communities.

Offering Christ in our communities. Churches today face aging memberships, decreased attendance, societal polarization, and shifting demographics. Through our Immerse Project, www.immerseproject.org, the congregation in your church can become equipped to recognize social changes, clarify your church’s unique missional calling, and engage your community with the transformative power of the gospel.

Offering Christ to the nations. Together, we can create innovative ways to share the gospel cross-culturally. Some of our CCWs use outdoor adventure to disciple young people. Others teach sustainable farming methods in drought-prone areas, building relationships and opening doors to

kingdom conversations.

We have CCWs offering trauma training and care for refugees, creating after-school tutoring programs, and helping impoverished women launch micro-businesses. Everything we do is designed to demonstrate Christ’s love, so that individuals, families, and communities can find life in him.

Looking forward with faith. While I acknowledge the challenges ahead, I am confident in God’s faithfulness and see a community of equipped and gifted people committed to his mission.

I recently attended the Convening Conference of the Global Methodist Church (GMC) and was encouraged by its potential to impact the kingdom. The spirit of worship, prayer, and joy resonated deeply, and the Costa Rica location underlined their commitment to being a truly global church.

TMS Global stands ready, as an approved mission partner of the GMC, to collaborate with these and other mission-focused churches and networks “so that the world may know.”

Join Us as We Join Jesus in His Mission. In many ways, this last issue of Good News magazine marks the beginning of a new era. Yet, one constant remains: the world still needs Jesus. I invite you to prayerfully consider how you can partner with TMS Global in this next chapter. Together, we can join Jesus in His mission to bring redemption and reconciliation to the world.

President and CEO Dr. Jim Ramsay has served with TMS Global for 30 years, the first 10 with his family as cross-cultural witnesses in Kazakhstan.