New Board Leadership in Mission Alive

I am thankful for the many people that God has raised up to serve with us as partners in His mission.  They grow with us as we seek to equip kingdom communities on mission with God both in the planting of new churches and the renewal of existing ones.  Truly God, who leads us forward in His mission, is faithful!   The leadership of Mission Alive is an ever-expanding circle of staff, board, church planters, ReVision church leaders, church leaders in equipping huddles, and those walking with us in areas of equipping/preparing, praying, serving, relating/networking, giving, and healing/transforming.

This update focuses on the developing leadership of the Mission Alive Board.

For the first seven years of Mission Alive, I have served not only as Executive Director of Mission Alive but also as the Chairman of the Board.  I am happy to announce that at a recent board meeting Frank Stepp was selected to serve as the new Chairman, Scott Ferguson as the Vice-Chairman, and Mark Lowe as Secretary.

Frank is Senior Vice-President of Thompson and Associates.  He has served as an elder at the Central Church of Christ in Amarillo and currently is a leader within the Riverside Church of Christ in Coppell, Texas, a major partnering church with Mission Alive.  He has served on the Continent Connection Team with Continent of Great Cities (currently called “Great Cities Ministries) in Brazil in 2009 and 2011.  When asked how serving with Mission Alive emanates from or fulfills his calling, Frank says, “I have a heart for ministry beyond the confines of traditional brick and mortar buildings. Mission Alive’s approach to relational transformation that comes from a missional church body energizes me. Also, my background in fundraising and working with churches fits nicely with the needs of MA.”

Scott Ferguson is a Vice-President of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors.  He serves as an elder of the Riverside Church of Christ.  Scott says, “Working with Mission Alive helps me, in a very small way, be a part of helping the church reach our culture by supporting our men and women who display such commitment in planting churches and living out their lives as an example of God’s Kingdom at work on the earth.”  Scott and Frank will work closely together to provide board leadership to Mission Alive.

Mark Lowe is Vice-President of Wealth Management and Trust at the First United Bank and Trust.  Mark is currently a member of The Branch at Vista Ridge and served as a catalyst to plant the Shawnee Trail church in Frisco, Texas.  Mark says serving with Mission Alive “is changing my life to serve with committed Christian men and women whose purpose is to follow the calling of Matthew 28:19 and to witness the results of Christians changing people’s lives by demonstrating the love of Jesus.”

Jerry Browder, President of Signet Health, continues to faithfully work with us as Treasurer of Mission Alive.  Jerry is an elder of the Singing Oaks Church of Christ in Denton and a founding board member of Mission Alive.  Jerry says, “I believe Mission Alive’s missional and incarnational models of church planting reflect who Jesus is and how he connected with people while on the earth. Our world and our community needs these kinds of opportunities to provide belonging for people who are struggling with the consequences of sin in their lives and are unlikely to seek or find community in established traditional institutional churches.”

I praise God for our partnership with a board who believes that the key to renewal and church planting is a return to Jesus’ heart for making disciples and multiplying them into missionary leaders.

Gailyn Van Rheenen

Mission Alive

www.missionalive.org