info@ascentmovement.org
Our Story
The vision for Ascent birthed when a group of church leaders gathered to discern the most important needs for the future of gospel in North America, and to pray to God about what to do in response. What emerged is the compelling conviction that the church needs an innovative movement, anchored in the historic, global witness of the gospel, for the future of mission in North America.
We are passionate about engaging the growing de-churched, un-churched, never-churched community AND engaging all the peoples of the world that are finding their way into our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. It is our joy to partner with you toward this awesome task of living out the great commission locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.
Our Vision
Our vision is to sow the Gospel in North America and throughout the Globe.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a thriving Collaborative Connection for the Church to live out the Great Commission in Today's Context.
Our Values
- The Gospel of the Kingdom
- The Primacy of the Local Church
- The Global Witness of the Gospel
- The Centrality of Evangelism & Disciple-Making in Cooperation
- The Power of the Spirit
- The Foundation of Prayer
- The Riches of our Collective Inheritance
- The Mutuality of Women & Men in Church Leadership
Our Team
Rev. Dr. Wayne D. Faison
Executive Director
Chris Backert
Senior Director
Rev. David Washburn
CFO
Julie Lukas
Operations Coordinator
Rev. Dr. Eliseo A. Mejia
Director of Mission Advancement
Jane Linton
Administrator
John V. Upton, Jr.
Project Lead – Church Engagement
Cheryl McCarthy
Project Lead – Prayer Ministry & Mobilization
Chris Blackey
Project Lead – Mustard Seed Initiative
Kathleen Blackey
Project Lead – Mustard Seed Initiative
Jim Baucom
Project Lead – Vital Pre-Schools Project
Lora Gravatt
Project Lead – Vital Pre-Schools Project
Our Council
Chair, Dennis Wiles – First Church, Arlington, TX *
Vice-Chair, Jim Baucom – Columbia Church, Falls Church, VA *
Jennifer Lau – Executive Director, CBM *
Lance Finley – Executive Director, Churches of God General Conference *
Matt Lake – Lead Pastor, First Church – Williamsport, PA *
Todd Still – Dean, Baylor’s Truett Seminary – Waco, TX *
Rodney Martin – Bishop-Elder, LMC Churches – Lancaster, PA
Patti Duckworth - Executive Minister, Mission Northwest - Post Falls, ID
Brent Sleasman – President, Winebrenner Seminary – Findlay, OH
Greg Henson – President, Kairos University – Sioux Falls, SD
Brian Johnson – Executive Minister, ABC Michigan – Lansing, MI
Mike Moore – Dean, Northern Seminary - Lisle, Illinois
Kathleen Blackey – Coordinator of Communications, ABC Vermont/New Hampshire
Charlie Self – Professor, AGTS - Springfield, MO
Cindy Wiles – Executive Director, Restore Hope - Arlington, TX
Kelly Legg – Senior Pastor, West Shore Church – Camp Hill PA
Our Priorites
Ascent has emerged around three core priorities that are shaping our cooperative mission and witness.
Engaging Under-Gospeled People
Whether they are called the un-churched or the de-churched, there are now more people in North America without the gospel influencing their life than ever before in history. Within Ascent we believe this must become the primary focus for the church in North America during these unprecedented days. Within this value we are seeking to prioritize:
- Incarnational Mission & Disciple-Making
- Unreached People & Secular Communities
- Contextual Evangelism & Apologetics
- Church Planting & Multiplication
Gap Areas in Mission & Ministry
Either through insufficient awareness, or the rapidly changing context, there are several components within the North American church that lack appropriate attention. Rather than focusing on aspects of the Great Commission already developed in North America, Ascent is will prioritize gap areas in order to comprehensively impact our continent and beyond. These include a focus on aspects of mission and ministry such as:
- Rural Communities and Urban Centers
- Next Generation Ministry
- Technological Innovation and Wisdom
- Receiving and Sending the Global Gospel
Leadership Development & Mobilization
It is well noted that the church in North America is in a leadership crisis. Many ministry leaders have retired or quit over the last several years and the challenges of leading in ministry now are more complicated than in decades. Ascent is focused on developing leaders for the future of mission in North America. This includes aspects of ministry such as:
- Leadership Development for Effectiveness in Post-Christian Contexts
- Equipping and Collaboration with the Diaspora Church Leadership in North America
- Multi-Ethnic Engagement and Development
Our Affirmations
We have knowledge that the foundations of the Christian faith are both ancient and global. This twin recognition is an important theological antidote to many of the current challenges for mission in North America.
From a historic perspective, many parts of the church in North America have segmented themselves by theological and ecclesiological (polity) distinctions based on centuries past. Quite often, those originating issues, that continue to frame their work lack coherence with mission and ministry today. On the other hand, in recent days within the North American context, the church has been shaped in its belief too significantly by divergent socio-political factors.
For these reasons, Ascent has developed its framework for Christian faith and witness from both the ancient affirmations of the church (Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed) and contemporary global affirmations (Capetown Commitment of the 3rd Lausanne Congress). These tributaries are deep wells and remind us that the church emerged in the Middle East, was shaped doctrinally in North Africa, and is now a global reality among whom there is surprisingly stark coherence on most major aspects of faith. These foundations serve us well in both our contemporary and contextual mission.
Useful links
Contact Info
1(800) 255-2428
info@ascentmovement.org
2828 Emerywood Parkway
Richmond, VA 23294
