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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Jan. 12, 2014

NORCROSS, Ga. – The board of directors of The Mission Society, a full-spectrum, global missions agency based here, has elected the Rev. Max Wilkins as its president and CEO. Wilkins will take the helm June 1.

Board Chairperson Helen Rhea Stumbo noted that “the board has been involved for many months in a very intentional and prayerful search and selection process, and we believe the Lord has led us to the Rev. Wilkins as the person to lead us in the years ahead. It is significant that his election occurred 30 years to the day from when The Mission Society was incorporated. We believe God has chosen him to lead The Mission Society into our fourth decade of ministry and look forward to working together with him as we join Jesus in His mission.”

Wilkins has served on The Mission Society board since 2011 and has ministered in nearly 20 countries during the past decade. His most recent pastoral appointments were at The Family Church in Gainesville, Fl., and at New Hope Christian Fellowship in Oahu, Hawaii, where he served as teaching pastor of the nation’s fastest growing congregation. In its 17 weekend services, New Hope served some 12,000 people.

“The Mission Society has been at the forefront of creative cross-cultural witness for 30 years,” Wilkins said. “With its innovative vision and mission and entrepreneurial emphasis on reaching the least reached people, this is a cause worth giving my life to. My wife and I are both sincerely humbled and yet passionately excited to be able to join a long line of faithful witnesses in building on this strong foundation.”

Founded in 1984, The Mission Society recruits, trains and sends missionaries around the world to communicate—through word and deed—the message of the gospel. The organization is involved in a variety of activities, including agricultural training, evangelism, church planting, literacy, medical work, arts ministries and numerous other pursuits. In the past three decades, more than 500 men and women have served The Mission Society in dozens of countries around the globe. More than 200 missionaries currently serve through the organization.  

“Max Wilkins is as able and passionate a mouthpiece for world missions as I know,” said the Rev. Dick McClain, outgoing president of The Mission Society, who has served the organization since 1986, the last five as president and CEO. “For nearly a decade, he has been at the top of our short list of outstanding missions speakers. Having successfully led The Family Church into effective and strategic global engagement, he became a champion for world missions, challenging churches literally from coast to coast to leave the safety of their comfort zones and join Jesus in His mission.”

Wilkins’ entrepreneurial mindset and years of successful church planting experience will play a key role in his leadership of the 30-year-old missions organization, especially considering the dramatic challenges facing missions in the 21^st century.  

“I don’t anticipate a change in direction, but a renewed commitment to passionately pursuing the unfolding frontiers that God has already begun opening for us,” Wilkins continued. “I truly believe missions is the reason the Church exists. I can’t wait to join the talented staff and dedicated cross-cultural witnesses of The Mission Society as we move boldly into the future the Lord has for us.”

Wilkins and his wife, Dee Dee, have two children, ages 20 and 18. The Wilkinses will relocate to the Atlanta area this summer.

Incorporated on January 6, 1984, The Mission Society (www.themissionsociety.org) exists to mobilize and deploy the body of Christ globally to join Jesus in his mission, especially among the least-reached peoples. The Mission Society recruits, trains and sends Christian cross-cultural witnesses to minister around the world. Its church ministry department provides seminars, workshops and mentoring for congregations in the United States and abroad, helping equip churches for outreach in their communities and worldwide. At present, The Mission Society has more than 225 missionaries serving in more than 35 countries.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:                                  
Ty Mays @ 770.256.8710                                                                                                                            
tmays@inchristcommunications.com