FEATURE STORY — A3 HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024
I am just super blessed to hear all that God's been doing through A3 this past year. The growth is immense. I think we've grown more in the last year or two than we have in my entire tenure with A3. It is just remarkable, and I feel so blessed by what God has been doing.
Allow me to share a few highlights from around the globe this past year.
JAPAN
Encouraging Trends
As you know, A3 started with our work in Japan. The encouraging development is that the entire Church now has adopted this vision to double the Christian population. They want to move from 1% to 2%. And coupled with that, our partnership with SIM has shown remarkable fruit. Our numbers for new missional partners going to Japan is on the rise, and that's exciting!
Here are a few additional highlights from our Director of Missional Partners in Japan:
The team continues to get more diverse. We received our first team member from the Philippines, Hanna, and she is doing a great job in Yamagata. We also expect to welcome our first unit from Australia next year.
Most of our people are in healthy partnerships, faithfully and effectively sharing Christ in their local context.
The team is better integrated with A3’s leader development work in Japan than ever before. The way we partner with local churches matches the way we partner on a national level. Our people participate in multiple levels of the pastor equipping work. We are doing things together, not just in parallel.
ASIA
A Secret Discovery!
Beyond the work in Japan, once we step into the continent of Asia, it's pretty thrilling to see what God is doing. One country, which we thought was completely dormant for about four years—and I just found out about three weeks ago—has restarted on its own. Not only did it relaunched on its own, but they have six cohorts with 90 leaders that are already operating in the country. And we didn't even know about it. And now they're asking us to come alongside again.
Moving to the Edges of Asia
Now that the doors have opened, and it's just so thrilling, beyond those countries, our work across Asia continues to grow. We're moving west across the continent and we're growing into countries right and left. We're touching even the western edge of the continent, with a little bit of forays into the country of Türkiye, not far beyond that. It's really cool to see what God is doing on a brand new continent.
You remember in 2023, we had to change our name. We're now “A3” because we're in our third era, our third calling for the work that God called us to originally.
AFRICA & EUROPE
Opening New Work
So now we're working in Africa, parts of North Africa, as well as into the Sub-Saharan region. God is continuing to grow A3’s work, and that work in Africa actually bridged us into—you're not going to believe this—my wife and I enjoyed the privilege to be working in France this year. So A3 is working in Europe with Muslim-background believers (MBBs) who have migrated to the continent! So God has continued to be on the move.
THE AMERICAS
Launching in Ecuador
Well, while all that is happening in Africa and Europe, we began planning with one of our alumni from A3.business in Seoul, Korea. He got moved by his company to Mexico City. He is not Korean, but he happens to be from Ecuador. So guess what's happening this year? We have launched in his home country of Ecuador, meaning we're on an entirely new continent altogether.
So we've had Asia... we've had now Africa... and today we're also working in the Americas. It's so exciting.
A3.BUSINESS
Impacting Marketplace Leaders
In addition to the geographical work, you may know that we're working with business leaders and that's been really fun to watch as well. God is blessing that work and it continues to grow and thrive. I just came away from a meeting in Tokyo where we're working with South Korean business leaders. And they were just eating up the session and really growing together.
WOMEN IN MINISTRY
Equipping More Women
Beyond the work of business leaders, we've been working with women in leadership and Women in Ministry for many years now. Little did we know the growth that would happen today. We're in multiple countries investing in women, and most of our cohorts for other leaders are seeing women in them as well. And it's just growing at a pace we're really excited about.
NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
Reaching a New Generation of Leaders
And then to the next section of growth. It's been really fun to see A3 move to the next generation. We are talking succession planning at most of our gatherings these years. And we're investing in younger leaders and seeing the “next-gen” rise to the occasion. They are now sprinkled in throughout our leadership teams. Everywhere you go, you'll see younger leaders, men and women working on these teams. Some taking positions like national directors. And so it's just a really thrilling season.
INFLUENCE IN THE LAUSANNE MOVEMENT
A3’s Fingerprints on Lausanne
And some of you may know that this year in particular, we had the privilege of being a part of the fourth Lausanne Congress. A3's fingerprints on the Lausanne Movement has been really fun to see. And in fact, this year we got to participate in developing a book for the Congress on leadership development, many of which—many people are calling it a very substantive book for leadership development for the next decade. So it’s just really fun to see all that God has been doing through the work of A3 these years.
TWO NEW TRAINING MODULES DEVELOPED
I want to update you on two new equipping modules we have incorporated into A3's program.
Developing Resilience Amidst Persecution
The first is on persecution. Many years ago, our colleague from Bangladesh said, “Joe, I think more could happen here when it comes to the persecuted church. And A3 is the perfect conduit to provide it.” And so we've been developing a curriculum, a process for leaders to thrive when they're facing persecution. And we've done pilot projects this last year that have been very fruitful. We've learned a lot through them, and we're continuing to invest... invest in it, and we want to see it roll out over the coming years to invest in every country that's facing pressure or persecution.
Nurturing a Heart for Generosity
And then second—something that's super exciting for me—that I just have to share— is we have a new module on generosity. And I got to participate in the first pilot project, this past year. And it was really neat to see what God did to inspire generous giving from the life of the cohort leaders. Well, you're not going to believe what God's doing overall in our movement. We had three countries of A3 that have given $150,000 to the work of A3, partly because of this generosity module. Of course, it's more than that, but it's just really thrilling to see what God is doing, continuing to pay it forward.
As you and I and others have invested in leaders in these countries, they are starting to pay it forward to the next generation. And that's exciting to see for the kingdom of God.
GRATEFULNESS FOR YOU & THE LORD
And so friends, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to you for partnering with us, and thanks to our Lord for the amazing, generous support that you and he have provided for us in the work of A3.
God has blessed us, and this is an exciting year to be sharing much of what God has been doing. Thank you for your partnership.
Watch my video...
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Yours for more Christ-centered movements,
Joe Handley, President
Rev. Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D.
President
@jwhandley
@jwhandley
@JosephWHandleyJr
@jwhandley
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