Several new regional coordinators will transition into their roles with Foursquare Missions International (FMI) Jan. 1 to continue opening new works in frontier areas, strengthening existing churches and mobilizing missions resources.
Frank Greer, who most recently has coordinated missions work in East and Southern Africa after a lifetime of missionary service across the world, is retiring. New FMI East Africa Regional Coordinators Mike and Stacy Collins will remain in Tanzania, where they have served the past four years.
Meanwhile, MENACA (Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia) Regional Coordinator Sam Winston is transitioning to train and mobilize workers toward reaching unreached peoples. He will be replaced by Paul and Marie, who can’t be publicly identified because of their current work in this sensitive region.
“Mike and Stacy’s ministry has been fruitful,” Frank says of the Collinses, who left the corporate world in 2018 to become fulltime Foursquare missionaries. “Stacy is a fluent Swahili speaker, and most countries in East Africa speak Swahili. She and Mike are well known and respected.”
Frank and his wife, Kathleen, have worked with leaders from the region since 2017. These years have seen growth from 876 churches and meeting places with 232,274 members in East Africa in 2017 to 998 churches and meeting places and an average of 352,895 active service attendees in 2021.
“Please join me in praying for and lifting up all our new regional coordinators as they take on challenging roles in these days. Let’s come around them as a community, to support the vital work they are doing to impact the unreached and God’s kingdom globally.” —Paul Greer, director of FMI
“We saw a lot of growth in national churches and national leadership,” says Frank, who bid farewell to African leaders this fall. “It was a pleasure to work with these guys.”
“We have known some of these [Foursquare East Africa] leaders for six years now, and they are amazing,” Stacy states. “They have weathered the storms—spiritually, politically, economically and even physically. They are faithful people with godly visions, and we consider it an honor to partner with them.”
Jeff Roper, FMI global associate director for Europe and MENACA, says smooth transitions help ensure the relationships vital to Foursquare’s continued work are honored, maintained and built upon.
“Watching how Sam is doing everything he can to set up Paul and Marie for success is a Master Class in graceful and wise transitions,” Jeff affirms. “This will help ensure that they land solid and can start to run with things on day one.”
Through their cross-cultural ministry in dangerous places, the new MENACA regional coordinators for FMI have developed a unique skillset that matches their spiritual giftings and assignment, Jeff adds. The fact Sam will still be around is a bonus, too.
“He has been a stable and stabilizing presence in a region of the world that is often marked by instability,” Jeff explains. “Sam has provided wisdom and counsel to national leaders, FMI workers and local leaders in how to minister effectively in Muslim majority nations.”
Utilizing 30 years of cross-cultural experience, Sam looks forward to leading the specialized training needed for missions workers going to unreached people groups and beyond. He is pleased that since he began as MENACA’s regional coordinator, there are three times as many FMI workers in the region. This year, there were 23 adults from the U.S. serving in MENACA, with five more projected to deploy in 2023.
“At least two of our countries have fully developed into Stage 4 countries, sending out their own workers to other nations,” Sam says, referencing Foursquare’s Four-Stage Model of national development.
Although most countries are closed to traditional missionaries, the longtime coordinator is excited about creative methods to establish workers—avenues such as business as mission or disaster relief.
Through the eight years on their most recent assignment, Marie says God has been preparing them to face persecution in MENACA. Security and access are hurdles that have continually faced her and Paul, Marie says. She notes that every worker in MENACA has an elevated risk level, ranging from fear of deportation to martyrdom. Because the price is high, their love tends to be strong, and their passion and work ethic are tremendous, she adds.
“In addition to this is the pressing issue of how to build the kingdom and see fruitful multiplication,” Marie explains. “Traditional church planting often will not work. Workers must be trained specifically in how to disciple people of a different religious background and how to release believers into effective disciple-making.”
Paul Greer, director of FMI, echoes the value of cross-cultural disciple-making and healthy transitions, which he has seen firsthand from this team.
“Paul and Marie are great disciplers and team builders,” he says. “I’m excited and expectant to see how God will use them in this new season of ministry, and we are so thankful to Sam for all the seeds he has planted and partnered to grow.
“Transitions always lead to new birth,” he continues, reflecting on transitions for both the East Africa and MENACA regional coordinators. “We at FMI are looking forward to seeing how God will birth new things for them in this new season.
“Please join me in praying for and lifting up all our new regional coordinators as they take on challenging roles in these days,” the FMI director encourages. “Let’s come around them as a community, to support the vital work they are doing to impact the unreached and God’s kingdom globally.”