Dear fellow participants in God’s mission,

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

After a thorough search process, the Global Leadership Council of the WEA Mission Commission has recommended a new Mission Commission Executive Director to the WEA International Council. We are thrilled to announce that the International Council have now approved the selection.

Dr Jay Matenga, leader of Missions Interlink NZ (the missions alliance in New Zealand), has accepted the Mission Commission’s invitation to take on the Executive Director responsibilities. Jay will be inducted into the role at the WEA General Assembly in Bogor Indonesia on the evening of November 11 and will formally commence on January 1st 2020.

Between the timing of this announcement and Jay’s commencement in the role, the WEA MC Executive Committee will be in dialogue with Missions Interlink NZ’s Executive Team to establish a memorandum of understanding between the two organisations. Jay’s leadership responsibilities will be shared in a synergistic way between both organisations. 

Thanks are extended to the hard working WEA MC Executive Director Search Team, the governing bodies of the WEA and the MC, and of course to our great God whom we serve. Please continue to pray for the Mission Commission and Jay (with his wife Pauline) as we conclude this transition and build fresh momentum in the MC going forward.

Background

Jay is of New Zealand Māori and mixed European heritage. His Māori ancestry heavily influences Jay’s values and perspective, and he identifies as an indigenous person in this regard. He came to know Christ and was baptised at 16 from a non-believing impoverished and troubling family environment. Pauline is English and emigrated to New Zealand with her parents as a 12 year old. The only child of what was a non-believing family, she accepted Christ and was baptised at 18. They met at a one-year Bible school.

Immediately following their honeymoon they took the course “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” and committed themselves to missions service. God led them next to Missionary Training College (now Worldview Centre for Intercultural Studies) in Tasmania for three years’ missions preparation. It was here that they confirmed their call to mobilisation.

Their mobilisation ministry first developed with WEC International, based in New Zealand. Among other things, it involved teaching numerous Perspectives classes. In 1997, informed by the findings of the MC book Too Valuable To Lose, Jay was encouraged to study mobilization issues related to attrition and was accepted at All Nations Christian College UK to do that as MA research. Dr David Burnett supervised his thesis and Dr Christopher J. H. Wright (Principal at the time) influenced Jay’s missiology in the process. Pauline enjoyed being back in England and worked as part of the ANCC’s admin staff while Jay studied.

Leadership

In 2000, at 33 years of age, Jay was recruited to be the Director of Pioneers New Zealand, with Pauline joining as a member of the staff team. During his 15 years leading the organisation, Jay refined his mobilisation and member care skills along with organisational development and intercultural competencies. The NZ leadership role required Jay to also serve on Pioneers’ International Council and International Leadership team, which honed his global leadership skills. These have been further enhanced by Jay’s current involvement as Secretary of Interserve’s International Council.

In 2015, with Pauline assisting with administration, Jay was invited to lead Missions Interlink, the association of missions passionate organisations and individuals in New Zealand. Over the past four years increased value and new benefits have been created for the missions community, which can now be maintained with reduced involvement from Jay. We expect a shared leadership role between the MC and Missions Interlink, based from Auckland New Zealand, will be mutually beneficial.

Research

Concerned about the fallout for missionaries and their families resulting from tensions created in multi-cultural missions groups, Jay undertook doctoral research with Fuller School of Intercultural Studies (2014-17). This study was an extension of his MA findings. His doctoral thesis, supervised by Dr Dan Shaw and Dr Rosemary Dewerse, sought to harmonise culturally diverse missions groups (typically, but unhelpfully known as ‘teams’) by counterpointing individualist and collectivist values in the global missions community. Jay continues to develop his thesis into practical applications, arguing that interpersonal and intercultural tension should be seen for its potential to have a positive affect on those in Christ and for His mission, leading us to maturity and deep covenantal unity… “so the world will believe, and know” (cf. John 17:20-25).

At the Panama Global Consultation in 2016 Bill nominated Jay as his successor for the MC’s publications programme and Jay nurtured “Spirituality in Mission” through the publishing process with William Carey Publishing. Jay also designed that cover as he had also done for “Mission In Motion” and some other recent WCP titles.

In April 2018 Jay was invited by David Ruiz to join the MC Leadership Team. It was apparent by that time that David was likely to resign and Jay was recruited to help the Leadership Team through the transition period.

Having some experience with online communications and graphic design, Jay took over the communications responsibilities and picked up administration of the 2019 Leadership Summit from David when he resigned at the end of June of 2018. Jay has contributed to the MC in various other ways since and is deemed to be the best candidate for the Executive Director position for this season of the MC’s development.

Pray

• For the MC’s ExCo and Missions Interlink’s Executive Team as they discuss Jay’s terms of reference and work toward an agreement that will see Jay accountable, well supported and resourced to achieve the objectives of the MC’s Executive Director role.

Follow

Click here for Jays’ blog. Jay can also be followed on Facebook here.