Regional coordinators are thoroughly integrated into the structure of Global Strategy and the way that we work with national leaders and missionaries around the globe. These people are critical to the mission of Global Strategy. So it is always with trepidation and a sense of uncertainty that we approach a transition in regional coordinators. It was with grief that we saw Mike and Heather Webb step out of the role of regional coordinators for Africa at the end of July 2019, and yet we were excited to see them assume new roles as executive directors of Children of Promise in August of 2019.

Mike and Heather could not have foreseen their path when they first went to the field in Indonesia, under the leadership of John and Gwen Johnson, then regional coordinators for Asia and the Pacific. And John and Gwen certainly did not know where their path was to take them from there.

Today, after consultation with African church leaders, Global Strategy is excited to announce the appointment of John and Gwen Johnson as regional coordinators for Africa, following in the footsteps of their friends and former colleagues, Mike and Heather. They will be assuming this new role effective January 1, 2020. The Webbs have this to say about the Johnsons:

“We know Rev. Dr. John and Gwen Johnson very well and they are our absolute first choice for people who could take on this important role of partnership. The Johnsons were our regional coordinators in Asia when we first went to Indonesia as missionaries more than fifteen years ago! Since that time, they have continually supported us and cheered us on in ministry. The Johnsons have served as our mentors in ministry, and very often, as our source of wisdom in difficult situations. They are exceedingly well-equipped for this role, and despite their minimal experience in Africa, their global experience in the Church of God as missionaries, regional coordinators, professors, pastors, and lay leaders has given them a breadth and depth of wisdom that few people in the global Church of God could match. They are exemplary.”

As regional coordinators for Africa, John and Gwen will continue facilitating healthy spaces for the Church of God in Africa to thrive. To that end, they will be traveling throughout the region, working in collaboration with national leaders to develop regional ministry strategies and country-specific strategies, cultivating relationships within the Church of God across Africa, connecting the church across the region. They will also oversee projects and missionaries in the region, providing pastoral care and supervision.

John and Gwen are no strangers to missions and to the Church of God. They have been involved in cross-cultural ministry and missions with the Church of God since 1980 when they first served with the Missionary Board of the Church of God. Since then, they have lived in Korea, Egypt, Lebanon, Vietnam, and on the island of Guam. Most recently John has coordinated Native American Ministries and Disaster Relief for Global Strategy at the ministry offices in Anderson, Indiana.

To learn more about John and Gwen and their ministry or to support them financially, click here.