NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Even before becoming the executive director of Mennonite Mission Network, Mike Sherrill had plenty of practice explaining how the agency "does" mission.
Sherrill and his wife, Teresa, first became connected with Mennonite Board of Missions, a predecessor agency of Mission Network, in 2000 as mission workers in Japan. Sherrill continued as a mission worker in Japan until 2017, when he became the director of Asia and Middle East for Mission Network. In August 2020, he began his role as the executive director.
In this excerpt from the third episode of the podcast "MissionWary?," Sherrill explains that, for decades, Mission Network has understood witness to others to be manifested as "with-ness."
"Mission Network has really been in pursuit of a different approach to mission work," he said. "[It’s] not so much that we bring something to offer that they need, rather, that we are pilgrims on a journey. And we’re here to learn, also, and discover God’s love together. [Asking,] ‘What can we do together?’ is a very different kind of approach that leads to mutual appreciation and mutual discovery of God’s activity in the world."
"If anyone says, ‘Oh, the era is mission is over,’ don’t believe them," he said. "It’s just beginning. This is a very exciting time to be involved in international ministry, international mission work, and that includes being here, in North America, also, to serve our church. The purpose of the church is to bear witness to God’s love for the world. And that’s right at the center of why we exist. Mennonite Mission Network exists to empower and equip the church."
"MissionWary?" is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. New episodes are now available! Learn about the complex bond between service and mission, where the call to mission comes from and how stories of mission become the history of mission. To view the complete episode list, click here.
