Exciting transition for Mission Network News

USA (MNN) – Twenty-five years ago, Mission Network News started as a desire to help Christians “pray at the speed of news.” For the past two decades, they’ve been able to do that as a service of Cornerstone University. But now, with God’s fingerprints all over the future’s blueprints, it’s time to move on.

Joe Stowell, president of Cornerstone University, says, “Mission Network News has been an intricate part of our ministry for so many years and we’ve been excited and thankful to be able to bring what’s happening globally in the kingdom of Christ to many in our listenership. And we realized that we’ve probably taken Mission Network News as far as we can take it going forward.”

This doesn’t mean Mission Network News will close its doors, only that it’s time to hand off the baton. And God has the next runner ready and waiting, OneWay Ministries.

“This ministry has the capacity to really fulfill even our dreams for what Mission Network News could become,” Stowell explains. “They have global contacts, they have the passions to move it forward. All the ingredients that have made it so important and so successful remain intact.”

It’s transitions like these that remind Christians we are all on the same team. We’re on God’s team, bringing His mission along.

Cornerstone has carried Mission Network News for a long time, but now God has called OneWay to the line.

Beginning June 1st, Mission Network News will officially be a service of One Way Ministries. But partners, listeners, and readers alike can expect the same quality and care they’ve come to love from Mission Network News.

“So we’re really saying yes to our dream for Mission Network News and the whole issue is what’s best for the kingdom, not what’s best for Cornerstone University. Where it lives doesn’t make a whole lot of difference to us. Just so it lives and it thrives,” Stowell explains.

Michael Thompson, founder of OneWay, learned about Mission Network News about two years ago at Missio Nexus. He was thrilled to find a news station with the same vision as their ministry.

“These guys make the news available, they record the news on a daily basis—something that is desperately needed,” he says.

OneWay exists to serve God on many fronts. They desire to proclaim God to all nations. One of the ways they do this is through their Prayercast—multimedia resources designed to unite Christians in prayer for countries around the world. But they also have a desire to share current news and prayer points.

Similarly, Mission Network News works to get Christians informed and involved in God’s global Mission.

When it became apparent in the last few months that OneWay might have the opportunity to take on Mission Network News, they were ecstatic.

“We just were super excited because we really had come to know and love Mission Network News,” Thompson says.

In just a couple of weeks, Mission Network News will join forces with OneWay—not to change the face of what they do, but to pool resources for a greater impact on the world.

Regarding the goals and purpose of Mission Network News, Thompson says, “As far as what will change: nothing. We have all sorts of wonderful ideas how to upgrade that, improve this, add this, serve our partners better.”

But the vision stays the same. He says their immediate focus is for both groups to learn to work together effectively.

Moving forward

Ruth Kramer, producer at Mission Network News, will make the transition to OneWay Ministries. She will become the lead contact for partners and their point person to introduce them to OneWay Ministries team and staff.

Some technical adjustments occurring include the recent change in the four-and-a-half-minute broadcast. The current format allows for great detail and expansion coverage in radio stories. The other change taking place is a move to beat reporters. Reporters assigned to partner organizations will be in charge of their stories as well as fostering the ongoing relationships.

Mission Network News is switching to a remote office format with the main office residing with OneWay Ministries in Naperville, IL. The studio will remain in West Michigan.

By joining forces of media, news, and radio, they will have more opportunities to share information every Christian should want to know.

“This is the news of the Kingdom of God, the most important cause in the world. This is what’s happened this week, and we the people of God assembled all across the world are now praying over the highlighted items of the week.”

Prayer points

As Mission Network News makes this exciting transition, you can be praying for three things.

One, pray for wisdom for all parties involved.

Two, ask God to guide both organizations in continued unity.

“The thing that’s exciting is that our hearts and our cultures are so aligned with the team at Mission Network News that we already have a strong sense of unity,” Thompson says.

The third thing is to pray for a collective vision as these groups move forward together to serve God around the world.

“This is just a recent development in the last few months and we really believe God is in it,” Thompson says, “and the ultimate goal is really to activate people, get people excited about what’s going on in the world so that they can take meaningful action, whether that’s praying, giving, going, rallying behind mission organizations that are doing great work out there.”