[Church Mission Society press release] The Church Mission Society (CMS) has this week announced the appointment of Debbie James to the new position of director of church and community mission. Debbie will take the lead in sharing CMS’s mission experience with churches in the UK, as well as encouraging members of the CMS mission community.

Debbie says “CMS’s 215 years of mission experience is a great resource for the church in Britain today. We are committed to building relationships with churches, small missional communities and houses of mission, and to bringing our distinct contribution in pioneering, cross-cultural mission that is shaped by a global perspective.”

“We want to connect, fuel and resource people to live out a transforming faith in their communities and churches.”

Debbie, formerly a teacher in Moscow and the UK, joined CMS in 2001 as Encounter Teams coordinator, developing short-term mission team experiences and leading visits in Africa, Asia and Europe. Most recently she has been discipleship team leader, continuing to supervise short term teams as well as teaching on cross-cultural mission and developing discipleship materials such as CMS’s new course ‘The Possible World‘. Debbie has long been involved in pioneering youth work and is an active member of her local parish church, including ‘Messy Church’ on an estate.

‘The Possible World’ course is a mission-shaped discipleship resource for church small groups. It encourages mature Christian engagement with issues such as the environment, materialism and justice. Complete with DVD and comprehensive Bible notes, the seven-week course creatively demonstrates how a different world is possible through the stories of some ordinary people doing amazing things inspired by the life of Christ.

Debbie joins other recent appointments Jim Barker, who last week took up his post as director of fundraising for mission, and Jonny Baker, who began his new role as director of mission education in January.

Jim, formerly responsible for donor recruitment at Oxfam and direct marketing manager for Friends of the Earth, was one of the original trainees at Oxford Youth Works. For the last 10 years he has worked in organisational planning and development with Levelheaded and as a self-employed, independent consultant.

Philip Mounstephen, Executive Leader of CMS, said of these new appointments, “We’re delighted to be able to add such talent to our Senior Management Team. We are looking forward to them bringing new perspectives and ideas as CMS continues to develop high quality resources to equip the church for mission, as well as to grow and fuel our dispersed community as they share the love of Christ wherever they are in the world.”

Debbie, Jim and Jonny join existing directors Henry Scriven, Paul Thaxter and Adrian White, who together with Philip Mounstephen, make up CMS’s senior management team