From Our CEO(s)

From Our Former CEO

Dear Friends,

As CEO of Ethnos360 for 17 years, I have been blessed to write a heartfelt message for Ethnos360 magazine. I think of all the progress that God has allowed us to make together. New members mobilized and sent out by their churches, entering ministry with a heart to see new people groups hear about Christ and what He has done for them. People groups hearing foundational biblical teaching which has laid a bedrock of truth for them, seeing them reach out to other villages because they have a burden to make Him known. New Testament translations being completed and lessons developed by the teachers. Seeing the excitement of people reading for the first time. Changed lives, marriages, families and communities because of the transforming work of Christ. This has been our journey together.

Now I am stepping away as CEO so a new leader with his team can lead Ethnos360 into what God has for us next. I do this with great joy and confidence because I have worked with Steve Sanford for more than 12 years. I’ve witnessed his heart for Christ and the importance of his relationship with Him. I have witnessed Steve’s commitment to the core historical purpose of Ethnos360 and his and Sharon’s personal involvement in church planting in a people group. It encourages me to see his value and desire to remain secured to our theological moorings and his love for God’s Word. Steve is a great friend and leader who listens well and builds strong teams. I encourage you to pray for him as he transitions into this important role. 

For quite some time, engaging in international opportunities has been demanding more of my attention. I’ll continue to serve as part of Steve’s team but will serve as chairman of our Global Ministry Agreement Board, working to build stronger partnership and cohesion among our Global Partners. I am blessed to serve with a highly experienced international team from whom I look forward to learning.

Thank you for the privilege of serving alongside you, and I’m excited to introduce you to Steve and Sharon Sanford.

Yours in Christ,
Larry M Brown

From Our New CEO

Dear Friends,

Hanging on my office wall is a photograph that many of you have seen. It is called the “Hubble Ultra Deep Field.” It’s an image that required 800 exposures taken over the course of 400 orbits of the Hubble Telescope around the Earth. It focuses on a portion of the sky so small it would be equivalent to the portion of sky you would see while looking through an 8-foot-long straw. This portion of sky was thought to be empty. Nothing appeared in this space through any of our land-based telescopes or in any previous Hubble photograph. But when these 800 exposures were developed into one image, what was visible shocked the astronomical world. Nearly 10,000 galaxies can be seen in this tiny spot of sky — 10,000 galaxies with several hundred billion stars in each one. As Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.”

The reason this photo means so much to me is that, as a boy growing up, I recall my father speaking many times about the greatness of God as revealed in the universe. He talked about how the God who created all of that is a personal God who loves us. He is a God who loves not just us, but all peoples. That stirred in me a desire to be part of what that Glorious God is doing.

Today, I am humbled to introduce myself to you as the new CEO of Ethnos360. My wife, Sharon, and I have served with Ethnos360 for 32 years. We were privileged to be part of a church planting team to the Joti people group for our first 13 years of ministry. It was the joy of our lives to see the Lord build His Church and bring several hundred Joti people into His family over those years. In the years since, we have been part of the mobilizing team in Ethnos360.

Over the past 10 years I have also had the privilege of serving on the Executive Leadership Team. In my opinion, the most important word of those three words is Team. From its founding, New Tribes Mission/Ethnos360 has practiced a team approach to leadership. It is my conviction that God has used that to keep us on track. Larry Brown, our outgoing CEO, has provided me with an excellent example of what team leadership looks like. We will continue to look to the Lord, as a team, for guidance and direction.

Thank you for partnering with us. It is my prayer that the Lord will continue to use us together to further the gospel. 

Yours in Christ,
Steve Sanford, Ethnos360 CEO