FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE
Contact: Jon Hirst, 719-531-3599 or for media inquiries
DR. NELSON JENNINGS JOINS GMI TO SPEARHEAD GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
Colorado Springs, CO, January 7, 2021 – GMI continues to expand its global outreach with the recent appointment of Dr. Nelson Jennings to the new role of Global Engagement Director. Jennings is tasked with spearheading GMI’s global efforts to support mission research through its expanding Associates Program and soon-to-be launched Fellowship Program.
“Dr. Jennings brings a rich mix of field missionary experience and academic research credentials we believe are crucial to supporting the cause of Knowledge Stewardship globally. We appreciate his passion for research and the global mission movement and are certain he will be a blessing to all those we serve,” said Jon Hirst, President and CEO of GMI.
Jennings received his undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Vanderbilt, completed his Masters of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary and his PhD through the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World at Edinburgh University.
He and his family served as missionaries in Japan between 1986 and 1999, which included a stint as professor of International Christian Studies at Tokyo Christian University. Jennings went on to teach at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis for 12 years. During that time, he also served as President of Presbyterian Mission International and Editor of Missiology: An International Review. Most recently he served as Editor of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research as well as the Executive Director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC).
Along with his role at GMI, Jennings will continue serving as Mission Pastor and Consultant at the Onnuri Community Church in Seoul, Korea.
Jennings has published four books and countless articles. His published books include: Philosophical Theology in East-West Dialogue, co-authored with Hisakazu Inagaki. Encounter Series (Amsterdam: Rodopi Bv Editions, 2000); Theology in Japan: Takakura Tokutaro, 1885-1934. American Society of Missiology Dissertation Series, gen. ed., Gary McGee (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2005); God the Real Superpower: Rethinking our Role in Missions (Philipsburg, New Jersey: P&R, 2007); and Reflecting on and Equipping for Christian Mission co-edited with Steve Bevans et al. Regnum Edinburgh 2010 Series (Oxford: Regnum, 2015).
GMI leverages research and technology to create, cultivate, and communicate mission information leading to insight that inspires Kingdom service. Founded 30 years ago on the campus of the U.S. Center for World Mission, GMI has a rich history of facilitating strategic mission research and mapping for international Christian churches and ministries. GMI is a member of Missio Nexus and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and subscribes to the Lausanne Covenant.
