The cool mountain air of western North Carolina welcomed Anglicans from across the globe at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Fletcher, September 17–20, 2025, for the 30th New Wineskins Global Missionary Conference. This milestone carries with it a sense of both celebration and urgency. The theme, “Hope for the Nations,” points participants toward the central purpose animating the conference since its beginnings in 1994: to see the Gospel of Christ carried faithfully into every culture and nation through Anglican mission.
The New Wineskins conference began three decades ago as a small gathering of Anglicans with a passion for mission. The name was drawn from the words of Jesus in the gospels, who spoke of putting new wine into new wineskins. Organizers saw a need for fresh forms of mission, rooted in ancient faith but responsive to changing times. Over the years, the conference grew into the largest regular gathering of Anglican missionaries in North America. Every three years, the event has drawn bishops, clergy, missionaries, and lay leaders from dozens of countries. Testimonies, practical workshops, and shared prayer have always been the heart of the gathering. With 2025 marking thirty years, this year’s conference carries the weight of history and the sense that the Anglican missionary movement is still unfolding in new and unexpected ways.
The opening evening plenary on the night of the 17th set the tone. The Rev. Dr. Chris Royer, who has served both in the Middle East and now as executive director of Anglican Frontier Missions, spoke on the importance of doing mission “Anglicanly,” reminding the audience that Anglicanism brings unique gifts to global evangelism: liturgical worship that spans cultures, a commitment to both Scripture and sacrament, and a tradition of thoughtful, patient engagement with diverse peoples. He called on participants to see Anglican mission not as an afterthought but as a vital expression of the Church’s identity. The address was one of a few speakers, whose talks mixed in with moments of prayer and worship.
The American Anglican Council’s President, Bishop Phil Ashey, was very happy to be in attendance (along with his wife, Julie, and his daughter, Kirsten, who is also on the New Wineskins worship team!). The AAC’s CEO and Director of Anglican Revitalization Ministries, the Rev. Canon Mark Eldredge is also here, along with his wife, Ame Eldredge, Chief Culture Officer and Senior Consultant at the FOCUS group, an organization that provides fundraising counsel to nonprofits in the areas of major donor development, strategic planning, and capital campaigns. She will be giving a MAP talk on donor development during the conference.
The first full day opened with another plenary, and the speakers reflected both the historic and global character of the gathering. The Rev. Stephen Knoll, a long-time missiologist and former academic dean, spoke on the theological foundations of global mission. His words carried the weight of decades of scholarship and pastoral leadership, reminding listeners that mission is not simply a strategy but a calling rooted in the very life of God. Following him, the Rev. Canon Paul Ssembiro from Uganda Christian University offered a testimony from the heart of East Africa. He spoke about the teachings of St. Paul that spurred on Great Commission living among early Christians, so that their voices were heard and lives were changed. His presence, along with the presence of so many other African church leaders, is a reminder that Anglican mission is not a one-way street from West to East. The global South now sends missionaries of its own, and the Anglican family is richer for it.
The structure of the New Wineskins conference has always included more than plenary sessions. This year is no different. Over the next three days, participants will have the chance to hear from main stage speakers from around the world. Attendees can also go to dozens of workshops designed to offer practical tools for mission. These sessions, called MAP Talks, function like missionary-focused TED Talks, with short, concentrated presentations that spark conversation and ideas. Topics range from discipling refugees in American cities, to cross-cultural training for short-term mission teams, to strategies for digital evangelism in the twenty-first century.
Workshops are not the only way participants will engage. Every day includes designated times for corporate prayer, small group intercession, and informal fellowship. Ridgecrest’s mountain setting lends itself to walking conversations, and many find the most transformative moments of New Wineskins take place not on stage but in the quiet corners where friends new and old share stories and pray for one another. The schedule intentionally makes space for these encounters, embodying the conviction that mission is relational at its core.
Looking back on thirty years of New Wineskins, one can see a pattern. Each conference has been a snapshot of the global church at a particular moment. In 1994 it was about reawakening Anglican mission in North America. In later years it became about strengthening global partnerships as the Communion shifted. Now, in 2025, it is about recognizing a multipolar church in which every culture has something to give and something to receive.
The Ridgecrest Conference Center has borne witness to this evolution. The same mountain ridges that have framed the gathering for decades now serve as a backdrop for a new generation. Some attendees have been here many times before, while many more are walking into their first experience of New Wineskins. Together they are part of a living legacy, one that will continue to be written long after this week concludes.