Church Mission Society

Who we are

Jesus spent much of his time with people at the edges, and that’s where we want to be too. Church Mission Society invites people at the edges of church, the edges of society and the edges of our comfort zones to follow Jesus and play a part in his story. Come with us to the edges and discover God at work in ways you might not have expected.

Welcome to Church Mission Society, where we are passionate about God’s mission and fired up to see more and more people become followers of Jesus. For over 200 years CMS has been at the forefront of global mission, living out the gospel of Jesus, seeing lives changed and communities transformed. Founded by William Wilberforce and other members of the Clapham Sect group of activists in 1799, CMS people are called by God to help bring change, hope and freedom, wherever they go.

Today CMS supports 150 mission partners and local partners who are working in more than 40 countries, where they are dedicated to serving local communities and transforming lives through the love of Jesus. From women’s empowerment, micro farming initiatives and leadership training, to drug rehabilitation, theological training and pioneering in the arts, CMS is at the cutting edge of mission, displaying the love of Jesus to many people who might not have believed he was for them.

In the last year, we’ve undertaken a prayerful review of our organisation, in order to discern our mission call for this generation. In the process we have rediscovered and been re-inspired by the pioneering spirit of our founders. If you join CMS today you will find an organisation that has been reinvigorated with a fresh vision to join with our global family to make disciples of Jesus among people at the edges, both in the UK and around the world.

Our culture

At CMS we work hard to ensure that every member of staff is valued, supported and encouraged to continually learn and develop their skills. We rely upon God’s presence, wisdom and grace and therefore, prayer is central to everything we do. Job description and person specification

Our vision

We long to see our world made new by the love of God as we follow Jesus to the edges.

Our purpose

We exist to make disciples of Jesus at the edges.

Our core values

Pioneering. Relational. Faithful. Evangelistic. 

Our culture and values

We exist to make disciples of Jesus at the edges. Read on to see what this means, as well as where and how we work – and how you can join in.

Where we work

What or where are the edges? We’re glad you asked.

By working “at the edges” we mean that we encourage individuals and groups of people to follow Jesus:

• At the edges of existing church
• At the edges of society
• At the edges of our comfort zones

Within the UK and overseas, we are specifically called to mission at the margins and cultural fringes, where Jesus is not often followed and which are often overlooked or written off. We believe God is already at work in these spaces and our task is to join in.

Some examples of CMS mission at the edges might include:

• Catalysing faith-based peace movements in conflict-prone areas of Africa
• Supporting new Jesus-followers in Muslim-majority contexts in the Middle East and North Africa
• Creatively sharing the way of Jesus among spiritual but not religious seekers in the UK