Joe & Silk Handley

Silk & Joe

  STAFF PROFILE  

Joe & Silk Handley

MINISTRY ASSIGNMENT

Joe: Serving as CEO
Silk: Serving through prayer & WIM

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Bio: Joe & Silk Handley

Background Information:

joe and silk Fall2020 webJoe and Silk (Joseph and Vasilka) met during college at Azusa Pacific University. Everyone told Silk while she was growing up that she was destined to be a pastor’s or missionary’s wife. Joe grew up in a family with a few pastors and felt called to ministry during high school.

During college, a mission trip cemented Joe’s call to a life of ministry and Silk ventured out on a short-term mission trip teaching English in Japan. Little did they know their destinies were being shaped for a life of mission.

Not long after college graduation, they started dating and almost three years later they were married. During their wedding ceremony, they asked the minister to gather their families to lay hands on them and commission them into ministry.

You can learn more about Joe's background here...

As for Silk, she’s been a lifelong educator: either in the public-school systems in Azusa and Torrance, in private christian education in Turkey and Japan, or as a volunteer at schools, churches and various children’s and youth programs. She also served as a coordinator for counseling programs for a school district. Silk holds a BA in English literature and an MA in special education. 

Family

Rachel and Quan weddingJoe and Silk have three adult children and two grandchildren. Rebecca is married to Lowell and is a social media manager and coordinator of writers. Rachel is married to Quan and is a visual journalist. John lives in London working as an economist.

Ministry Assignment

Joe serves as CEO of A3. Both Joe & Silk are privileged to serve Christ-centered leaders, helping them experience Spirit-led change through accelerating Christ-centered movements around the world. 

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to living and leading, nothing is more critical than our dependence on Christ:

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” – John 1:4

Jesus is the most influential person in human history. When we give our lives to him, he brings steady, revolutionary change. Remember the exhortation in John 15:5 that as we “abide in Him, we will bear much fruit. Without him, we can do nothing!”

As we remain in Jesus, our lives will change and we will see him change the world!

Polycentric Leadership

PCL logo color horizJoe's own study and dissertation on Polycentric Mission Leadership have given him deep insight into a new approach to leadership, one he believes is Trinitarian in nature. His dissertation was published in 2022 and Joe is a sought-after speaker to present his findings. Joe has adopted a polycentric leadership style at A3. You can read real-life case studies and find out more about this concept at his website: https://polycentricleadership.com.

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ARTICLES RELATED TO JOE HANDLEY

 

Header photo/image courtesy of Zion C via Unsplash.

One month after earthquakes hit, Kumamoto residents work to rebuild.

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Opening Unexpected Gifts

Sometimes ministry moments begin in surprisingly simple ways.

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Hope fades for survivors in southern Japan as earthquake rescue efforts shift to recovery.

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A Spiritual Moment for Those Who Stay, Pray, Serve, & Strengthen

When the bombs started flying over the Persian Gulf, I started receiving messages that were hard to fully comprehend.

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Reflections from the A3 Global Leaders’ Summit — Kuala Lumpur

There are moments in the life of a movement when you sense God is inviting you to go deeper—not wider.

Our summit in Kuala Lumpur was one of those moments.

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"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
— JOHN 16:33

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Remembering Tom Bradford, A3 board member emeritus

This week, we said goodbye to one of the most faithful friends and board members our mission has ever known.

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Praying for Peace Amid the Middle East Conflict 

Our Fragile World

This week has been full of sobering developments in the Middle East. We have been reminded how fragile parts of our world remain.

I’d like to share an update regarding the Middle East and invite you to pray with the A3 Community for this situation, especially on Thursday, March 5th.

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When leaders abide, movements multiply

What independent research and alumni feedback reveal about A3’s impact: 

CHANGING THE FEW WHO CHANGE THE MANY

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By Joseph W. Handley
CEO, A3

Graduations are always liminal moments. Something has ended, yet something new is beginning. But in places like Middle Asia, that threshold carries unusual weight.

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Reflections from the WEA General Assembly

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea) gathered nearly 900 delegates from 124 nations and thousands of Korean pastors and believers. It was a powerful picture of the global Church united in purpose: seeking God’s guidance for how we live, proclaim, and embody the Gospel in our generation.

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How can a leader change a nation?

Our Why

WE HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT A CHRIST-CENTERED LEADER, WHO'S FUELED BY GOD AND SUPPORTED BY A LOCAL COMMUNITY, CAN CHANGE A NATION.

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A3 Welcomes New U.S. President, Janelle Stoops

Janelle Stoops joins A3, helping to build capacity and support for our expanding work

AS A3 CONTINUES TO GROW INTO NEW REGIONS AND CONTINENTS, WE ARE STRENGTHENING OUR LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE SO WE CAN STEWARD THIS SEASON WELL.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(A3) La Palma, California, USA — January 12, 2026

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Janelle Stoops Bio Page

Key Leaders Talk About Leadership Preparation, Calling, and A3

As God continues to grow A3, our Board and leadership team discerned the need to strengthen our leadership structure for this new season. In response, CEO Joe Handley sought a trusted leader who could partner with him as U.S. President and help steward A3’s expanding mission.

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CEO Joe Handley on what's coming up for A3 this year

Looking ahead to 2026, I am super thrilled with all that God has on the horizon for A3.

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A3 Ministry Highlights from 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, I’ve found myself returning again and again to one word: MULTIPLICATION.

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Joe & Silk Handley's Christmas 2025 greeting

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
— JOHN 1:14

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By Joseph W. Handley
CEO, A3

Across Asia and beyond, a new current of leadership renewal is flowing. At our recent National Director’s Gathering, A3 leaders from several regions of the world came together to seek God’s direction for the next season of ministry. What emerged was a picture of the A3 movement as a living ecosystem: an estuary where streams of experience and new life converge to create something vibrant and generative.

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Christians are encouraged to consider Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

International (MNN)—The world has become less peaceful over the last 17 years, according to the 2025 Global Peace Index, with conflict deaths at their highest levels of the century. In the face of this, A3 President Joe Handley encourages Christians around the world to turn to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

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