Background Information:
Joe 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
Joe 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
Joe'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
"With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand."
I read dozens of missionary prayer letters every month and this one by my colleagues Barbara and Gary Bauman really impressed me. Why? While many are mentioning the Japanese word and Chinese characters for crisis (see picture here), and how it means both danger and opportunity, I was particularly impressed with how Barbara and Gary are seeing this flesh out in their own life and ministry. They reported on some recent ministry activity that I hope we can share in the future. It’s an exciting story of how the Gospel is being manifest before those they are reaching out to in their sphere of influence. Barbara and Gary have this crisis idea down! As they shared...
When COVID-19 started becoming a public concern, I was en route to a conference with 5,000 leaders from China. The conference did a remarkable job at communicating with us and managing the situation. It’s a tribute to them and to the Lord’s hand that to this date, none of us have been impacted (at least for what has been reported so far). As the news grew and social isolation became more and more the norm, the Lord reminded me of the power of lament as well as the hope hidden within that concept. For Silk and me, we held a public Facebook Live prayer event where God gave me a passage from Lamentations to share...
A Reflection following Easter
Greetings on Good Friday. When it looks dark, that's when God shows up.
A3 faculty member, Jim Millard, president of 
Dear Friends, the collective wisdom from the A3 family in light of our current global crisis is such a treasure. As they come in, I’d like to share them with you so that you can sense their heart and the insight they have for those of us in the global body of Christ. Just like our series Eastern Voices, these voices are golden in our day and age. I trust you’ll take a moment to watch/read these words from my colleague, Adrian De Visser, from Sri Lanka. He has an important message to share...
I trust and pray that you are well. For most of us, things haven't really settled into a new normal yet. We have recently begun a season of self-isolation here in Japan while others have been doing this for weeks now. But wherever we are, I think everyone has had a little time to try gaining perspective. I've been getting messages from our volunteers across Asia trying to find perspective. I hope to share some because it's important for you to know and to pray. Here is an insightful one from a national director that I wanted to share with you...
So we can trust him now.
Dear Friends, One of the hallmarks of A3 is our belief in community. In fact, one of our three core values is “We LIVE Community!” In light of this, several of our countries are saddened that they cannot be meeting at this time due to the coronavirus impact. Despite their loss of meetings, they have expressed more concern for the people in their communities and for you than for their ability to meet. Herman Moldez, our director in the Philippines said, “Please pray for us as Metro Manila is now on lockdown… Pray for us as we seek to bring help to our communities...
March 11, 2020—This title may seem surprising to you in these days of fear and ongoing polarization in the world. – Hope Rising, really? The coronavirus impact seems to have the world gripped in fear: the markets have been in a free fall, businesses have closed, schools are shifting to online formats, and people are constantly thinking about washing their hands and whether or not they can buy facemasks. Certainly, the impacts have had a ripple effect and A3 is no exception. However... 
Silk and I were encouraged to attend a recent missions conference at Rolling Hills Covenant Church entitled "Compelled by Love." During this missions celebration weekend, we explored how the most powerful driving force of life, relationships, and missions is... Christ’s love. My predecessor, and current A3 Ambassador-at-Large, Doug Birdsall did a wonderful job as the keynote speaker. Doug shared about our important calling as Christ’s ambassadors and how we are to be compelled, convinced and committed followers of Jesus. We were so inspired by his sharing that we wanted to repost his message here...
Missio Nexus Podcast Episode 54 with Joe Handley of A3
Happy New Year, Friends!
Hi friends! It's been an exciting year for us at A3, and I want to thank you for your support. This past year we were able to open a new country—a closed access country—and we're grateful for that. The leaders have come to me and said: "Joe, this is awesome. We have nothing like this. We are so grateful that you came." ...
