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
Next year an immense opportunity is knocking at our doors and you can play a part in it! Tokyo is hosting the 2020 Olympics and A3 in partnership with SIM is mobilizing teams to participate through partnering with local churches in reaching out. I hope you’ll join us! We’re praying for a breakthrough and believing that God has a plan to see the Christian population double by 2023 and the Olympic year presents a unique springboard for this to happen. In a few weeks, Japan is hosting the Rugby World Cup which starts the wheels rolling. Then, next summer you can take part through teams coming to serve before the games as Tokyo hosts both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 
Recently Pastor P from SE Asia shared this with me: Wow!!! It is another God's breakthrough because of your unwavering support in prayers. Let us celebrate for the mighty acts of God through our partnership! God's wonderful saving grace has been falling on these Buddhists and Hindu kids today, our intensive evangelism at God's Fam Church! By the working power of the Holy Spirit, these kids are brought into the Kingdom of God as they received Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives. I just can't stop saying thank you to Jesus and to you as well, for such great honored of seeing the lives that God saved!!! Praise the Lord!!! Pastor P is a graduate of A3 as well as a... 
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. — Isaiah 43:18-19
One of the highlights of our recent Global Leaders’ Summit as meeting our latest coordinators for A3 in new countries. In this case, the pastor pictured here we’ll call Pastor S to protect his identity as he serves in a country that needs to remain unidentified for security reasons. Pastor S faces ongoing pressures and real-life threats. In fact, recently he was asked, “Why would you even consider doing A3 in your country if you know your life is in danger?” – He said, “It’s too important that we equip our leaders to not face this kind of threats. We must proceed and if I die, I die.”... 
"The Harvest is Plentiful but the Workers are Few… Pray to the Lord of the Harvest." (Matthew 9:37-38) I have called our global community to pray as we have entered an 18-month discernment process seeking the Lord’s direction for A3 as we look over the horizon of 2020 toward the middle of the next decade (toward 2025). As such, we have been collecting wisdom from across our community seeking the Lord’s wisdom for what He might have in store for us given all the changes happening in the world today. Next week we begin a pivotal honing process where we try... ... 
Several months ago, one of our staff kids went on a school outing. On this outing, the class visited a neighborhood temple near the school to learn more about the culture and religion. As you would expect, her parents wanted to know how the day went and as good parents followed up with her that evening. “How did you day go today?” they asked. She said, "We went to the temple on an outing today." And, upon further prompting, “What was that like?” she proceeded to say... 
Joe Handley, A3, April 26, 2019
A Tragic Easter in Sri Lanka
Hi Friends! It’s Good Friday here at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. We just want to let you know how grateful we are as we get ready to board our flight back to Japan where we’ll celebrate Easter. We just want... 
I often speak with parents about the challenges of parenting and hear stories of the aches and pains people face or simply the frustrations of raising kids. How encouraging to know that A3 missionary Barbara Bauman, with help from her husband Gary, has updated her outstanding book Discovering the Joy of Parenting. I can’t wait to get a copy! The original book has been a lifesaver and game changer for many Japanese and Mongolian families around the world. It’s been available as a bilingual Japanese and English text since 2002, and in Mongolian since 2012. I’ve heard stories of... 
Eight years ago, Silk and I were here in Japan during the horrific triple disaster that hit the country. In a matter of minutes, lives were ruined, the country was disrupted and it was a day that none of us will ever forget. The spirit of “Ganbatte” – never giving up or similarly “Ganbare” – let’s do our best or together carried the nation through the personal and societal loss. It was a significant time for the body of Christ in Japan, as Christ’s Church rose to the occasion to help bring hope and healing to the nation. It was one of the most unifying expressions in modern Japanese church history and the hope that it inspired is still active today. To get a glimpse of how this happened, take a look at this...
