The Church Mission Society (CMS) has announced that Canon Andy Roberts MBE will take over as its next chief executive officer, getting into the role on 1 August 2025.
Founded in 1799, CMS stays one in every of the world’s oldest and most lively mission agencies. Its work today continues to give attention to reaching the sides — geographically, socially and spiritually — each within the UK and world wide.
At 40, Roberts brings with him a long time of world mission experience and a powerful track record in grassroots leadership and advocacy.
Roberts will take over from current CEO Alastair Bateman, who praised the incoming leader’s deep alignment with CMS’s values: “I’m absolutely delighted with this appointment. Having worked directly with Andy during the last 4 years, I do know he’ll proceed to live out CMS’s values of being pioneering, relational, faithful and evangelistic because they’re an expression of who he’s. I couldn’t be more pleased to pass on the baton of stewarding CMS for future generations to him.”
A seasoned mission partner and founding father of ReVive International, Roberts has spent most of his adult life in Brazil.
Hailing from York, he first felt called to mission at 18 during a volunteer trip to Brazil. There, he was profoundly shaped by his interactions with street children and the local church.
“Their spiritual depth humbled and transformed me,” he stated.
That formative experience led to a lifelong commitment to serving vulnerable communities.
Alongside his Brazilian wife, Rose, Roberts dedicated a few years working in Olinda, a city in north-eastern Brazil, where they established ReVive, a house for women who’ve experienced trauma, mistreatment, and abandonment.
Under their leadership, ReVive has developed right into a widely respected charity with national recognition and a model of locally led child protection.
Their work also helped push forward vital reforms in Brazil’s foster care system and adoption policy.
Roberts was honoured with an MBE in 2021 for his services supporting at-risk children and appointed as a lay canon by Archbishop Miguel Uchoa in recognition of his contributions to the Anglican Church in Brazil.
He became CMS’s director of mission in 2021 and since then, his work has spanned multiple continents helping develop local, progressive mission strategies.
Reflecting on his recent appointment, Roberts remarked: “It’s a privilege to step into this position at such a pivotal time. My passion is to see mission shaped by deep listening, courageous innovation and native leadership.
“While CMS has a 225-year legacy, we’re entering a fresh era of pioneering grounded in the identical spirit that inspired our founders. Passing on ReVive’s leadership to local hands was a natural and vital step.”
CMS chair of trustees Jeremy Moodey welcomed his appointment: “Andy brings a rare combination of on-the-ground mission experience, strategic insight and a deep heart for transformation through the gospel. We are excited for this next chapter under his leadership.”
Now based in Oxfordshire along with his wife and two daughters, Roberts says he is prepared for the challenges ahead: “Now, at CMS, I see a possibility to proceed that commitment to empowering others, globally and locally, as we follow Jesus to the sides.”
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