As the second semester of my senior year at Geneva College approached, I, like many college students, felt the rising pressure of figuring out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. One day I went to the mailroom and found a letter in my box inviting me to go to Scotland with a brand-new short-term missions program called RP Missions.

That was the first of many RP Missions trips I was to take. RP Missions and its founder, Matt Filbert, were used by God to play a huge role in shaping the direction of my life and the lives of many after me.

This year RP Missions has experienced a major shift. After 23 years at the helm as director, Matt Filbert accepted a full-time pastoral position at First (Beaver Falls, Pa.) RPC. The wealth of knowledge he carries away with him and the years he spent developing relationships are irreplaceable. In his time with RP Missions, Matt organized 600 people to go on trips to 22 countries on six continents.

James F., RP Global Missions board president, put it well when he said, “The Lord used Matt Filbert to help change the missions trajectory of the RP Church through RP Missions. We thank the Lord for the energy, zeal, and love Matt has poured into the work of leading short-term missions for the sake of Christ. Hundreds of lives have been changed, and the vision of many people continues to grow. We praise God for Matt Filbert, for the fruit of RP Missions. We pray that the fruit would remain and multiply in this season of transition.”

Initially, when I found out that Matt was going to be leaving his RP Missions post, I struggled to imagine who would be available to take it over. But one evening, as I was sitting in our small group prayer meeting, I looked up and saw Keith Mann sitting across from me. I was suddenly flooded with thoughts, ideas, and memories. We rounded the circle and Keith started to share his requests. “I’m not sure if you all have heard yet, but I am no longer working at my job,” he stated. I sat there stunned by what seemed to be a very providential moment. After the prayer meeting, I asked Keith what he was going to be looking for in a new job. He proceeded to verbalize the job description that I only had in my head at that point. Then after a pause, he added, “Oh. And I’d really love to be able to do something ministry related.”

“Keith, we need to talk. I might have a job for you,” I replied. The rest is history.

Matt, Keith, and I got together on Zoom for a chat, and here are some thoughts from their heads and hearts about this transition and the future of RP Missions in an uncertain world.

HH: Matt, as you have transitioned from Director of RP Missions to your full-time pastoral position, what has been going on in your heart and mind?

Matt Filbert: My heart was made a whole lot lighter once I heard the decision had been made to bring Keith on board—just knowing [RP Missions] wasn’t going to sit idle for an extended period of time, that momentum could be maintained. Having been myself greatly impacted by Keith’s mentoring and discipleship as a young man, I was excited for what that may mean for RP Missions moving forward. It’s been fun to work with Keith over these last few months to explain past practices and rationales behind them with the hopes that going forward he’ll be able to improve upon and strengthen the program. I’ve been encouraged to see him bringing some more formalization of training and taking advantage of the technology available to produce good fruit for the benefit of all.

HH: Keith, what has the transition to this role been like for you?

Keith Mann: It has been quite an adventure for me. We talk about an internal call and an external call and, while I realize this position isn’t an office in the church, I really had both calls, and I feel confident in both calls even today. That gives me a lot of encouragement. I have just started having conversations with potential hosts and participants where things are beginning to take shape and feel real. The transition has been a little overwhelming, to say the least, but it has been a really good growing time for me. I have realized that there is a whole world of missions philosophy, approach, and history that I didn’t know before, and it is like drinking from a fire hose to just get trained up in that. It’s been a privilege to work with Heather and seeing that whole world come to life and with Vince W. as we refresh the curriculum. It’s been a journey!

HH: Matt, as you reflect over the last 23 years, what are some of the things that bring you the most joy?

MF: My greatest joy in the whole 23 years were the relationships that were able to be established, seeing God raise up laborers, and being able to play some small part in helping to foster the development of interest in serving Christ and His church. To have been able to explore Christ’s church around the world and be in awe of it was a tremendous privilege. Those are relationships that I have been able to maintain, and they represent people and places that occupy my heart and will remain in my prayers going forward. Those years helped me to appreciate just how great Christ is and how powerful the gospel is. I’ll miss it, but it has been a great joy.

HH: Keith, as you look to the future, what is it that gets you excited?

KM: It gets me excited to think about being able to be in the business of discipling people to be global Christians and facilitate work that is moving the gospel forward in the world. I would like to push past all of the “overwhelmingness,” the mechanics, the tentativeness and have some effective mechanisms for putting people together for this gospel work. As I reflect on my own life, I wish I had grown more in a whole vision of being a global Christian. It’s exciting to be able to offer that opportunity to a new generation of Reformed Presbyterians.

HH: You both have alluded to being a “global Christian.” What is a global Christian?

MF: When I got involved with RP Missions, it was hard to see past our national borders and to think in terms of a worldwide church of Jesus Christ. Everyone is susceptible to that kind of thinking. We tend to respond to only those things that are around us. These cross-cultural ministry opportunities, working in partnership with host congregations, allow us to see the beauty of Christ’s bride all around the world and expand our idea of the capability of God’s Word to address a variety of problems and opportunities. We return home with the benefit of having wrestled with questions that never would have arisen in our home environment. So, when we are thinking about global Christians, we are talking about expanding the thinking of RP Missions participants to think about the entirety of Christ’s kingdom and not getting stuck only thinking about the things that affect me or my small congregation. It’s an appreciation for all that the gospel has done, all Christ has been pleased to call out as His own, and all of the work that is left to be done.

HH: What do our readers have to look forward to with RP Missions?

KM: One of the things that we have talked about is looking at how our training can be a standalone product for the church to help develop global Christians. Not everyone is going to be able to go on a trip, but can we make the training something that the church finds that they need and are interested in availing themselves of? We can also look forward to a program that can not only accommodate the current scenario, but moving forward accommodates a variety of opportunities for people to be involved in. For instance, when I was brainstorming with our host in Cyprus, we came up with a two-week remote program that a team could participate in meaningfully. So, a team could travel to, say, Winchester, Kan., and participate in the work to be done there in the mornings. And then in the afternoon we could hop online and do Romper Room-style vacation Bible study with the kids and English classes with the adults in Cyprus. So, we are developing two parallel programs such that one or the other will happen in Cyprus this summer—whether the team goes to Cyprus or not.

But we can also look forward to the pandemic going away and getting back to getting on planes and flying places and having that rich experience of showing up in a different culture where you forget what your life back at home was like because you’ve been so immersed in a completely different environment for a period of time.

HH: Matt, would you close with a word for anyone who is wondering about participating in an RP Missions trip or has someone they think might want to go?

MF: In our circles we spend a lot of time equipping and teaching people about what God’s Word says. RP Missions is one of the few opportunities presently offered in our denomination that gives you an opportunity to apply all that has been faithfully and lovingly taught. This is the testing ground. It is an opportunity for you to grow more confident and comfortable in wielding the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ without the fear that often keeps one on the sideline. You will discover the joy of serving Christ and better understand your place within the church. If you are wrestling with what God would have you do and what purpose you have within His church, go on a short-term missions trip and enjoy this opportunity to be mentored and discipled by pastors, missionaries, and other church workers to discover the place that God has been fashioning you for.

Heather H. is executive director of RP Global Missions. She is a graduate of Geneva College, a veteran of RP Missions, and a former missionary with RP Global Missions to South Sudan. She recently moved from California to Colorado, where she lives with her Australian Cattle Dog, Stella.