WHO WE ARE

Our history, vision, mission, faith statement & leadership

History

Joe Duthie started his journey as an evangelist in 1995. Since then, he traveled, trained and ministered in North India, Asia and different parts of the world. In 2004 when he was presenting the Gospel, he was challenged by a group of people about the corruption,injustice, power politics, casteism and racism within the church. This made him take a deep look at the state of the church, which is the only visible Body of Christ. Challenged by Acts 1:18, he realized the pressing need for Spirit-empowered witnesses. He began to speak in conferences and organized seminars and training programs to mobilize and equip all believers as witnesses. Initially, it was called PX – Pursuit of Excellence for the Master’s use. Beginning in 2008, he started self-mentoring groups in different cities, bringing together believers to walk along and help each other in that process. It was later called CtW – Called to Work. He used printed materials to help the believers to systematically develop a witnessing lifestyle. In 2011 this growing movement was called CAN–Christian Ambassadors Network. In 2020, he stepped aside as International Director of Ambassadors for Christ International to focus on the work of CAN: mobilizing and equipping believers around the world to be active witnesses.

Vision

Reaching nations for Christ through believers worldwide.

More than one billion believers are spread across all nations. CAN’s vision is to spread the good news through these believers worldwide.

Mission

Mobilizing and equipping believers to be His witnesses.

CAN accomplishes its vision by mobilizing, empowering and equipping believers to be effective witnesses so their family, friends and co-workers come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Faith Statement

The Bible

We believe in the divine inspiration and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

The Trinity

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Sovereignty of God

We believe in the sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption, and final judgment.

Jesus Christ

We believe in the divine nature of Jesus Christ. He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man.
We believe Jesus Christ lived among us, suffered at the hands of men, was crucified, died, and was buried as a sacrifice for the sins of all human beings.
We believe in the resurrection of the body of Lord Jesus Christ, in His ascension into Heaven, and in His present life and ministry in heaven as our High Priest and Advocate.

Man

We believe that mankind was created by God in His own image. But because of Adams’ sin, everyone inherits a corrupt nature, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature.

The Church

We believe that the Church is the visible body of Lord Jesus Christ on earth and called to be His witnesses.

Born again

We believe that all who by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.

Holy Spirit

We believe that Holy Spirit lives within the believers and gives strength to live a godly life and empowers all believers to be witnesses of the hope they have in Jesus Christ.

Eternal Life

We believe in the blessed hope, the personal return of Jesus Christ to receive His believers in the everlasting blessedness, and the unrepentant in the everlasting punishment.

CAN Leadership

Mark Derby President

Throughout his ministry, Rev. Mark A. Derby has been committed to world missions, a passion that developed during college when he attended an InterVarsity’s Urbana Missions Conference. During his itinerant pastoral ministry, he served four United Methodist congregations and, in every congregation fostered and grew their commitment to World Missions. He served as District Superintendent of the Baltimore-Harford District and the Washington West District from 2000–2007; as Chair of the Division of Evangelism, Chair of the Candidacy Training for Ordained Ministry, and as a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry for 12 years. Since 2012, Mark has been involved with cross-cultural ministries and has taught and provided training for pastors and missionaries in Chile, Peru, Fiji, Ghana, and Russia. He served as a Ministry Representative with Ambassadors for Christ from 2014–2020. In retirement, he continues to preach and teach in local churches, coach pastors, lead Bible studies and develop materials for training pastors. Mark graduated from the University of Delaware in 1972 and from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1976 with an M.Div. Mark is married to Joyce, a clinical psychologist. They have three married sons and six grandchildren.

Nancy Gravatt Secretary

A public affairs executive, writer and editor throughout her communications career, Nancy Gravatt’s faith in Christ has been the foundation for her life. A short-term mission trip to Papua New Guinea in 2006 ignited her love for the mission field, which led later to mission trips to Myanmar and Cambodia. Over her career, she served as a communications executive for the travel, insurance, steel and mining industries and for public libraries. As a free-lance writer, she has had articles published in The Washington Post and Today’s Christian Living. Gravatt attends an evangelical church in Chantilly, Virginia where she is a member of the missions team that serves 32 missionaries around the world. “It is a privilege to serve as a Council member of Christian Ambassadors Network (CAN), which offers a strategic platform and communication tools for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide.” Nancy earned a BS in Journalism at the University of Illinois and an MA at George Washington University. She has three adult children and two granddaughters.

Michael Shreve Director

As Lead Pastor at Mountain West Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Michael Shreve is passionate about and accomplished in developing leaders, coaching individuals, and equipping teams to most effectively live out their calling and the mandate of Christ to ‘GO.’ Pastor Michael’s heart for “One More” drives the mission at Mountain West where he has served for 15 years. “As long as there is one more person who needs the love of Christ, our mission is not complete!” “I am excited to be on the CAN council. I believe we must resource, encourage, equip, and partner with as many people as possible to share the love of Christ. CAN is poised to be an integral part in every believer’s life in helping them share their faith.” A graduate of Lee University, Michael and his family served as missionaries in Southeast Asia before he joined Mountain West’s pastoral staff. He and his wife Elaine are parents of five children: Chelsey, Josiah, Luke, Brandon, and Zuri.

Art Stansberry Council Member

As Senior Minister of MC3 Church since March 2012, Art Stansberry is a faithful shepherd of this evangelical congregation located in the Atlanta metropolitan area. As a pastor, and as a member of the CAN Council, his biggest desire is to lead people into a relationship with Christ. Art is an accomplished speaker, Bible teacher and team builder who excels in his pastoral care and who has a heart for missions. Previously, Art served for eight years as MC3 Church’s Student Minister. He has a a B.A. Degree in Christian Education from Johnson University and has been active in full-time Christian ministry for over 25 years. He and his wife Christy, an assistant teacher at Greater Atlanta Christian School, have been married since 1994 and have two sons, Caleb and Landon.

Joe Duthie Founder & CEO

Capitalizing on 25 years of cross-cultural experience in evangelism, discipleship and leadership development worldwide, Joe Duthie founded Christian Ambassadors Network (CAN) with the vision to reach nations for Christ through believers worldwide. Duthie began his career in business quickly becoming a successful project manager. But early on, he felt a great burden for lost and broken people who did not know Christ. Recognizing God’s call, he turned away from his business career to fulltime ministry, always with a focus on evangelism and revival in the church. Duthie began his ministry journey as a Field Evangelist in North India with Ambassadors for Christ International (AFCI-India). Over his 23-year career with AFCI during which he rose to International Director, Duthie’s successive experience in cross-cultural leadership, vision casting, and building teams around the world gave him a wider perspective along with deep insight into mission opportunities and challenges. His wide-ranging experiences with leadership training for different nations and cultures led to launching CAN to mobilize and empower all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to be effective witnesses in their daily lives. Duthie earned his bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Finance and has his MBA in Human Resources Development. He is married to Rhoda, his ministry partner, and they have two daughters, Jerona and Shekinah.