Beyond Sponsorship: Empowering Families for Lasting Transformation

In this episode of the Mission Matters podcast, Matthew Ellison and Ted Esler welcome Mark Luckey, Executive Director of Every Child Ministries (ECM), to discuss how the face of missions in Africa is changing. With decades of firsthand experience, Mark shares how improved infrastructure, evolving government involvement in child welfare, and a stronger local church have transformed both the needs and opportunities in African communities. ECM’s mission to serve the most vulnerable children has shifted from a traditional child sponsorship model toward a more holistic, family-empowering approach. This change stems from a desire to move beyond relief and toward lasting community transformation by partnering with local families and churches.Mark Luckey is no stranger to Every Child Ministries, having served as one their own missionaries in Uganda with the Afayo Project. After more than fifteen years of missionary service in four African countries, Mark became the International Executive Director of Every Child Ministries in January 2015. Mark and his wife Stacy have six children and nine grandchildren.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God’s people to be a part of His mission.