Our Story so far
We are still walking the call of God.
NAMS was born in 1993, but the idea started much earlier—in 1973.
Our founder, Jon Shuler, was taking a walk in Durham, England. He was on a Saturday walk when something remarkable happened. He heard God’s voice speaking to his heart: "There needs to be an Anglican order of church planters."
For twenty years, Jon held onto this vision. Then in 1993, Bishop Alden Hathaway asked him to start a missionary society. The first step toward fulfilling God's will for us. The goal? To establish a missionary society dedicated to planting Great Commission churches across North America.
That's how NAMS began.
From North America to the World (1993–2009)
NAMS started as the North American Missionary Society, working in the United States and Canada. The mission was clear and focused: share the vision, train church planters, and help dioceses start new churches.
Then came an unexpected invitation. Archbishop George Carey asked NAMS to serve in the Diocese of Canterbury. This changed everything. Suddenly, we weren't just a North American ministry—we were crossing oceans. By 1996, the old name no longer fit. We became the New Anglican Missionary Society, reflecting our global calling.
The year 1997 tested that calling. Faithful Anglicans in America faced a crisis of faith and identity. NAMS responded, partnering to plant over 200 new congregations—many of them existing churches seeking refuge and a fresh start. At the same time, under the patronage of Archbishop Moses Tay of Southeast Asia, we expanded our reach even further. We were becoming what we'd always been meant to be: a true missionary society for the global Anglican Church.
Yet even as we served faithfully, we sensed something was missing. To truly fulfil God's calling—to become "an Anglican order of church planters"—we needed to take one final, decisive step.
Becoming an Order (2010–2024)
In 2010, NAMS reached such final, decisive step. After years of faithful service, it was time to fully embrace the original vision: becoming an Anglican order of church planters.
Under the leadership of Rev. Canon Dr. Jon C. Shuler, we took a bold step. We committed to a shared Rule of Life—a covenant that bound us together not just in work, but in spiritual discipline and mutual accountability. We became what the Lord had envisioned decades earlier: a "band of brothers and sisters on mission."
This commitment changed everything. NAMS could no longer operate as it always had. The call and the mission went beyond casting vision and helping to plant churches to something far more strategic and sustainable—raising up Missionary Companions and Sisters who could plant and support faithful churches to disciple the nations.
A New Chapter (2024)
On November 1, 2024, a new chapter began. Bishop Josep Rosselló became the second Servant General in NAMS' history. Josep wasn't new to the mission—he'd walked alongside NAMS since 2010, serving in various roles and proving himself faithful to the calling.
Today, we are 32 brothers and sisters banded together on mission. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, carrying forward the vision first whispered on a Durham street decades ago. Our calling remains unchanged: to plant and support faithful churches wherever the Lord opens a door as an Anglican order of Church Planters.
NAMS has always been, and will always be, faithful to this mission and call. We serve the global Anglican church and the wider Church, pursuing one ultimate goal—to glorify God by planting churches, making disciples, and advancing the Gospel to every corner of the earth.
The story that began in 1973 continues. The work goes on. And by God's grace, the best chapters are still to come.