At Commissioning, TWR's New President Looks to the Future

“Our call is to become experts in every form of communication available to us,” new President and CEO Andy Schick said during the ceremony

Andy Schick, a visionary executive working at the intersection of technology innovation and faith-based initiatives, was commissioned Sunday as president of TWR in a moving service hosted by the global media ministry’s board of directors.

In an inauguration ceremony blending celebration of TWR’s seven-decade legacy of reaching the world for Christ with abundant Scripture reading and praise music, the 42-year-old New Zealander began sketching his vision for a new era of Great Commission outreach in a rapidly changing media landscape. Schick hearkened back to founder Paul Freed and his father, Ralph Freed, who were “not just pioneers; they were generational leaders who built TWR to be a multigenerational mission.”

“That is why we are here today, not to celebrate a person or a position, but to remember God's mighty acts and to be recommissioned for the next chapter in his mission,” Schick said after opening his remarks with a touching hello to his wife, Kate, and three of his daughters watching on livestream in Auckland. “Our story as TWR is filled with ordinary people who gave God a hesitant yes, and he did extraordinary things with the hesitant yeses.”

Schick singled out TWR’s international partnership model, developed in the 1950s and ’60s by Ralph Freed, as the “enduring secret” to the ministry’s scale and impact. TWR will need to lean on its loyal national partners in dozens of countries around the world more than ever before, he added.   

“I believe God is also calling us to double down on the existing commitment to localization and cultural contextualization, putting the local church and the local listener first, but also achieving this through a global pursuit of excellence and efficiency,” he said. “This might look like building global strategy and centralized capabilities all in an effort to better serve and empower our teams and our partners on the front line. … We must be faithful stewards, ensuring that global efficiency translates into more time and more resources for the local context.”

Innovation has always been and will continue to be an essential tool in TWR’s mission, Schick said. What’s the best way to reach a given people group with the gospel? For many, he said, it will continue to be radio, while others will need podcasting, social media, short video, or even artificial-intelligence-supported program production, he said.  

“I think our teams are so dedicated and will become so dedicated to finding the right way to reach audiences that should a carrier pigeon be the right strategy somewhere, then someone from TWR will be figuring out the best birdseed to buy,” he quipped, eliciting a laugh from the audience. “Our call is to become experts in every form of communication available to us.”

At the conclusion of Schick’s remarks, all board members in attendance came forward to lay hands on him as Cassius Smith, formerly the interim president and now an adviser to Schick, led a prayer of dedication.  

TWR board of directors Chairman Jeff Jones presided over the nearly two-hour service, which took place at Cary Alliance Church and drew an audience of current and former staff members, missionaries and friends of the ministry.

“Today. Sept. 28, 2025, we all come together to officially welcome and entrust Andy with the responsibility of guiding us toward greater heights of service, impact and the fulfillment of our mission, which is to reach the world for Christ by mass media so lasting fruit is produced. With true faith as our foundation and unity as our strength, we as the board, our staff, our friends, our supporters, stand ready to collaborate with you, Andy, to further our reach and to fulfill our mission, a mission that unites us all.”

Jones also sent special greetings to Lauren and June Libby, who reportedly watched the livestream in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they now live. Lauren Libby was Schick’s immediate predecessor, serving 16 years as president until he suffered a serious stroke in 2024. Other speakers also affectionately honored the Libbys in their remarks.

Also featured on the program were board members Tracy McKenzie, who serves as vice chairman and is a Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary professor; Susanne Thyroff, executive director of one of TWR’s largest and oldest national partners, ERF Medien of Germany; Sona Minz, a professor of computer science at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India; and Ross Campbell, chairman of the TWR Canada board and head of the TWR International board’s audit committee.

Scarlett Schick, Andy’s 14-year-old daughter, traveled with him from New Zealand and presented heartwarming comments that seemed to resonate with many in the audience. She spoke affectionately and admiringly of her parents, shared life lessons she had learned from them and said, “I think having a passion for missions is in my blood.”

There’s so much more to see and hear, and you can enjoy the entire recording by clicking here.