Multiply, the mission agency of the Mennonite Brethren church, has shared three important staffing transitions in the United States and announced a new role.
Galen Wiest, regional mobilizer for Multiply’s Pacific District, will be retiring in December 2025 after 40 years of ministry. His journey includes 10 years as a global worker, 12 years as associate pastor at Neighborhood Church in Visalia, California, and 18 years as a regional mobilizer with Multiply.
During his tenure with Multiply, Wiest has fostered deep relationships with churches, missionaries and people with a heart to see the gospel proclaimed around the world.
“One of the greatest joys I have experienced in this role has been serving young people mobilizing in short-term and long-term mission and then watching them serve God in their church, community and around the world,” Wiest says. “It has also been a joy to help local churches focus their global engagement by adopting a country or missionary, and then engaging with them through church teams, giving to the work and praying for God to open doors for the gospel.”
As he completes his assignment, Wiest encourages those in his district to continue to partner with Multiply in prayer and giving.
Joanna Chapa, regional mobilizer for the East of the Rockies region, will be transitioning from Multiply in December 2025. She has served with Multiply for 13 years in a variety of positions, including short-term mission coordinator and global worker and missionary in Peru.
“After much prayer, discernment, and conversation, I have made the decision to step into a new season,” Chapa says. “It has not been an easy decision, as I am deeply grateful for the many relationships, teachings, opportunities and experiences that have shaped my journey during my time with Multiply and the Mennonite Brethren.”
Stephen Humber, also a regional mobilizer for the East of the Rockies region, will be leaving Multiply in December 2025. Humber has been in his role for 10 years and expected to work for Multiply until he retired. However, his wife, Mary K’s health became an issue.
“Many of you know that my wife has a chronic illness for which there is no current medical cure,” Humber says. “I’m grateful that there are lots of people that are passionate about global mission who can be involved in this work, but there’s nobody else who can be Mary K’s husband. Stepping away from Multiply is a choice that I am making to live with her in a better way.”
This is an exciting time for Multiply, he points out: “There have been excellent discussions about changing the leadership structure of Multiply in the U.S. and Canada to allow for more country-specific mission activity and strategy.”
New regional team leader role
As Humber notes, Multiply’s board recently recognized the need for a new regional team leader role that will specifically serve the U.S. as a region as well as one for Canada. For many years, Multiply has appointed regional team leaders to help the churches and ministries within each global region multiply their mission impact locally while partnering globally.
Multiply’s leadership team recognizes that the season ahead will be filled with many challenges and hopes as the vacancies left by Wiest, Chapa and Humber, three longstanding and beloved U.S. regional mobilizers coincide with the search for a U.S. regional team leader. Multiply leadership welcomes prayer for clarity, wisdom and discernment while looking for new leaders who will follow God into a fresh season of ministry in these roles.
Multiply’s missionaries and national partners are reporting more baptisms, disciple-makers and house churches in 2025 than ever before. This builds faith that the people God will bring to these U.S. roles will help USMB churches take more steps forward with God on his mission that the world may know Jesus.
As the mission agency of the Mennonite Brethren of North America, Multiply is passionately focused on participating in God’s mission by helping disciples multiply, sending out missionaries and partnering with nationals.
