Our Story

I will never forget the day and the conversation that marked the beginning of my journey with Scatter. I was sitting in my office on the upper floor of the US headquarters of the Missions agency I was leading, chatting with a senior leader in our organization. He had spent most of his adult life in the Arabian Peninsula. His statement that day changed everything for me; it revealed my lack of understanding of God's mission in the world and the framework we had created to fulfill that understanding.

In addressing some of the changes we needed to consider regarding how we engaged from the West, he remarked,

“The Filipina maids have done more for the spread of the Gospel in the Arabian Peninsula than all the traditional missionaries combined. ”

As the words settled in, I felt frustration and curiosity rising inside me. This fascinating and potent mixture of emotions continues to fuel our journey at Scatter.

I was frustrated by how I had overlooked something so significant. God was using a group of people that did not fit my image of a "missionary"—people who lacked special training or a specific calling, weren't raising support, and weren't part of a mission agency. They didn't fit in the journey I had known and had devoted much of my life trying to replicate. God was dismantling my assumptions right before my eyes. My curiosity grew about what else I might be mistaken about.

Reflecting on this experience, I realized that I had no idea of the journey that lay ahead of me. And maybe that was a good thing. As I continued my journey, challenging more of my assumptions, I recognized three fundamental paradigms at work in the world that needed to shift...

Read more from our CEO about where we’ve been, where we’re going, and why we exist HERE.

Our Principles

01 Start with God

We begin at the beginning: Inherent goodness in every person and community. We practice a strengths-based approach to seeing opportunities in every problem, beauty before deficit, and redemptive solutions in the face of intractable realities.

02 Infinite Dignity

Every person possesses inherent worth and deserves to be treated with respect and compassion regardless of their circumstances or background.

03 God is Already (T)Here

We recognize the divine presence already at work in every community and situation, meeting people where they are with grace and understanding.

04 Inconvenient Mutuality

True partnership requires mutual sacrifice and commitment, embracing the discomfort that comes with genuine relationship and shared responsibility.

05 Tenacious Solidarity

We stand alongside communities through challenges and triumphs, demonstrating persistent commitment and unwavering support.

06 Durable Hope

We maintain steadfast optimism and faith in positive outcomes, even in the face of long-term challenges and setbacks.

07 Uncompromising Curiosity

We approach every situation with a learner's mindset, constantly seeking to understand deeper truths and new perspectives.

08 Bias for Building

We prioritize constructive action and creation over criticism, focusing our energy on building solutions rather than dwelling on problems.

09 Criticize by Creating

The most effective critique comes through demonstrating better alternatives, offering constructive solutions through positive action.

Our Team

Andrew Scott

Co-Founder, Speaker, Relationship Builder

As a leader and speaker, Andrew has been leaning into paradigm shifting conversations for years. First as president of a large non-profit and now as CEO of our team here at Scatter. He is relentless in his pursuit of God's answers to big questions. He is the biggest champion of Scatter's "All of Life" message, empowering every Jesus-follower to see their life and work as valuable to God.

Jonathan Thiessen

Co-Founder, Speaker, Relationship Builder

Jonathan's curiosity around the challenging places in the world has taken him to 75 countries, including living and working in the former Soviet Union for the best part of 14 years. During this time, he served in various communities, exploring how faith and good work might be better integrated to solve local challenges and create jobs for the disenfranchised. By encountering the role of redemptive entrepreneurship in cross-boundary contexts, Jonathan has recently co-founded several startups from pre-seed to early stage. He continues to be passionate about how a more deeply integrated practice of life, formed by the way of Jesus better shapes us to love our neighbor well.

Dana Tucker

Co-Founder, Speaker, Relationship Builder

Journeying with us since 2021, Dana is someone who asks the right questions and has the courage to pursue the answers regardless of the cost. She is an accomplished entrepreneur deeply devoted to her faith in Jesus. Throughout the past two decades, she has launched, ran and sold a flourishing live entertainment production company, provided expert consultation to the live entertainment industry, excelled in leading event fundraising teams and building fundraising strategies, and most recently successfully led her previous organization from early-stage to mission success as Executive Director. She brings critical skills to the leadership team that will allow us to go further faster.

Matt Benson

Co-Founder, Speaker, Relationship Builder

As former executive in higher education and a large non-profit, Matt's commitment to God's plan for the world has made him a trusted partner in the development of Scatter. His expansive view of the Kingdom of God and rich theological background bring depth and grounding to our team. Matt's ability to ask creative and challenging questions helps us thrive at Scatter.

Alyssa Valentine

Co-Founder, Speaker, Relationship Builder

With degrees in both Theology and Marketing, Alyssa's talent, passion, and joy of life was spotted immediately by our team. Since joining our team in 2022, Alyssa has been the driving voice of our messaging and content at Scatter. From our social media to our website, she has become a master at articulating our message and guarding against any word or story that weakens the power of the ‘all of life’ message in Scatter.

David Schmidgall

Co-Founder, Speaker, Relationship Builder

David loves shaping multi-lingual, multi-cultural, spiritually integrated spaces and people - through roles as executive director, pastor, spiritual director, trauma therapist, teacher, and artist. David earned his Masters in International Policy and is completing his residency in Psychotherapy. As an artist trained in Spiritual Direction, he's passionate about going deep as much as thinking wide about cultural transformation, solving intractable problems, and cultivating environments of human flourishing.