International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 41 new full-time, fully funded missionaries during their Feb. 4–5 meeting in Rogers, Arkansas. Trustees met in conjunction with a Sending Celebration for new appointees hosted by First Baptist Church Rogers on Feb. 4.
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Highlights from past 5 years
IMB President Paul Chitwood focused his report to the board of trustees on how God worked through the IMB the past five years and presenting the vision for the next five years.
Reported highlights from the past five years include:
- 2,243 new missionaries have been sent, an average of 448 each year;
the missionary candidate pipeline has grown to average between 1,500-1,600 applicants;
improved missionary care has resulted in the average tenure for career missionaries going up from 9 years to 14 years; - 304 Global Missionary Partners now serve on IMB overseas teams, with 149 more currently in the pipeline;
- city teams in the largest urban centers around the world have completed comprehensive gospel-engagement plans for 69 cities and will reach 77 cities by this summer;
- through the Church Connections program, missionaries have contacted 44,915 churches or 96% of all Southern Baptist churches, resulting in new or renewed relationships with the IMB;
- 43,171 volunteers have served alongside missionary teams;
- Send Relief, Southern Baptists’ only global compassion ministry, launched in partnership with the North American Mission Board; and
- Southern Baptists gave more than $1 billion through the Lottie Moon offering and sent nearly $500 million through the Cooperative Program.
“The most important part of our stewardship is the stewardship of IMB’s mission to serve Southern Baptists in carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations,” Chitwood said. “On that all-important assignment, I’m pleased share with you that, over the past five years, our missionaries and their close partners logged over 4.5 million gospel shares, witnessed more than 785,000 professions of faith, baptized 482,325 new believers, and engaged 649 previously unengaged people groups.”
Strategic priorities
Chitwood announced the IMB’s five strategic priorities for the next five years:
- Strategic Priority 1 is to develop and deepen relationships with Southern Baptists;
- Strategic Priority 2 is to equip and encourage Southern Baptists to pray for a lost world;
- Strategic Priority 3 is to send and sustain Southern Baptist missionaries;
- Strategic Priority 4 is to mobilize and multiply global Baptists to carry out the Great Commission;
- Strategic Priority 5 is to pursue the lost and proclaim the gospel among unreached peoples and places.
2025 audit report
Referencing the 2025 audit report presented to trustees, Chitwood emphasized that the IMB received an unmodified opinion by the auditors, which is the highest level of assurance available. The report included that no property sales were used for operations. Reserves were funded at appropriate levels, including commitments to retiring missionaries. Per IMB’s commitment, 100% of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering proceeds were spent on the field, enabling gospel transformation among the unreached.
Thursday’s meeting included reports from standing committees: Administration, Global Engagement, Human Resources, Global Business Services, and U.S Engagement.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Leslie Peacock Caldwell and originally published by the International Mission Board.
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