International Mission Board trustees approved 48 fully supported missionaries for appointment during their Sept. 16-17 meeting at the International Learning Center in Rockville, Virginia. The missionaries approved for appointment were recognized during a Sending Celebration on Wednesday evening at The Heights Baptist Church in Chesterfield, Virginia. Three missionaries were appointed in partnership with the Canadian National Baptist Convention.
This meeting concluded the two-day gathering of trustees during which the board appointed missionaries and welcomed new trustees.
The plenary session included the approval of a total balanced budget for 2026-27 of $318,510,000.
New trustees elected
New IMB trustees, who were elected at the SBC annual meeting in June, participated in orientation before Wednesday’s meeting. Trustees beginning their terms of service and representing their states or regional conventions include: Josh Bonner, Dakotas; Ryan Mason, Florida; David Rau, Florida; Mary Cox, Georgia; Cathy Stafford, Kentucky; Tim Williams, Louisiana; Daniel Edney, Mississippi; Kyle Stevens, New Mexico; Ray Foreman, Oklahoma; D.J. Horton, South Carolina; Ben Shoun, Tennessee; Jonathan Coleman, Texas; and Jesse Payne, Texas.
Special guests included Carolyn Fountain, president of Woman’s Missionary Union; Jonathan Jarboe, President and CEO of The Baptist Foundation of California; and Marc Tempesta, CFO of the California Southern Baptist Convention. Jarboe and Tempesta presented a gift of $300,000 for approved renovations of the International Learning Center.
President’s report
IMB President Paul Chitwood, who will soon begin his ninth year leading the organization, encouraged trustees to reflect on noteworthy achievements over the past five years that add strategic value for IMB’s long-term strength and mission effectiveness.
Regarding financial strength and total resources, Chitwood reported:
— Five years ago, the IMB surpassed $200 million in the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the first time. The organization has now surpassed $200 million for five straight years and could be on pace for 2026 to be the best giving year in IMB’s history.
— IMB developed a digital marketing and online giving strategy for the first time in its history.
— Direct giving, estate planned giving and investment income are at all-time highs.
— IMB now has a total-resources strategy that includes a customized dashboard tracking daily revenue.
— IMB is undertaking a monetary valuation and strategy evaluation of all IMB properties.
“While these wins do not replace our need as an organization to raise almost a million dollars a day, every day, to keep our support promises to our missionaries around the world,” Chitwood said, “they do ensure that we are raising money from a strong financial position as an organization, not from a place of desperation or decline.”
Resilience, risk and infrastructure
Regarding organizational resilience, risk and infrastructure:
— IMB completed a device-provisioning program — a multimillion-dollar annual investment — to give every IMB team member around the world access to technology for secure communications.
— Other organization-wide strategies implemented include internal communications, leadership development, risk management and information security.
Regarding constituent engagement and field partnership, Chitwood reported the success of initiatives such as Church Connections, missionary team strategy sites, the alumni network and Send Relief.
Chitwood stressed the importance of restoring trust and strengthening relationships with Southern Baptist individuals, churches, state conventions and associations. These relationships have led to a volunteer pipeline that is now sending 15,000 volunteers annually and a contact database that now stands at over 850,000.
The missionary application pipeline and sending pathways have also expanded in the last five years. Numbers of those serving overseas have grown among NextGen participants and among retirees who serve with the Masters 55+ program. Missionary applications have increased 500% since 2018, and close to 400 global missionary partners have joined IMB teams. These strategic partners shared the gospel with more than 200,000 people last year.
Chitwood also noted the growing partnership with the Canadian National Baptist Convention. During Wednesday’s meeting, trustees appointed three Canadians, and 30 candidates from CNBC are currently in the application process.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Leslie Peacock Caldwell and originally written by the International Mission Board.
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