In May, 27 volunteers from seven U.S. churches joined local ministries in Seoul, Paju, and Gwangju, South Korea, during the IMB Serve Tour. Missionaries Hun and Eunjoo Sol highlighted the hidden emotional struggles of Koreans, a concept known as han. Volunteers engaged in English teaching, youth camps, and community prayer. Participants like Nick Holst and Jeremy Doyle reported meaningful connections with students and locals. The team also visited the Demilitarized Zone with Pastor Jun Yu. The IMB aims to plant churches on all 48 Seoul university campuses by 2028, focusing on long-term relationship building and spiritual support.
Don Barger, the International Mission Board’s director of innovation and artificial intelligence, received the 2026 Excelerate Award on September 24 in Orlando, Florida. The honor, presented by Missio Nexus, recognizes exceptional leadership and creativity in advancing missions through new technologies. Barger has spent 29 years with the IMB, previously leading church planting efforts in Mexico and Central America. He is known for pioneering the use of AI in global missions while maintaining a biblically grounded approach. According to Barger, the award affirms his team’s work in using technology to free missionaries for direct ministry rather than replacing human spiritual care. The IMB is supported by Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
The International Mission Board approved 48 fully supported missionaries for appointment during its September 16-17 meeting in Rockville, Virginia. The board also adopted a total balanced budget of $318,510,000 for the 2026-27 fiscal year. IMB President Paul Chitwood highlighted five years of financial growth, noting that donations surpassed $200 million for five consecutive years. The gathering welcomed new trustees and recognized a $300,000 gift for facility renovations. Three missionaries were appointed in partnership with the Canadian National Baptist Convention, while others serve in regions including Zambia. The board emphasized global realignment to reach unreached populations.
Southern Baptist leaders gathered at a church in Virginia to commission 46 new International Mission Board missionaries. The fully supported team includes three Canadian members deploying to diverse regions such as Spain, the Philippines, and Zambia. Some missionaries remained anonymous due to security risks in hostile areas. Leaders emphasized long-term commitment and theological education in their respective fields. The event highlighted the cooperative support of Southern Baptist churches for international evangelism efforts, showcasing a unified approach to global ministry despite varying cultural and political contexts.
The International Mission Board hosted the first international MedAdvance conference in Paraguay. The event drew attendees from across the Americas, as well as guests from India and Indonesia. Hosted with Centro Médico Bautista, the gathering focused on global healthcare strategies and missionary mobilization. Dr. Tom Hicks and a physician advisor noted strong interest from medical professionals in cross-cultural ministry. Participants engaged in training on trauma healing and digital outreach. Organizers reported commitment cards submitted, indicating a shift toward local leadership in Latin American healthcare missions.
The International Mission Board’s Go Impact program sent more than 600 participants to nine countries this summer, including the Netherlands, Germany, and Hungary. The initiative focused on training young people in practical evangelism techniques rather than traditional service projects. Teams engaged strangers in public spaces, leading to thousands of gospel conversations and dozens of new believers. Missionaries reported that students gained confidence and established connections with local churches for ongoing discipleship. The program aims to equip the next generation of believers to share their faith effectively in both international and domestic contexts.
On September 21, Ryan Blackwell, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, presented checks totaling $672,399 to the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board. The funds were collected from more than 120,000 campers across the US during summer programs. According to the outlet, $465,736 was allocated to the IMB for work in Northern Africa and the Middle East, while $206,663 supported NAMB missionaries in North America. The donation highlights a partnership aimed at educating youth about unreached people groups and encouraging missional giving among Southern Baptists.
Southern Baptist missionary Harold Watson established the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center in the Philippines in 1971 to address extreme poverty and food insecurity. Along with his wife Joyce, he developed Sloping Agricultural Land Technology to prevent soil erosion on hillsides, enabling sustainable farming for local villagers. The initiative provided both physical sustenance and spiritual support to communities in the southern region. Watson received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1986 for his transformative leadership. Joyce Watson died in 2025, while Harold Watson currently lives in Arkansas. The center continues its operations today.
The Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center in the Philippines celebrated its 55th anniversary on September 8, 2026. Founded in 1971 by Southern Baptist missionaries Harold and Joyce Watson, the facility combines agricultural training with spiritual outreach. Its flagship BOOST program teaches sloped land farming techniques to help locals escape poverty while sharing Christian teachings. According to staff, thousands have converted and hundreds of churches have been planted. The center continues to seek innovative missionaries to sustain its mission of addressing both physical and spiritual needs in the region.
A missionary from the International Mission Board is distributing Bibles and digital access cards across South Asia, a region with over 100 million people where printed Bibles are scarce. The team provides 10,000 printed Bibles annually and distributes QR code cards linking to online Scriptures and videos. This strategy reaches approximately 80,000 people each year. The effort is supported by donors, including a Southern Baptist church in a city in Alabama, which raised funds through a Walk for Bibles event. The initiative aims to meet the growing demand for Scripture among new believers in countries including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Twelve young women from California Baptist University traveled to Caimito in Panama Oeste to lead a gospel-centered mental health workshop. The event was organized in partnership with a local church and IMB mobilizers Jeff and Shelah Fathauer. Participants engaged with a trauma healing art book while listening to presentations on the gospel. Team leader Claudia Valdez shared her personal testimony to encourage attendees facing hardship. The initiative aims to support local women and establish a sustainable ministry platform for the community. This effort marks a new outreach presence for IMB in Panama's newest province.
The International Mission Board has released a biographical flyer in French about Lottie Moon. The resource explains who she was and why the international missions offering bears her name. It highlights how her faith and advocacy changed Southern Baptists' views on supporting global missions. The flyer is available as a digital download in multiple languages, while the physical version is offered only in English. This material aims to educate readers about her historical impact on missionary work.
Missionaries from the International Mission Board and Calvary Church in Clearwater, Florida, partnered in Tokyo, Japan, to transition virtual reality evangelism into face-to-face interactions. At the Virtual Market Real convention, the team distributed QR-coded stickers and NFC cards to connect with attendees. This effort, part of the Gospel Hope Japan ministry, aimed to move relationships from online Discord servers and VR spaces to real-world conversations. The initiative highlights a new model where digital and physical communities reinforce each other to share the gospel with Japanese audiences.
Sharon Craig Smith, a missionary emeritus for the International Mission Board, died on August 7, 2026, in Japan. She was 82 years old. Smith and her husband Ed served in Japan for 39 years after being appointed by the IMB in 1969. Born in Oklahoma, she taught school in Kansas before moving overseas. The IMB reported that she shared the gospel in Japan during her long service. A funeral service was held on August 11 in Lenoir City, Tennessee. She is survived by her husband and family members in Florida, Tennessee, and Tokyo.
In a Southeast Asian country, IMB missionary Sara Whalen and her team are using digital advertisements to connect with Muslim women who are difficult to reach in person. Whalen explains that cultural restrictions prevent male missionaries from engaging with women, and many local women are confined to their homes. By leveraging the widespread use of mobile phones, the all-female responder team engages users via messaging platforms to share the gospel and offer prayer. According to Whalen, this method provides access to millions of people in areas without churches. After over 2,000 conversations in six months, two women have accepted Christ, demonstrating the potential of this digital strategy for evangelism in restricted contexts.
Missionaries from the International Mission Board are strengthening Deaf ministry in Central Asia through national partners. After serving for 14 years, they now lead from the Middle East, supporting a local translator and trainer. This individual, who converted from Catholicism, helps translate Scripture into sign languages and trains other Deaf believers. The missionaries provide theological training and discipleship, enabling the local partner to connect with new teams in Asia. This partnership expands access to the gospel for Deaf communities across the region, addressing previous gaps in culturally appropriate religious education. The IMB emphasizes collaboration to ensure Scripture is accessible in local sign languages.
An IMB missionary and a US pastor traveled to a region in southern Mexico to train local believers in evangelism. During the trip, the team shared the gospel using specific methods and engaged in community service. According to the missionary, the group witnessed 22 decisions to follow Christ, including individuals from various backgrounds such as a shop worker and a waiter. The report notes that many locals have Catholic backgrounds but lack a personal faith. The effort highlights collaboration between US Southern Baptists and Mexican pastors to spread the Christian message, emphasizing spiritual growth in the area.
International Mission Board missionaries RJ and Elayna Locklear, members of the Lumbee tribe from North Carolina, have moved to Calgary, Alberta, to serve Canada’s First Nations. Commissioned as church-planting strategists, they aim to establish culturally relevant churches on reserves. IMB missionary Jeff Clark noted that ministry requires a missiology accounting for non-Western worldviews. IMB President Paul Chitwood stated that many Native Americans remain unreached by the gospel. The team partners with local church leaders to address historic damage and promote evangelism among Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States. (Source: IMB)
Missionaries and local partners are ministering to women in red-light districts across South Asia. The team reports that several women have left prostitution after committing to Christianity. The ministry provides weekly prayer meetings, annual camps, and a halfway house offering job skills training. The work addresses a gap where NGOs rescue victims but do not consistently share the gospel. The missionaries say the women find hope and a new identity as daughters of God, with plans to plant churches in their home villages in the future.
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