New Missionaries Appointed by IMB trustees including first woman chair

• The IMB met on May 21–22 in the vicinity of Richmond, approved 65 missionaries who were fully funded  
• As part of the IMB's mission outreach, these recently hired missionaries will serve in a variety of locations throughout the world 

Richmond, Virginia's IMB The International Mission Board (IMB) trustees approved the appointment of 65 fully funded missionaries during their May 21–22 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. These missionaries will be officially recognized at a Sending Celebration during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Dallas on Tuesday.  

A new vice president was appointed, retiring employees were honored, and new officers, including the first female chair of the trustees, were elected during the two-day trustee meeting. The plenary session began Thursday with a prayer from Kentucky's first vice chair, Nate Bishop. 

Paul Chitwood, president of the IMB, celebrated recent achievements and gave a report that was centered on future growth. The pipeline of missionary candidates reached 1,600 this week, a figure not seen in almost 20 years, Paul said, adding, "We celebrate the success God has given us in this season." He also praised the progress made in global mission efforts, noting that the IMB has seen 144,969 new followers of Jesus and 68,628 new baptisms worldwide, reaching 109 previously unengaged people groups. 

He also noted that there is still more work to be done, despite celebrating three record years for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®. In order to support global hunger initiatives, outreach to refugees and displaced communities, and missionary endeavors, he called on churches to increase their generosity. He declared, "It is time for Southern Baptists to step up our efforts to care for the dying and rescue the perishing." 

Paul addressed a number of widespread misconceptions regarding the IMB that he feels could jeopardize its credibility. The first misconception is that working with the IMB is difficult; he acknowledged that this impression might result from the organization's stringent safety procedures, which include background checks and thorough training for all missionaries. 

He did, however, highlight the IMB's efforts to become more responsive, adaptable, and humble, pointing to the establishment of a U.S. Engagement team tasked with fostering reengagement and bolstering ties with churches. According to the second myth, the IMB is a "movement" organization. 

This was disputed by Paul, who made it clear that the IMB relies on biblical techniques like proclamation, discipleship, church planting, and leadership development to carry out the Great Commission rather than just strategies or systems to create conversions or church-planting movements. A third prevalent misunderstanding is that IMB missionaries are in charge of obtaining their own ministry funding. 

"All of the funding for missionaries and their ministries comes from the IMB's budget, and the best ways to support their work are through donations to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon offering," he said. Also argued that the IMB is still at the forefront of innovation despite its 180-year history, dispelling the notion that it is outdated. The IMB actively incorporates cutting-edge technologies like digital marketing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and impact-tracking tools to advance global missions and share the gospel.