IMB trustees share good news reports, remain focused on Revelation 7:9 vision • Biblical Recorder

Worldwide Mission Board (IMB) trustees accepted the appointment of twenty-two full-time, totally funded missionaries to unravel the world’s best drawback – lostness – throughout their Sept. 28-29 assembly close to Richmond, Va. The missionaries — plus two appointed earlier within the 12 months — participated in a Sending Celebration, hosted by Beaverdam Baptist Church in Beaverdam, Va.

The plenary session of the trustees on Sept. 29 included the approval of a complete balanced finances for 2022-23 of $282,700,000, a 7.8% enhance over final 12 months’s finances.

Chuck Pourciau, trustee chairman and lead pastor of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., presided over the assembly. Lisa Lovell, first vice chair from Arkansas, referred to as the assembly to order. Jeremy Morton, pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga., was a particular visitor on the assembly. Morton spoke on the Sending Celebration Wednesday night time and introduced greetings to the trustees.

IMB President Paul Chitwood thanked Morton for the church’s partnership in reaching the nations.

“By cooperating with hundreds of different church buildings by way of the IMB, First Woodstock can ship, not dozens of missionaries, however hundreds of totally funded missionaries,” Chitwood stated.

Bringing assist and hope

In his plenary handle to IMB trustees, Chitwood gave a well timed replace to Ship Reduction’s efforts concerning Hurricane Ian which made landfall in Florida on Sept. 28. Chitwood confirmed that Ship Reduction is working intently with state Baptist catastrophe aid groups to offer water and different emergency provides to these affected by the storm. Groups on the bottom can be ready to serve 150,000 meals a day. Ship Reduction can also be deploying a rescue boat manned by a Swift Water Rescue Group to help in search and rescue efforts.

Chitwood additionally up to date trustees on different IMB enterprise:

• The 2021-22 Lottie Moon Christmas Providing has already surpassed the $200 million mark, making it the very best complete in historical past by greater than $20 million. “Reward God for the generosity of Southern Baptists,” Chitwood stated to enthusiastic applause.
• Southern Baptists gave greater than $20 million this 12 months by way of Ship Reduction, the compassion ministry partnership of IMB and the North American Mission Board. The whole greater than doubles the $7 million given final 12 months by way of Ship Reduction.
• IMB’s missionary candidate pipeline has hit 1,117, almost a 400% enhance over what it was 4 years in the past.
• Church Connections, the hassle for each Southern Baptist church to be related with an IMB missionary, is now totally launched with reviews of recent relationships being constructed with native fellowships.
• The Ministry Development Group has grown from 4 members in 2018 to a crew of twenty-two right now to raised serve devoted givers.
• IMB’s advertising and communications crew, constructed lately, is main an exponential enhance in net and social media presence and creating new channels for digital engagement.
• IMB’s mobilization crew and candidate guide crew for missionary evaluation and deployment have grown to incorporate significantethnic variety, “each of that are vital for us to dwell our mission assertion of serving all Southern Baptists nicely,” Chitwood stated.
• Amongst its different seven affinities, IMB’s newly fashioned Asian Pacific Rim Affinity has a spotlight towards reaching its 2.3 billion folks.
• IMB has accomplished the exterior examination associated to abuse and carried out a completely new system of compliance coaching, volunteer {qualifications} and reporting necessities.

Along with sharing excellent news, Chitwood famous that IMB’s most beneficial asset stays the group’s relationships, and constructing these relationships has taken a higher focus.

“What needed to change most on the IMB? We needed to start taking a completely new and completely different strategy to managing {our relationships},” Chitwood stated.

“From these relationships, I imagine God will present the whole lot the IMB wants to assist Southern Baptists steward the Revelation 7:9 imaginative and prescient,” he stated. “We want extra prayer. We want extra monetary assets. We want extra missionaries. And we want extra sending church buildings. All of those will come from fulfilling our mission assertion which is to serve Southern Baptists in finishing up the Nice Fee to make disciples of all nations.

“As we serve Southern Baptists and construct and strengthen relationships with them, we are going to proceed to see God rebuild their abroad missionary sending company and maximize what we’re capable of do collectively.”

Chitwood closed his remarks with a reminder of why Southern Baptists should stay on job to succeed in the nations: 157,690 folks die day by day with out Christ and greater than 3,000 folks teams stay unengaged with the gospel.

Devoted management

The week included orientation for 12 trustees elected in June throughout the Southern Baptist Conference annual assembly in Anaheim, Calif. New trustees starting their phrases of service embrace: Allison Blessen, Mass.; Donald Cline, N.C.; Tracie Griggs, Ala.; Marci Hare, Ohio; Sacha Hasenyager, Mont.; Stephen Hayes, Ariz.; Justin Lohmeier, Miss.; Kristen Nichols, Ga.; Gregory Pickering, Texas; Mary Jane Schwarz, Texas; Tim Sheehy, Tenn.; and Shannon Wallace, N.C.

^{Left, Chuck Pourciau, chairman of IMB’s board of trustees, costs his fellow trustees with staying on job to sort out the world’s best drawback: lostness. Proper, IMB trustee Carol Pfeiffer, from Texas, closes the Sept. 28-29 IMB trustee assembly in prayer.}

Trustees additionally elected Edward J. Herrelko III, Ph.D., as IMB vice chairman of selling and communications. Herrelko joined the IMB workers in April 2021 as chief advertising and communications officer. The vote by trustees helps Chitwood’s imaginative and prescient to increase IMB’s advertising and communications efforts. Trustees will kind a MarCom Committee to serve alongside the work directed by Herrelko.

Previous to coming to the IMB, Herrelko served as CMO and govt director of selling and communications at Dallas Theological Seminary. Moreover, Herrelko has labored in a digital advertising company, served because the chief tutorial officer for 2 seminaries, and has a company background in advertising with Callaway Golf and The Anthony Robbins Firm. He earned a Ph.D. at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.Div. and M.A. from Southern California Seminary, and a B.A. from the College of Michigan. He and his spouse, Amy, have one daughter.

After closing remarks by Pourciau, Carol Pfeiffer, recording secretary from Texas, closed the assembly in prayer.

The subsequent IMB Sending Celebration can be Nov. 13 in Augusta, Ga., along with the Georgia Baptist Conference annual assembly. IMB trustees will meet once more Feb. 1-2, 2023, in Fort Value, Texas.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Leslie Peacock Caldwell is managing editor on the IMB.)