Southern Baptists celebrated 63 new International Mission Board missionaries during the opening session of the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting. As missionaries took the stage and stood on the floor of the Orange County Convention Center, church messengers listened as they described their callings and expressed gratitude for support of their Great Commission work.
IMB President Paul Chitwood announced that the missionary pipeline is “exploding,” noting a 500 percent increase in recent years, an announcement that was met with applause.
“With more lost people living on the planet than at any point in human history, now is the time for more Southern Baptists to answer God’s call to the nations,” Chitwood said.
He thanked the sending churches of the missionaries for discipling, praying and “generously supporting them through your Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering gifts.”
“Your IMB missionaries don’t go alone,” he said. “You go with them. Together, we send them and sustain them. Together, we trust God to use the gospel to change everything. I want to invite you to join in — not as spectators, but as participants. Because this story includes all of us.”
The new appointees join more than 3,500 IMB missionaries and their families serving in 155 countries. Those going to regions hostile to the gospel or missionary presence appeared behind a screen for the public event to protect their identities.
The missionaries in Orlando included a grandfather returning to the mission field, a woman who once confessed to being an atheist, and a couple who have committed their lives to serving people in various capacities. All of them shared their stories before the Sending Celebration occurred.
— Chris Doyle is a writer for the International Mission Board.