ORLANDO – Southern Baptists celebrated 63 new International Mission Board missionaries during the June 9 opening session of the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando. 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.
From ‘ministry shelf’ to Spain
Lonnie Humes’ life is a series of pivots, which God has redeemed for His glory. At age 65, he knows the Lord is calling him to international missions, and he’s excited to return to Spain where he previously served.
Humes grew up hearing about missions at church conferences. Missionaries who ate at his family’s table were his “youthful heroes,” he said. After several short-term trips in his 20s and 30s, he moved his family to Spain in 2007, expecting a lifetime of service.
Six years later, his wife longed for “home,” and the family returned to the U.S. Humes called this a “ministry shelf” season, during which ministry stopped. His wife left the family during this “bleak, barren, dark” time, but Humes never questioned God’s goodness.
“God had lessons for me before I could re-engage in overseas missions,” he said, crediting spiritual mentors and a men’s group at Gano Baptist Church in Georgetown, Kentucky. He also appreciates his sending church, The Church at Godley Station in Pooler, Georgia, for helping him go through the process to serve with the IMB.
In Spain, Humes will be teaching missionary kids in a hybrid model of both classroom setting and online instruction, which will encourage families to stay on the field longer. “I am overwhelmed with the possibility of returning to a ministry site that God richly blessed,” he said.
He offered this request at the Sending Celebration: “Pray that I will learn to be a good long-distance father and grandpa.”
Former atheist now a missionary to Japan
Haley Williams’ journey from atheism to being an IMB missionary began in the classroom. In high school, Christian teachers presented her with “a true picture of the Gospel,” even though she initially rejected their message.
Her home life was turbulent. She endured abuse and described herself as “passively suicidal.” A turning point arrived when she found support from her 11th grade drama teacher who offered acceptance and compassion, something she experienced from other teachers as well.
As a senior in high school, she made a profession of faith in Christ and was baptized. In college, she got involved in the Baptist Campus Ministries at the University of Southern Mississippi. She learned how to share the Gospel on campus and how to lead a discipleship group.
Williams also met two IMB missionaries who had been serving in Tanzania. They were the first to share with her about unreached people groups. “I was deeply grieved by the fact that there are people in the world who do not have a chance to hear the Gospel,” she said. “I felt compelled to go and share the way my teachers had patiently shared with me.”
The BCM gave her opportunities to go on short-term mission trips, and through the support of her sending church, Temple Baptist in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, she served with the IMB as a Journeyman in East Asia. “I felt particularly drawn toward East Asian peoples because of my background as an atheist,” Williams said, “and I spent time with many East Asian students in college and graduate school.”
She now will go serve in Japan, where isolation and depression are growing. “As I go,” Williams said at the Sending Celebration, “please pray that I will lean on the strength and love of the Lord and not my own strength and abilities.”
Service is priority to missionaries heading to Brazil
Their whole ministry philosophy is centered around service, whether in hospitality or helping those in church ministry. Now after serving 12 years at First Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, Clay and Elizabeth DeBolt will take on a different role of service.
“I’ve been doing production ministry for 20 years. My vision has always been to ‘uplift the arms’ of those teaching and leading from the stage, enabling all to see, hear and believe,” said Clay, referring to Aaron and Hur lifting Moses’ arms as recorded in Exodus 17:12.
Both Clay and Elizabeth have vast work experience. His resume includes not only pastoral positions but also roles in technology, accounting and facilities management. Elizabeth has been involved in teaching and counseling, including being an assistant professor of psychology. She also worked in aviation, and they both have worn multiple hats working with ministries and churches over the last two decades.
They have seen the Lord open doors to share the Gospel, seeking to serve, encourage and disciple others. “What we do best as a couple is love people,” Clay said.
Now they will go to Brazil and serve with the IMB in member care, keeping missionaries healthy and on the field so they can thrive in their places of assignment.
Their four children also have this mindset. “Our kids pray for missionaries, and now they are excited not only to pray but also to go and serve,” Elizabeth said.
They are ready to steadfastly serve those who are called to reach the lost and join them in this endeavor.
“Please pray for all the transitions we’re about to face, that we’d grow more in love with Christ and closer as a family,” they said during the Sending Celebration.
Messengers observe prayer through responsive reading
After the missionaries shared their testimonies, Chitwood led a time of responsive reading, inviting those attending to participate in prayer for the missionaries.
“Father, we place these missionaries in Your care,” Chitwood said as he concluded the prayer time. “Go before them. Walk with them. And use them for Your glory among the nations. We trust You because we know Your gospel changes everything. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
The next Sending Celebration will be Sept. 16, 2026, at The Heights in South Chesterfield, Virginia.
Related posts:
Asian NextGen Pastors Network addresses church hurt 
IMB Resets for Future 
‘One Mind, One Voice’ to be the theme for Indianapolis gathering 
Myanmar fellowship gathers for first-ever annual meeting 
SEBTS women’s ministry leaders hold women’s Bible conference in West Africa 
Bolt to be nominated for Pastors’ Conference president 
Ministers’ Wives focus on having spiritual resilience 
Tony Wolfe invites Christians into a ‘lifetime of faithful and faith-filled sowing’ during convention sermon
