In just ten short years, the National Association of Free Will Baptists will celebrate its 100th anniversary as an organized movement. One of the first actions taken by the newly-formed denomination was a bold step into world missions — and IM began. Since that pivotal 1935 gathering of visionary Free Will Baptist pastors and leaders in Nashville, Tennessee, and the commissioning of Laura Belle Barnard as the first IM missionary, our denomination has built a rich legacy grounded in an unwavering commitment to labor with the Body of Christ in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Over the past nine decades, IM has commissioned and sent more than 500 missionaries. Each one carried the gospel message of Christ’s love to the nations, sowing seeds of truth, salvation, and the promise of eternal life.
Psalm 145:4 proclaims, “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” The psalmist underscored our privilege as believers to proclaim God’s goodness, faithfulness, and mighty deeds. It is my honor to share some of God’s mighty acts from our fields of work. These numbers are more than statistics; they reflect meaningful progress in advancing the gospel worldwide.
In 2024, 5,175 individuals responded to the call for salvation. We celebrate and praise God for every transformed life.
It is our deep desire to see every new convert discipled and growing as a faithful follower of Christ. A vital step in this journey is baptism — the public declaration of faith. We praise His name for 2,976 believers who proclaimed new life in Christ through baptism last year.
While we rejoice in what God has done, our mission is far from complete. The gospel is for all people, everywhere.
Our commitment to taking the gospel to all nations is reflected in our growing number of outreach locations. Current field data shows 312 active preaching points and mission works. We pray each of these works will take root, grow strong, and branch out as beacons of hope for the unreached.
A poetic and powerful expression in Psalm 113:3 declares, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.” Each Sunday, from sunrise to sunset, believers gather in Free Will Baptist-affiliated churches outside North America. In 2024, these churches recorded an average weekly attendance of 52,096 people. What a cause for rejoicing and praising His name!
In 2024, God also blessed IM in extraordinary ways financially. It was a record-breaking year, made possible by the consistent support of our Free Will Baptist churches and individuals. Through this consistent support, God moved and performed three mighty acts:
The 2024 WMO was our largest of the last ten years.
You gave $792,358!
Our income for 2024 was over $10 million.
To my knowledge, for the first time in IM history, all missionary accounts ended the year in the black without any subsidies.
And the blessings continue! The first two months of 2025 we saw historic income levels.
Despite these remarkable achievements, it would be an incomplete (and dishonest) picture if I did not share one financial concern. Imagine a vibrant green sheet of paper symbolizing growth, but with a single black dot. A slight blemish. I’ve talked a great deal about “the green.” But let’s talk just a moment about the tiny, but eye-catching blemish. The black dot represents the IM General Fund.
It’s impossible to properly present the impact the General Fund has on IM ministries. The General Fund is essential to the proper functioning of the Mission — both on our fields and in the office. While it supports our stateside ministry team, its impact extends far beyond our office in Antioch, Tennessee.
Consider these key areas funded by the General Fund:
Recruiting and Screening: Can you seriously imagine IM being unable to actively recruit and evaluate candidates? We must ensure they are physically, emotionally, and, most of all, spiritually ready to serve. I don’t think you want us to send out people who are unqualified. The General Fund is vital to this ministry at IM.
Training: It would be unthinkable for us to send out missionaries unprepared to face and properly deal with the challenges of fundraising. Or who are not as ready as possible for cross-cultural immersion. Or people not on solid theological ground. IM’s training efforts are undergirded by the General Fund.
Logistics: A missionary’s daily schedule can easily be cluttered with logistical matters like processing account donations, securing insurance, obtaining legal documentations, acquiring travel documents, sending and receiving communications, and much more. The General Fund helps carry the bulk of this load.
Missionary Care: Would it not trouble you to know a missionary facing life-changing challenges did not have professional member care available? Life on the mission field is physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding. Through the General Fund, IM offers exceptional care, counseling, and support for missionaries and their families. Additionally, the IM stateside ministry team offers emotional and spiritual support.
Promotion: I believe our promotional materials and programs are some of the best anywhere. The IM stateside ministry team sends out materials and updates designed to inform, inspire, and engage. Many of you love our missionary prayer cards, maps, children’s stories, and other materials. The cost of design and preparation are covered primarily by the General Fund.
Partnership: Partnerships with national leaders and churches in countries where we no longer have missionaries continue the mission of legacy missionaries. Do we want to abandon these brothers and sisters? Do we want to stop opening new fields and partnering with national believers? Currently, IM missionaries live and serve in seven countries. By working with our partners, we have an impact in 38 countries! Continuing these partnerships and expanding into new areas is impossible without the General Fund.
Mobilization: How can we possibly continue the mission if we aren’t actively mobilizing the next generation? The Hanna Project, ETEAM, College Missions Program, and other mobilization efforts expose scores of people to cross-cultural ministries each year. From these, some answer the call to go. The General Fund fuels our mobilization effort.
Without these critical functions, IM would grind to a halt. When you give to the IM General Fund, it’s not just an expense; it’s an investment!
We desire to use your investment wisely, so we plan and evaluate. After much prayer, discussion, and careful analysis, the Leadership Team set three major goals for IM to pursue over the next ten years. This long-distance look calls us to walk by faith toward a future only God can fully bring into view. In broad strokes, I present our Horizon Goals: 2025 – 2035.
Goal 1: See 100 New Missionaries
Commissioned by the IM Board
We are praying and working toward the commissioning of 100 new missionaries before the end of 2035. Programs like ETEAM and College Missions Program lead many young people to discover and embrace their roles in fulfilling the Great Commission. Seeing this goal realized will absolutely be a God thing.
Currently, 113 IM-commissioned missionaries serve. What gives us the boldness to believe we can send another 100 missionaries in just ten years? Because with our God, all things are possible!
Goal 2: Meet Three Critical Financial Targets
As we recruit and commission 100 new missionaries, it is imperative we have the finances to send them. To support this anticipated growth, we established three critical financial targets:
Reach and sustain a minimum annual total of $1 million for the World Missions Offering (WMO).
Acquire $3 million for the Grow Endowment. The annual earnings will provide seed money for launching new missionaries.
Raise $10 million for the Cornerstone
Endowment. The interest produced will provide long-term, sustainable income for the General Fund.
No phenomenal giving patterns guarantee this is doable. In fact, the odds seem stacked against such an endeavor. But with God’s intervention, all things are possible. These are not just financial goals; they are faith goals.
Goal 3: Double the Number
of Free Will Baptists Outside of North America
As mentioned previously, over 50,000 Free Will Baptists gather each week in churches outside North America. Our third goal is to more than double that number to 120,000.
This overarching goal includes:
Sharing the gospel with one million unbelievers through the efforts of our missionaries and partners.
Planting 1,000 new churches as new believers gather as part of the Body of Christ.
Seeing 120,000 worshipers each week in our global churches.
These goals are not ends within themselves. They are about seeing the gospel shared, lives transformed, communities changed, and His name glorified.
Reaching the Horizon Goals will require a Spirit-directed, all-hands-on-deck mentality. We must plant, water, and persevere. Ultimately, we know God will bring the harvest as He has done throughout history.
The early church had no comfortable means of transportation. They had no high-speed communication devices, no social media, no livestreams. They had no 401(k)s. They lived in a harsh and demanding world. Yet, they turned their world upside down.
How?
Their unshakable belief in the gospel drove them day and night. They believed it was worth living, suffering, and even dying for.
And here’s the truth: the gospel they lived and died for is the exact same gospel we have today.
So how can we stay silent?
If we believe the gospel is true, let’s embrace it.
If we believe the gospel is for all time, let’s live it.
If we believe the gospel is for all people, let’s share it.
Let’s rediscover the words and passion of the Apostle Paul: “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Our world is still dark, desperate, and dying. God has entrusted us as believers with the only message that can transform the lives of individuals and our world. Let me reaffirm: IM is not about programs, strategies, or statistics. IM is about the gospel!
About the Writer: Clint Morgan is director of IM, Inc. Read more: www.IMInc.org/.
