By Dr. John David Smith, President
The BMA Department of Missions exists to facilitate discipleship-based multiplication through making disciples, developing leaders and planting churches. Rooted in God’s mission to reveal His glory and love to the nations, its efforts focus on sustainable and reproducible ministries. Guided by core values such as the Mission of God, Holy Spirit-led risk, local church-driven missions, indigenous principles, and discipleship-based multiplication, the BMA aims to advance the gospel with conviction, humility, and a commitment to Christ’s Great Commission.
Looking back on 2024 — and even over the past 75 years — we are grateful for all of God’s blessings upon us. We now have well over 2,000 churches worldwide, supported by a missionary team of over 500 members, including Changemakers. BMA Global currently partners with approximately 480 new church plants. These blessings are the cumulative result of 75 years of faithfulness in preaching the transforming gospel, making disciple-makers, developing leaders and planting churches. Many leaders, missionaries and servants have been used by God to bring BMA Global to where it is today.
Looking ahead, we anticipate new church planting initiatives in Armenia, India, Cambodia, Ukraine, Cape Verde and the Middle East. We ask for your prayers and support as we continue to grow and bear fruit for God’s kingdom.
We celebrated World Missions Day on February 23rd, with this year’s theme — Send Me. This day serves as both a celebration of God’s work worldwide and a recommitment to supporting His mission through prayer, finances and service.
May our hearts be transformed by the gospel, filled with the Spirit, guided by the Word and wholly dedicated to God’s call.
I am very thankful for the leaders of BMA Global. Larry Barker and John Meriweather do an outstanding job in their respective roles. Our 10 regional coordinators are also doing an excellent job.
• From Larry Barker (Vice President for Strategy and Training) — This year, we are adding five new church planters and one future planter who will serve in a residency in Provo, Utah. This brings our church planting team to 20. Praise the Lord for raising up His servants who are willing to go where He has called them! Additionally, we have at least five more potential church planters currently in the pipeline.
Healthy Church Solutions continues to resource and encourage our churches and their leaders. The Re:Charge conference for church leaders and members is scheduled for Sept. 29–Oct. 1 in the Southaven, Miss. area. We are also continuing our weekly podcast discussions on the challenges churches face today. Additionally, there is a Pastor Zoom meeting every two weeks, which anyone can join at any time. Please reach out to us if there is any way we can assist you — we are here for you!
• From John Meriweather (Vice President for Operations) — Due to its global nature, our organization faces unique challenges and opportunities. Over the past 75 years, we have established a network of nearly 2,000 churches in over 65 countries and are currently planting 450 new ones. We continue to experience God’s blessings, with over 30 new global churches being added to our budget.
This growth reminds us that local churches are both the source and the goal of missions. We are grateful for the many churches that provide the financial means to carry out God’s mission in a way that fosters long-term fruitfulness. However, with increased growth comes increased responsibility. Currently, approximately 62% of BMA churches financially support global missions. While we are thankful for our many partnerships, we also pray that more churches will join us by adding BMA Global to their budgets.
What an incredible opportunity we have to grow together, as local churches are indeed the source and goal of missions. What we are called to do, we must do with excellence. While excellence comes at a cost, we trust in God’s provision and faithfulness as we follow His leading.
• From Angela Rice (Director of Short-term Missions)— In 2024, our short-term missions ministries sent out 22 teams to serve through BMA Global. We witnessed God opening doors for our missionaries through the support of these missions. BMMI expanded its global reach by serving in two new countries — Zambia and Colombia — while also returning to the Dominican Republic after many years. Looking ahead, we are excited to return to these three countries in 2025 and introduce a new destination — Egypt.
Our ministry continues to be blessed with new team members, as the Lord inspires and equips individuals to join our short-term mission teams. We recently concluded World Missions Weekend, an event where we trained eight volunteer student teams for service. VSM will also be sending a team to support our churches in Hong Kong for the first time this year. Approximately 70 students and leaders will be partnering to serve with our BMA missionaries during June and July.
We extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Ralph Izard for more than 20 years of service to the Lord as the leader of BMMI. We also lift him in prayer following the recent passing of his faithful wife, Judy. May God’s peace fill his heart in this time of sorrow.
• From Sean Richards (Director of Mobilization) — Over the past year, Mobilization has been working to connect with prospective missionary candidates, provide direction and ministry resources for our campus ministers and develop tools and strategies to further connect BMA churches and members to their personal and collective roles in God’s global mission. A major highlight was taking prospective candidates on a visit to a missionary training program, which provided insight into the vision and preparation needed to plant self-sustaining churches in cross-cultural contexts.
In the upcoming year, Mobilization will continue connecting with potential missionaries, candidates and local churches while pursuing ambitious goals to strengthen our campus ministries and cultivate a new generation of missionaries. These goals include hosting a training event for college ministry staff, organizing a winter break conference for college students and launching a summer discipleship project for college students and graduating high school seniors to equip them for impacting their campuses for Christ and preparing them for a life “on mission.”
If your church has students heading to college or young people interested in missions, or if you simply want to learn more about raising up and sending out missionaries from your church, please visit the Mobilization table to connect with me.
• From Belinda Caudle (Missions Literature Ministry/ Editorial Bautista) — Translations of The Baptist Expositor, Jóvenes Aprobados, Viajeros and Vencedores are all in progress. Wendy Garcia is preparing training for teachers in the Tyler/Dallas area on April 12, with the location yet to be determined. Additionally, I will lead a team to Bolivia in July for teacher training. Editorial Bautista also provides equipment for local printing in areas such as Chiapas, Mexico, where lessons are printed locally.
• From Dr. Scott Carson (Chaplaincy Coordinator) — The Baptist Missionary Association of America has provided chaplaincy endorsements for decades, supporting ministers in various sectors, including military, hospice, prison, police, fire departments and corporate chaplaincy. We currently endorse 17 chaplains across these fields.
There are tremendous opportunities to serve as a chaplain in the military, federal or state prison systems, and other institutions. Any BMAA minister feeling called to this ministry can contact me at scott.r.carson@gmail.com or (601) 433-4736. For those led to support this ministry, donations can be sent to the BMAA Global Missions Office, designated for the Chaplaincy Department.
• From Jonathan Montgomery (Director of Missionary Care) — BMA Global’s Missionary Care ministry is committed to supporting every missionary at every stage with every need. Our care team primarily provides counseling and coaching. In 2025, we will host two international conferences to offer in-person care and encouragement for missionary families.
We are also fostering community among former missionaries through the Gleaners Project, with three family reunions planned to honor our heritage during this 75th year of ministry. Additionally, we are expanding support for missionary kids through transition programs and college preparation assistance.
Recommendations
• We recommend the election of (names withheld for security) as missionaries to Asia.
• We recommend Rana Costa be changed to the status of American missionary.
• We recommend the election of Clinton Morris as church planter to Indianapolis, Ind.
• We recommend Will Sellers as a church planting resident in Provo and Morgan, Utah.
• We recommend Alberto Costales and Havier Velasquez as church planters in Lake Wales, Fla.
• We recommend Chuck Tedrow as church planter in Union, Mo. in cooperation with New Testament Baptist Church in Sullivan, Mo.
• We recommend Vlad Beckley as church planter in Pensacola, Fla. in cooperation with Parkview Baptist Church in Pensacola.
• We recommend that John David Smith stand as nominee for president of BMA Global.
