The IMB vision is “to lead Southern Baptists to be on mission with God to bring all the peoples of the world (‘panta ta ethne’) to saving faith in Jesus Christ.” This represents the heart and passion of God, and our mission can be no less. We must realize that this is not our mission; however, it is God’s mission, and He has called us as His people to join Him in fulfilling that mission.

It is a vision that will be fulfilled, for Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a witness to every nation and then the end will come.” In Revelation we are assured that a remnant from every tribe, people, tongue and nation will be redeemed and represented around the throne of God. How exciting it is to know we are a part of fulfilling that divine vision and purpose!

The challenge of mobilization is expressed in the first phrase of our vision statement—“leading Southern Baptists to be on mission with God.” It is not the responsibility of the IMB to do missions on behalf of Southern Baptists; the Great Commission was given to every church, every believer and every denominational entity. Our task is to mobilize the resources, channel the involvement and enable every church and denominational entity to be obedient to the Great Commission—to be on mission with God!

Many changes are taking place in our world, impacting our lives, our organization and how we do things as we move into the 21st century. Economic change, political upheaval and social disruption around the world all are creating an environment in which people are receptive to Jesus Christ as their only hope and security. Travel and communications technology are providing new tools and access to all peoples.

It is NOT the responsibility of the International Mission Board to do missions on behalf of Southern Baptists … .
Our task is to mobilize the resources, channel the involvement and enable every church and denominational entity to be obedient to the Great Commission.

However, it is not only on our fields overseas where change is taking place but also in our own society and churches. A younger generation is no longer committed to denominational loyalty and willing to blindly support programs it does not understand. There is greater fragmentation and diversity than ever. We do not represent a monolithic constituency in which everything is done the same way. There is a desire to be personally involved in whatever the church is doing, even overseas.

In the last two years our denomination has been through historic restructuring, streamlining and focusing on “A Covenant for a New Century.” The vision of this restructuring is expressed in a definitive preamble that centers on a commitment to missions:

"The Southern Baptist Convention exists to facilitate,
extend and enlarge the Great Commission ministries
of Southern Baptist churches, under the Lordship of
Jesus Christ, upon the authority of Holy Scripture and by empowerment of the Holy Spirit."

Never has there been such a readiness and availability of resources to be applied to our Great Commission task. It is reflected in consecutive years of record gifts to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. It is evident in the increased numbers of volunteers participating in short-term projects around the world and in the record number of missionaries being appointed.

God has blessed Southern Baptists and raised us up in numbers and resources, not to take pride in being the largest evangelical denomination or in our programs, but to be His instrument in fulfilling His mission to reach the nations. Take a look at the resources and potential of Southern Baptists:

Mobilization is the process of enabling all these entities and others, with their potential resources and unique ministries, to impact a lost world. The International Mission Board cannot afford to be a funnel, restricting the resources and involvement of others, doing only what we ourselves can do, but we must have a vision of inclusive strategies, facilitating God’s people to be on mission.

What could be accomplished if all these resources could be mobilized for missions as we enter the next century?

In the past, mission work overseas was considered the exclusive domain of the Foreign Mission Board. It was an exclusive program assignment and no other agency was to have anything to do with work overseas. Churches and state conventions viewed the FMB as responsible for the Great Commission outside the United States.

This approach restricted our global impact because (1) it was based on our organizational potential; (2) it limited us to incremental growth; and (3) it focused on practical, man-sized goals. Our effectiveness was limited by the number of missionaries and where they could serve. We have taken pride in reporting annually a few more baptisms and new churches than the year before, and our goals have been practical and man-sized, based on what we felt we could accomplish.

The results of this paradigm, after 150 years, is reflected by the following:

Reaching 5,000 missionaries = 0.03% of Southern Baptists

$200 million budget (1997) = 2.7% of annual offerings

20,000 volunteers = less than one per two churches

Generic, impersonal praying = “God bless the missionaries”

Priority of “missions” = lowest among church programs

What’s wrong with this picture if we consider ourselves a missions people, committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to the Great Commission, and God obviously desires to reach the nations and bring them into a saving relationship with Himself? Is this the level of involvement God would desire from among Southern Baptists?