General information: https://www.imb.org/2022/01/04/called-to-go-imb-send/
Teenagers: https://www.imb.org/go-impact/
Teenagers and students (1-3 week trips): https://www.imb.org/students/one-to-three-week-mission-trips/
Students summer mission trips: https://www.imb.org/students/summer-mission-trips/
Students (semester up to one year): https://www.imb.org/students/missions-residency/
The IMB Missions Residency is a pathway for 18–29-year-olds who wish to serve cross-culturally with the IMB for 4 months to 1 year. If you’re considering a career in missions or church planting, this pathway will sharpen your skills and provide practical ministry experience
When Can You Go?
4 months: August to December or January to May
8 months: August to May or January to July
12 months: August to July or January to December
Young Adults 21-29: https://www.imb.org/students/go-2-years-journeyman/
JOURNEYMAN PROGRAM:
The Journeyman Program is a fully-funded, two-year opportunity for young adults (ages 21-29) to serve internationally, share the gospel, and make disciples. You’ll be sent by your local church and become part of an international missionary team, working to plant churches and show the love of Jesus, while being developed as a missionary.
Over two years, you’ll:
Be immersed in a new culture and language
Be mentored by experienced missionaries
Make disciples and help plant churches
Grow in faith, leadership, and ministry skills
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE CORPS:
International Service Corps is for anyone who wants to go but doesn’t want to go long-term. Through this pathway, an individual can serve for two to three years on missionary church planting teams. No college degree or seminary credits are required. Retirees who want to spend a few years on the field are encouraged to go through this route. This is IMB funded.
Field support
The field support role includes professionals who work in logistics, finance, or another role that directly supports church planters and other IMB personnel on the field. While they work overseas and still focus on sharing the gospel, the majority of their time is spent in their professional role. This is a fully funded IMB role.
Missionary associate
A missionary associate does the same work as a church planter, but there is no seminary requirement. This role is ideal for someone who has pastored or worked in ministry for many years but has no seminary degree. The requirement here is a life experience requirement. This is an IMB funded, long-term pathway.
Career missionary
A career missionary serves as a church planter. They begin their first four-year term as an apprentice missionary, working alongside an established church planting team. The next term they return as a church planter. A church planter’s full-time job is the core missionary task. They are fully funded, and this is a long-term pathway.
Macedonia project
The Macedonia project is for individuals who have a long-term call but no seminary training yet. Those who sign up for this program go to the field, and while they are working on a church planting team, they also take seminary classes. The IMB pays for half of the degree, while one of the six Southern Baptist seminaries covers the other half. While this is a more difficult pathway, one of the many rewards is a debt-free seminary degree. There is no age limit for this pathway. Macedonia project workers serve 3-4 years and are funded through the IMB.
Two + two
The two + two program is another avenue through the seminaries. With this track, the first two years are spent physically at a seminary, and the last two years are spent working with a church planting team on the field. This opportunity, however, isn’t funded through a scholarship like the Macedonia project. The last two years of overseas service are IMB funded.