I have been asked several times if I would ever write a book. I generally respond, “Have you been in a library lately?” The point is, once you see all the unread books, you begin to wonder about the value of writing another one just to place it on a shelf.
However, I have thought about it, and if I were to write a book, the title would be Twenty Miles East of the Equator. I don’t know about you, but I think it is a catchy title precisely because it isn’t logical. It suggests an underlying, not immediately obvious, meaning.
We all know you can’t go twenty miles east of the equator. The statement makes no geographical sense. But if you’ve lived long enough — especially working in missions — you realize much of life feels exactly like that. God often leads us to places that don’t fit the maps we have drawn.
An African proverb states, “To get lost is to learn the way.” It speaks to the idea the unfamiliar path may become the very road where wisdom, courage, discovery, and adventure are found. The world of missions does not follow normal coordinates. It is a journey where logic, geography, and expectations don’t always align. God sometimes leads us off the map. The question is: are we willing to follow Him wherever He leads?
Honoring the Map Makers
Before our missionaries arrived on their fields, others went before them. These pioneers walked where there were no paths, spoke when there were no listeners, and labored when there was little visible fruit. No doubt, at times they felt they were twenty miles east of the equator. They carried the gospel across barriers where their faith was tested in ways we can scarcely imagine. We stand where they once stood. Not because the work was easy, but because they were faithful and drew the maps we now follow.
And while we honor these pioneers, we also thank the countless faithful supporters who stood behind them across the decades. Missionaries never serve alone. Behind every pioneer missionary stood praying churches, sacrificial givers, mission advocates, faithful friends, and families who helped sustain the work. Many of you reading this article are part of that legacy. We thank God for your enduring faithfulness.
The Fruit of Laboring Together
One of the great joys of following God’s direction is seeing the fruit of our labor. While numbers are not the sole measure of success, they help us see the visible impact of our investment in IM and its partners.
We are truly thankful for the faithful work of IM missionaries and our partners. I want to share some encouraging numbers from our 2025 statistical report. Each newly-commissioned missionary goes through a period of intense training in our office. One of the focus points of that training is what we call the “six tasks.” Every IM missionary is expected to be committed to carrying out these six tasks: 1) minister; 2) witness; 3) disciple; 4) plant; 5) train; and 6) partner.
Let’s go through each one to see how they were carried out in 2025.
Minister. The first task, ministering, is about building relationships, learning people’s needs, and meeting those needs, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. Ministry has a strong emphasis on our fields of work. This is evidenced through workers staffing 167 ministry centers (not including churches) who met the needs of 110,784 people in 2025.
Witness. As evangelical believers, we lean heavily into evangelization — or witnessing, as we sometimes describe it. This means sharing a message of compassion and hope with the lost in a way it can be understood, and the hearer can respond appropriately. The results of strong witnessing efforts on IM fields are demonstrated by 278 mission works and preaching points. We know faithful witnessing produces results. Last year, 3,612 conversions recorded in works outside of North America testify to the power of sharing the gospel message with men and women.
Disciple. The focus of the Great Commission is the third task. Discipling is the intentional, relational, and Spirit-dependent, spiritual covenant process of helping other believers follow Jesus. We see this lived out as IM missionaries and partners labor together. According to 2025 reports, 2,651 people participated in new convert classes, and 3,212 people professed their faith in Jesus Christ through baptism.
We firmly believe that if the first three tasks are properly carried out, new churches will emerge. Gathering believers together to function as a local church must be intentional. Missionaries are charged to plant churches.
Plant. We encourage believers to come together to function as the Body of Christ. At the end of 2025, 83 new churches had been organized, with 909 churches gathering an average of 67,061 men and women in Free Will Baptist or affiliated churches around the world.
Train. Training is vital to ensure churches have strong leadership. Field reports indicate 15 Bible institutes are actively training 519 believers to lead Free Will Baptist churches and movements in their country or region.
Partner. We view this last task as the act of laboring with other like-minded believers so the world can see Jesus in our lives, hear the gospel from our mouths, and become disciples who follow Him together. We rejoice constantly in the expansion we see while laboring with the Body of Christ.
Currently, we have 113 IM-commissioned missionaries serving in six countries. They work alongside 36 partner agencies with a direct connection to Free Will Baptists. Because we work together with the Body of Christ, Free Will Baptists impact 39 countries.
These are not simply IM statistics. These numbers represent the faithfulness of thousands of Free Will Baptists around the world and throughout the decades. These numbers represent not only those who followed God’s call to go, but also the thousands of people who engaged in fervent prayer, sacrificial giving, and dedicated support for those who labor cross-culturally.
To all who have engaged in God’s plan for laboring in the fields “white unto harvest” we say with deep sincerity, “Thank you!”
Building for the Future
The IM leadership team, staff, and board are excited about where God is leading us. After much prayer and refinement, we have clarified our 2035 Horizon Goals and are moving forward with purpose.
Commission 100 New Missionaries. As we pursue the goal of commissioning 100 new missionaries by 2035, we must actively challenge young people to follow the compass of His calling. One of the realities of living “Twenty Miles East of the Equator” is starting with a map that changes before the finish line. As we step into new cultures, challenges, and opportunities, we discover territory we didn’t know existed. We must identify those willing to enter these new places with the message of hope and salvation. Pray for ETEAM, College Missions Program (CMP), and The Hanna Project as we challenge young people to travel with Him to the most unreached areas.
Sending 100 new missionaries undoubtedly will take strong financial support. Considering this need, we commit ourselves to pursue three major financial goals:
Reach and sustain at least $1 million in the annual World Missions Offering (WMO)
Use earnings from the $3 million GROW Endowment to help launch new missionaries
Build the Cornerstone Endowment to $10 million for long-term General Fund sustainability
Additionally, we are praying to see Free Will Baptists outside North America more than double over the next ten years. Our objectives are to:
Grow from just over 60,000 to more than 120,000 believers.
Share the gospel with one million people.
Plant 1,000 new churches.
These are not merely numerical goals. They represent transformed lives and communities reached with the gospel.
Conclusion
Let’s not forget, we have not yet completed the Great Commission. This is evidenced by the fact:
Nations are still waiting to hear the gospel for the first time.
Unreached people remain unreached.
Our task is not finished until He returns.
That is why we invite you to keep journeying with us. Let us continue to labor with the Body of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission.
When God redraws the map, let’s pray He will help us follow His lead rather than cling to what we understand and find comfortable. Let’s commit to trusting the God who sees beyond our limited realm and follow Him wherever He leads without reservation.
Together, let’s follow Him when it may not make sense, even “Twenty Miles East of the Equator.”
About the Writer: Clint Morgan is the director of IM, Inc.
