Several SCBaptist pastors took part in the International Mission Board’s first-ever Senders Summit.

For Andy Roberson, Executive Pastor at South Main Baptist Church in Greenwood, SC, the International Mission Board (IMB) event offered the opportunity to help cultivate a culture of sending at his church.

“We don’t have a sending issue; we have a discipleship issue,” Roberson said. “Everything stems, begins, and ends with discipleship, so if we are discipling them well, we will not have an issue sending them well.”

Creating Sending Pipelines

Roberson was one of 124 participants at the summit. The event took place March 4-6 and aimed to provide churches with a platform to learn from one another as they develop missionary training and sending pipelines from within their congregation.

The IMB uses the term “pipeline” for people who are in the process of considering and preparing to serve as missionaries. Churches are using the term in reference to their own missionary preparatory processes.

“Mobilization seeks to awaken the church to pray more, to give more, to go more, and to send more,” Jeff Ginn, IMB Vice President of Mobilization, said.

Iron Sharpening Iron

Participants heard from leaders in the main sessions and gathered in small groups called “Iron on Iron.” Leaders from four ministries shared their methods to encourage other churches to be on mission.

Among two churches and one association, SCBaptist leaders Charlie Swain and Katie Bennett shared one of SCBaptist’s pipeline models for ministry: Palmetto Collective.

Equipping Students through Palmetto Collective

Palmetto Collective (PC) is a two-year program that helps equip college juniors and seniors to be missional leaders of the Gospel. PC students discover God’s mission in the world and their lives through studying God’s Word together, participating in leadership retreats, and serving on mission.

One vital aspect of PC is intentional mentorship. “The backbone of the program is one-on-one mentorship in their church,” Swain told IMB. PC students also have opportunities to serve with the IMB or the North American Mission Board during school breaks, summers, and even two years after college. PC applications are open through April 1.

Multi-Generational Involvement

Roberson is dedicated to ensuring that celebration of missions is not merely a top-down effort but a communal and generational endeavor. “Every age group is involved in missions on some level, from preschool through senior adults,” Roberson said. Church members are actively encouraged to participate in missions, whether through praying, going, or giving.

For Roberson, another key takeaway from the summit was to celebrate missions and sending at his church. “What you celebrate is who you become,” he said.