Types of Missionary Service Through NAMB

A working definition of a missionary as approved by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and International Mission Board (IMB) is, "A missionary is a person who, in response to God's call and gifting, leaves his/her comfort zone and crosses cultural, geographic or other barriers to proclaim the Gospel and live out a Christian witness in obedience to the Great Commission."

Categories of Missionary service through the North American Mission Board:

Appointed:  Mission personnel who go through a formal personnel process at NAMB which assesses criteria such as education, experience, etc.  These are jointly funded personnel by NAMB and its state/Canadian convention partners or are funded directly by NAMB and are eligible for NAMB benefits.

Approved:  Mission personnel who go through a formal personnel process at NAMB which assesses criteria such as education, experience, etc.  These personnel receive salary supplements from NAMB and its state/Canadian convention partners and are not eligible for NAMB benefits.

Assigned:  Mission Service Corps (MSC) personnel who go through a formal personnel process at NAMB.  These are self-funded missionaries who provide for their financial support through raising their financial support, working bi-vocationally in the marketplace, through retirement income or a combination of these.  MSC personnel are eligible to purchase benefits through the SBC Annuity Board.

Missionary Job Titles and Descriptions

Church Planting

State Director of Missions (SDOM) – A SDOM serves on staff of a state convention of Southern Baptists and leads the overall missions strategy for the state convention.  His role is primary missions strategy and administration. 

State Church Planting Program Director (SCPPD) – The SCPPD serves on staff of a state convention of Southern Baptists and leads the church planting program for the convention.  The SCPPD secures resources and works with local Baptist leaders and associations to develop and implement a church planting strategy.

Church Planting Missionary (CPM) – A CPM develops strategy, secures resources, and enlists sponsors for church starting.  The CPM assists in beginning multiple churches. The role is not pastoral in nature, but catalytic.  A CPM serves in an associational or regional capacity.  Some CPMs will be assigned a certain ethnic responsibility.  For example, some CPMs will serve in Hispanic, Anglo, African American, or multi-ethnic church planting contexts.  To qualify an individual must have at least one successful church planting experience.

Church Planting Missionary Pastor (CPMP) – The CPMP has the primary assignment of beginning a new church.  The CPMP serves as pastor of the new church.  The CPMP is assigned one primary field in which to begin a church.  However, it is common for him to lay the foundation for beginning several new churches.

Church Planting Team Missionary (CPTM) – The CPTM serves on the leadership team for a new church start.  There are a variety of roles through which a CPTM serves.  Some will focus on worship, Christian education and discipleship, youth evangelism, administration, and other roles.  The CPTM works alongside a lead church planter and participates on the church planting leadership team. 

Multihousing Church Planting Missionary (MCPM) – The MCPM begins churches in multihousing environments.  Mobile home parks, apartment complexes, condominiums, and hi-rise facilities contain some of the most unchurched people in the Unites States and Canada.  The MCPM uses a ministry-based evangelism approach to church planting.  Ministries, worship, and evangelistic outreach are designed to reach multihousing residents for Christ.  The MCPM may serve as pastor or in a non-pastoral role.  Multihousing church planting involves working with facilities managers and recruiting volunteers from local churches.

Church Planting Minister of Missions (CPMM) – The CPMM serves on staff of a church and leads the effort to establish new ministries and new churches.  The CPMM serves in church planting by developing strategy, securing resources, and enlisting leaders. 

Church Planter Pastor  (CPP) – A CPP begins a new church or pastors a young congregation.  This missionary category is for men who need financial assistance for a defined period of time.  Most often, the CPP serves in a new work state convention.  Financial assistance is provided for the pastor whose church is in a growth mode.  Soon, these newer churches will assume full financial responsibility for their pastors.

Professor/Director of Church Planting (PDCP) - A PDCP serves on the faculty of one of the six Southern Baptist seminaries in the U.S. and the Canadian Southern Baptist seminary.  He recruits and nurtures seminary students who show interest in church planting.   The PDCP leads the Nehemiah Church Planting Project on his campus. 

National Church Planting Missionary (NCPM) – A NCPM has a national assignment to coordinate and develop church planting strategy for a specific ethnic group.  He will relate to the appropriate ethnic fellowship and work closely with ethnic pastors and denominational leaders.

Teacher Missionary (TM) – There are only a few TMs who serve under appointment with the NAMB.  These missionaries teach at the Hispanic Seminary in Texas.  The NAMB supports these missionaries as they seek to develop Hispanic mission leaders.

Ministry Evangelism

Baptist Center Director (BCD) – This is a missionary who directs the ministry of an inner city Baptist Center.  A Center is operated by a local Baptist association.  It exists to meet the needs of individuals in the inner city and to share the gospel with them.  Common ministries are after school programs for children, emergency food distribution, clothing distribution, crisis pregnancy intervention, parenting classes, English as a second language, etc.  A BCD enlists volunteers and trains them for ministry.  The BCD usually is a staff member of a Baptist association.

Pastor/Center Director (P/CD) – A P/CD directs the work of a Baptist Center and pastors the congregation that is affiliated with the Center.

Weekday Ministries Director (WMD) – A WMD usually serves on the staff of a Baptist church or Center and provides leadership for the community ministries conducted at the church and/or Center.

Migrant Ministries Director (MMD) – MMD's serve on staff of a state Southern Baptist convention or local Baptist Association.   They lead the strategy for ministry evangelism among seasonal and/or agricultural workers and families.  Migrant ministry work requires bilingual and bicultural missionaries.

Associational Ministry Evangelism Director (AMED) – An AMED serves on staff of a local Baptist association and is responsible to develop, lead and coordinate ministry evangelism.  Cooperative evangelistic ministries are coordinated and consultations are designed to equip churches in providing ministry evangelism in their communities.

Criminal Justice Ministries Director (CJMD) – CJMD's serve on staff of a state Southern Baptist Convention or local Baptist Association.  They assist local churches in ministry evangelism among prisoners and their families, prison staff and their families, and victims of crime.

Health Care Missionary  (HCM) – HCM's are health care professionals (M.D.; R.N.; D.D.S., or other) who utilize their professional knowledge in service and witness to others.  They may serve under the auspices of a church, association or Center ministry.

Ministry Evangelism Interns  (MEI) – MEI's are seminary and/or university students majoring in Church social work and interested in future ministry evangelism service with NAMB.  Interns are assigned for a one academic year period to a specific ministry evangelism program such as a Baptist Center.

State Ministry Evangelism Director (SMED) – SMED's serve on staff of a state Southern Baptist convention and leads in the overall ministry evangelism strategy for the state.  Their primary role is ministry evangelism strategy and administration.

Ministry Evangelism Consultant (MEC) – MEC's serve on staff of a state Southern Baptist convention or local Baptist Association. Their role is mainly to serve as expert resource persons for ministry evangelism outreach.

Ministry Evangelism National Missionary (MENM) – MENM's assist in the planning, leading, managing, and evaluating of specific areas in ministry evangelism.  Currently, there are six ministry evangelism national missionary assignments: Criminal Justice, Medical Missions, Welfare-to-Work, Substance Abuse and two in Literacy Missions.

Baptist Center Missionary (BCM) – BCM's assist in the ministry of a weekday program carried on in a building some distance from a church.  It may be situated in either an inner city or rural community.  The Center has programs for all ages in the community.  The aim of Baptist Center work is to help community residents work together to change the spiritual, physical and social conditions in which they live.

Literacy Missions Missionary (LMM) – LMM's serve on staff of a state Southern Baptist convention or local Baptist Association. Their role is mainly to serve as expert resource persons for ministry evangelism outreach through literacy missions.  In this capacity they develop volunteers to work in ministry evangelism programs such as Adult Reading and Writing (ARW), Conversational English (CE), Tutoring Children and Youth (TCY).

Special Ministries Evangelism

Port Ministries Missionary (PMM) – Seafarers come to the shores of the United States from all over the world.  Commercial ships dock anywhere from several hours to several days.  The PMM gains clearance to board ships and distribute Bibles and gospel tracts.  Many seafarers are lonely and have unmet physical and emotional needs.  The PMM will often transport seafarers from the ship to a ministry center and provide practical ministries.  The Jesus Video is often utilized to present the gospel. 

Resort Missionary (RM) – A Resort Missionary serves in a resort setting to present the gospel to those who work or enjoy leisure in a resort setting.  Most of the time, resorts are in beach or snow ski areas.  The RM develops a strong base of volunteers and short-term mission groups to assist in the ministry.  Creativity is the key for presenting the gospel in this setting.  The RM often serves as chaplain for the employees of the resort area. 

Special Ministries Missionary (SMM) – A SMM typically serves on staff of a Baptist association to develop and coordinate special ministries.  Special ministries include resort, leisure, innovative ministries, seafarers, lifestyles ministries, sports community, raceway, track and field, Olympics, truck stop ministries, ministry to entertainers and performers, and other affinity groups.

Student Evangelism

Local Collegiate Evangelism Missionary (LCEM) – Local collegiate evangelism missionaries serve on local college and university campuses.  The primary responsibility of the LCEM is to lead an effective evangelism ministry to reach collegians for Christ.  A church-based ministry is encouraged.  The LCEM enlists churches and church leaders to become involved in ministries to students.  Most commonly, there is a Christian club or organization on campus that includes Bible studies, worship, evangelistic events, and mission projects.

Regional Collegiate Evangelism Coordinator (RCEC) – RCEC’s serve in a regional capacity to develop and coordinate collegiate evangelism.  Often a RCEC is a staff member of a Baptist association or a state Baptist convention.  A RCEC enlists Local Collegiate Evangelism Missionaries or volunteers to lead in evangelistic efforts on each college campus in the assigned region.

State Collegiate Evangelism Coordinator (SCEC) – A SCEC leads the statewide collegiate ministry for the state convention. 

National Collegiate Evangelism Missionary (NCEM) – There are occasions when the NAMB appoints a NCEM to provide focused and specialized ministry in college evangelism.  In most of these incidences, the geographical responsibility encompasses North America.

International Collegiate Evangelism Missionary– (ICEM) – The ICEM serves on a college or university campus with the aim to reach international students for Christ.  The ICEM will assist international students through practical ministry and develop intentional efforts to lead international students to Christ.

Campus Evangelism Coordinator (CEC) – God is doing a mighty work on high school and middle school campuses.  The CEC directs the Fish the Planet strategy for reaching adolescents for Christ.  Fish the Planet strategy purposes to place a student-led Christian club on middle and senior high campuses.  These clubs are strongly evangelistic and they intentionally direct new believers to local churches. 

Evangelism

State Director of Evangelism (SDOE) – A SDOE serves on staff of a state Southern Baptist convention and leads in the overall evangelism strategy for the state convention.  His role is primary evangelism strategy and administration. 

Associate State Director of Evangelism (ASDOE) – The ASDOE serves on staff of a state Southern Baptist convention and is assigned specific statewide evangelism responsibilities.  Often these include youth evangelism, personal evangelism, and/or other specialized evangelism.   

Evangelism Specialist  (ES) – An ES reports to the State Director of Evangelism and is assigned specific and specialized evangelism functions.  The ES is more directly related to the field and has less administrative responsibilities than does the SADOE. 

Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy Missionary (CM) – While most chaplains are endorsed personnel rather than missions personnel, there are a number of chaplains that serve as missionaries.  A CM serves in a particular Chaplaincy role and work with local churches and volunteers to provide ongoing outreach, ministry, and evangelism.

National Chaplaincy Missionary (NCM) - A NCM specializes in a specific area of Chaplaincy.  He has responsibility throughout North America to facilitate, resource, and train individuals in effectively utilizing this type of Chaplaincy for evangelism and Kingdom ministry. 

Additional Missionary Roles

State Missions Leader (SML) – A SML serves as the Director of a state convention fellowship or in another strategic missions and administrative role. 

Strategic Outreach Missionary  (SOM) – These missionaries serve among internationals in North America.  The SOM presents a Christian witness in a diplomatic, university, or business setting.  Internationals come from all over the world to North America.  They and their families are often open to the Christian gospel.  Many internationals are interested in all facets of American culture and receive a Christian witness with openness.  Some of the efforts of SOM's are best aimed toward meeting the physical and social needs of internationals.  Bible studies and one-on-one ministry are often the means to present the gospel in these settings.

Associational Missionary (AM) – An Associational Missionary is the mission leader of a Baptist association.  NAMB appoints associational missionaries in new work state conventions.  Traditionally, this area of service has been called Director of Missions.  The primary responsibility is to lead the association to develop and implement a mission and evangelism strategy.  This missionary role is for those with substantial experience as a Christian leader. 

Interfaith Evangelism Missionary (IEM) – An IEM studies the most effective ways to present the gospel to persons of other religious beliefs.  The IEM is a practitioner on interfaith evangelism and trains others to be effective witnesses.  While the IEM will have a vast knowledge of world religions and religious cults, he will generally specialize in one religion.

Strategic Focus Cities Missionary (SFCM) - A SFCM serves in one of the designated Strategic Focus Cities of NAMB.  Strategic Focus Cities is an evangelization, church planting, media, and missionary mobilization effort to saturate the urban area with the gospel.  A SFCM serves for a defined period of time to coordinate projects, enlist volunteers, or engage in other strategic initiatives.

National Mobilization Missionary (NMM) - A NMM  mobilizes Christians for volunteer and long-term missionary service.  Creative arts, coordination of World Changer Projects and Global Focus Churches are among the unique ways these missionaries serve to "call out the called."

Volunteer Mobilization Missionary (VMM) – A VMM serves through a Baptist state convention to mobilize volunteers and long-term missionary service.  Enlisting volunteers, developing partnerships and “calling out the called” are the primary focus of the VMM. 

Family and Church Missionary (FCM) - A FCM is the spouse of a missionary with the primary responsibility to fulfil the missionary job assignment.  A FCM is expected to be supportive and cooperative of the spouse in ministry.   Any particular role of the FCM in the missionary assignment is voluntary and at the discretion of the local field and spouse.   The FCM may secure employment outside the home.