MISSIONARY 2026 National Conference: The Lord Who Sends

MISSIONARY’s 2026 National Conference, themed “The Lord Who Sends,” will take place October 14–16 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. The organizer describes the gathering as a national conference intended to shape Christians by God’s Word for the sacrificial work of sending missionaries to the unreached. Registration materials place the event at the seminary campus at 2001 West Seminary Drive, and the official conference page says the audience is broad by design: missionaries, pastors, church leaders, and people who are simply beginning to ask what Christ’s command to go means for them. That invitation is important because a biblical missions culture depends on more than the people who relocate across borders. Local churches pray, identify and prepare workers, teach sound doctrine, care for missionary families, give responsibly, welcome people from other cultures, and maintain accountable relationships over many years. The conference program is built around biblical teaching, practical breakout sessions, missionary testimony, fellowship, and prayer. Its speaker roster includes pastors, theologians, authors, and missions leaders, while the venue provides a setting suited to sustained teaching rather than a one-night rally. For prospective attendees, the value of the event lies in connecting theological conviction with concrete church practice. A missions conference can stir emotion for a weekend, but this one explicitly frames sending as work that begins with the Lord’s initiative and belongs to the whole church. That focus gives pastors and missions teams a useful opportunity to examine not only whether their congregation supports missions, but how Scripture, prayer, member care, financial stewardship, theological training, and long-term partnership fit together.

Attendees will benefit most by arriving with a question that can lead to action at home. A pastor might ask how the congregation can make global missions a normal part of preaching, prayer, and discipleship instead of an occasional emphasis. An elder or missions committee member might evaluate how workers are assessed, trained, commissioned, supported, and welcomed back. Students and young adults can seek counsel about character, church membership, theological preparation, debt, language learning, and the difference between a short-term experience and a durable missionary vocation. Christians who do not expect to go overseas can identify faithful roles as intercessors, mobilizers, senders, welcomers, or advocates for missionaries already on the field. The conference’s national reach also creates space to learn from churches outside one’s immediate network, but discernment should remain rooted in a healthy local church and tested over time. Participants should take notes with named next steps: a conversation with church leaders, a recurring prayer commitment, a missions reading group, a review of financial priorities, or a plan to strengthen care for workers. Because the event occurs only days after this listing, prospective travelers should confirm registration availability, lodging, and the current schedule on the official site before departing. The practical reason to attend is not merely access to prominent speakers. It is the chance to place the whole missionary task under Scripture, learn from experienced practitioners, and return home better prepared to help a congregation send wisely, pray faithfully, and make Christ known among people who have little access to the gospel.