Two Arkansas couples among the 58 newly appointed IMB missionaries

In a crowd of thousands at the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas, a sacred moment unfolds—messengers surround Jude and Bridget Davis in prayer, two among 58 newly appointed IMB missionaries. With hands extended and hearts united, Southern Baptists send their own to the nations with the hope of the gospel. IMB Photo

DALLAS – Two Arkansas couples were among the 58 newly appointed International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries recognized Tuesday, June 10, during the Sending Celebration at the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas.  

One of the couples, Jude and Bridget Davis, will be serving in Germany with a missionary team with whom they have already made connections.  

Through their sending church, First Baptist Church in Rogers, the Davises previously took a short-term mission trip to Germany to serve with current IMB missionaries of whom FBC Rogers has a partnership. 

“We are going there because we got to see what it was like as a family to live there and serve there,” Bridget said. “I’m really thankful for the opportunities that our sending church has given us. They have been so supportive and have helped us work through our calling to missions.”  

Jude said he also appreciates the support of FBC Rogers, as well as the church he attended when he was in college, College Heights Baptist Church in Plainview, Texas.  

He said College Heights “gave me a great foundation, encouraged my pursuit of doing mission work, which was the beginning of when I realized God was calling me. This church helped me realize that missions isn’t just something you do; it’s who you are.”  

While on stage during the Sending Celebration, Jude said, “I’m thankful to college ministers, coworkers, and friends who have encouraged me to go on short-term trips and now to go overseas long-term. We will be moving to Europe to plant churches. Please pray for our family to settle into our new home well and to develop deep, gospel-centered relationships.”  

Bridget credited her teachers in Mission Friends, Girls in Action, and Acteens in helping her “grow a love for missions as a young girl,” ultimately leading her to serve two years as a Journeyman and obtain a seminary degree.  

Bridget was one of 11 missionaries participating in the Sending Celebration who were former Journeymen. She said the two years of her Journeyman experience went by faster than she thought it would go. “It sounds like a long time, but it’s not,” she said.  

She served in Sub-Saharan Africa with IMB missionary Kathy Shafto who had a big influence on her life.  

“Kathy taught me about seeing opportunities to speak the truth of God’s Word into the people’s lives and how to be strong and gentle at the same time,” Bridget said.  

The second Arkansas couple is serving in a secure role and cannot be named or photographed. Their publicity names are Luke and Natalie Greene.  

Natalie and Luke were raised in Southern Baptist churches, where an importance was placed on missions, but they thought their involvement would be limited to giving and short-term mission trips.  

“But then God called us to go, and we served in Europe for four years. Now we are returning to support the work using our experience in logistics and finance,” Luke said during the Sending Celebration. “We’re excited to use these skills on the mission field.”  

Natalie asked messengers to, “Pray for wisdom as we discern which ministries to resume, what to lay aside, and how to best invest our time.”  

IMB staff contributed to this story. For more on the Sending Celebration, check out IMB’s article, Southern Baptists unite to send 58 new IMB missionaries during SBC annual meeting.”  

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One Response

  1. So jealous. I lived in Germany from 72-96. I remember my brother moving to East Germany after the wall came down. He lived there for a few years and I remember visiting him in Smalkalden. I talked to a lot of his neighbors and it was interesting listening to their stories. He is full of East German stories. Loved listening to him. Living in Germany was the best years of my life. Now that our mother has passed we don’t get to go home very often.
    Enjoy. It will be amazing to live there. Your kids will love the freedom. The playgrounds are amazing. My father used to take us all from one cemetery to another looking for relatives for his genealogy research. They even had amazing playgrounds in them. I was born in Munich and my daughter in Hanau along with my brother. I brought my granddaughter to Germany every year since she was 4 and she is now 20. Germany is an amazing place to live. We still have one friend in East Germany near Smalkalden.

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