RICHMOND, Va. (BP)–Curtis Sergeant, a Southern Baptist missionary who has served in a restricted area of the world since 1993, has been named the International Mission Board’s associate vice president for global strategies.
Sergeant will begin his new assignment June 26 at the board’s Richmond, Va., headquarters.
As associate vice president for global strategies, Sergeant will work with IMB missions leaders who facilitate the outreach of more than 5,100 missionaries focused on 1,923 people groups and population segments in 185 countries.
“I am thrilled that God has led Curtis Sergeant to accept this responsibility,” said Avery Willis, senior vice president for overseas operations. “He brings a compassionate heart along with clear-headed thinking and down-to-earth practical experience about how to reach the peoples of this world. Curtis will lead us to explore new ways to reach the lost out on the edges of opportunity around the world.”
A “missionary kid” who was reared in South Korea and Taiwan, Sergeant and his wife, Debra, were appointed in 1991 as representatives of Cooperative Services International, the former humanitarian arm of the IMB. He has been serving as a strategy associate for Southern Baptist work in East Asia since 1999.
Sergeant’s missionary work in that restricted area of the world helped a church-planting movement to flourish, Willis said.
“When he began in 1993, there were only three churches and 85 Christians in that province,” Willis said. “Now it has grown to 790 churches and 79,000 believers.”
Sergeant expressed “mixed feelings” about leaving his current assignment as strategy associate.
“On one hand I’m grieving,” he said. “I experienced tremendous fulfillment and enjoyment in my previous ministry. I felt as if I had a front-row seat to observe some of the most amazing works of God in history.
“On the other hand, I am excited by the opportunities that lie before me as I begin serving in this new capacity. I recognize that I will in some senses be removed from the ‘front lines’ of ministry, but at the same time I will have the chance to serve more broadly and touch more places.
“This is a joy to me because I have always had a global burden. I can’t think of any position where I could have a better opportunity to express that global burden,” he said. “I also will have the tremendous privilege of serving with some choice servants of the Lord from whom I can learn much. I will have many chances to serve and assist men and women who are touching every corner of the globe.”
In this new position, Sergeant will assume responsibilities previously covered by David Garrison. Garrison has been elected regional leader for IMB work in southern Asia.
Sergeant and his wife have two children, Nathan, 12, and Megan, 8.
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The International Mission Board (http://www.imb.org) is a Southern Baptist Convention entity supported by the Cooperative Program (http://www.cpmissions.net) and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (http://www.imb.org/ime/LMCO). (BP) photos posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: CURTIS SERGEANT.
