What are pastors really saying about missions today and how can we shape a more faithful missions future?
This year, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and 16:15 are partnering to discuss missions today. We speak of church-centered missions, but there seems to be little missions interest in the church. Compared to the number of protestant churches worldwide, the number of unreached people groups is rather small. So, what's preventing the Church from spreading the Good News to all nations, tribes, and tongues? The authors contracted Barna to research the issues related to church and mission, and this book evaluates the data and offers suggestions to move forward.
Students can register free of charge using the code STUDENT.
Who is Sixteen:Fifteen
Sixteen:Fifteen is a church missions coaching organization whose mission is to help local churches discover and use their unique gifts in partnership with others to make Christ known among all nations. We help mobilize churches to become central players and full partners in the global mission of God, unleashing them to be His channel of blessing among the nations. Your church missions coach will help your church and missions leaders assess current activities, clarify their purpose, develop and implement a plan, make mid-course corrections, and assess the outcomes.
General Information
Registration and Sessions will be located in Norton Hall 195
Lunch is $10/person at Southern’s Cafeteria unless you have a meal plan.
Conference Schedule
The Sending Shepherd
Friday, September 18, 2026
| 8:30 – 9:00 am | Registration |
|---|---|
| 9:00 – 9:15 am | Welcome — Dr. McKinley |
| 9:15 – 9:45 am | Session 1 — Dr. Akin |
| 9:45 – 10:00 am | Break |
| 10:00 – 10:45 am | Session 2 — Ellison |
| 10:45 – 11:00 am | Break |
| 11:00 – 11:45 am | Session 3 — Ellison |
| 11:45 am – 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 – 1:45 pm | Session 4 — Ellison and Panel |
| 1:45 – 2:00 pm | Break |
| 2:00 – 2:45 pm | Session 5 — Ellison |
| 2:45 – 3:00 pm | Closing |
Main Speakers
Matthew Ellison
President and Co-Founder of Sixteen:Fifteen
Dr. Paul Akin
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Register by September 17
Students can register free of charge using the code STUDENT.
The Southern Missions Conference is an annual conference of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to strengthen evangelical theology, philosophy, and practice of missions. This year’s conference will focus on one of the most pressing issues in missiology today: leadership development.