SMBC 2026 Global Mission Conference

J. D. Payne is Professor of Christian Ministry at Samford University, and a leading voice in the fields of missions, church planting, and evangelism. He has served with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, as a pastor, and as a church planting coach and mentor. The author of sixteen books on missions and evangelism, he also hosts the podcast 'Strike the Match', addressing missions, innovation, and leadership.

Dr Abe, an Ethiopian, has ministered in southern Ethiopia among the Hamar nomadic people, in central Ethiopia among the Oromo people, in Pakistan among the Marwari people, and in Xi’an, central China. He is currently serving in Egypt, focusing on equipping Ethiopian house churches across the Middle East and encouraging local churches to get involved in global missions. Dr Abe has a PhD in Education and is a passionate mobiliser for global missions and advocate for the unreached. He will be joining us online.

Clive was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to Australia at the age of five. Since really understanding the gospel at University, God has put it on Clive's heart to understand and reach South Asians. After working as an Anglican Minister for more than 10 years, Clive is now working for Evangelism & New Churches (ENC). Clive works through the SATYA network to make Jesus known among South Asians.

Ed is the Director of the SMBC Centre for Cross-Cultural Mission, and Head of Missions. Originally from the U.S., he served for 14 years in church planting and field leadership in Central Asia. On returning to the U.S. Ed worked as the Missions Pastor at Cherrydale Baptist Church located just outside of Washington D.C. for 15 years.

Evelyn, with her husband, Richard, served as a pioneer church planter in the Middle East and Bulgaria. She has an international ministry helping missionaries with strategic planning, church planting, multicultural teamwork, and developing and evaluating missionary training programs. Together with Richard she has written several books on cross-cultural ministry.

Glen and his family moved to Australia in 2019 having been in multi-ethnic church ministry for 18 years in the Middle East. In 2021, they heard about the projected growth in Western Sydney and much of that growth through international migration. In 2023 they planted Grace Emmanuel Church in Marsden Park. Grace Emmanuel currently has people from 13 different ethnic backgrounds.

Grace Lung is Director of the Centre for Asian Christianity at Brisbane School of Theology and Coordinator of the Next Generation Bicultural Program at Melbourne School of Theology. She writes and teaches on Asian Australian and intercultural faith, and pastors with her husband at Rise Alliance Church on Brisbane’s southside.

Peter Moore is an SMBC graduate who has more than 30 years experience in cross-cultural ministry and training cross-cultural workers.

Ben is the Director of The Bridge gap year program at SMBC. With his family he served in East Asia from 2009 to 2021 in church planting, mentoring, and area and regional leadership .

Margaret moved from parish ministry in North West Sydney to community ministry in South West Sydney 18 years ago. Working in one of the most diverse multicultural areas of Sydney she has established communities in which women can belong – observing and receiving Christian community.

Tim lectures in Missions at SMBC. He completed his M.Th in the field of intercultural leadership development and his doctoral studies exploring the involvement of Australian local churches in mission.

Kamal was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to Australia as a teenager with his parents. He is now a Presbyterian Church minister and adjunct faculty at both Christ College Presbyterian Theological Centre Sydney and the Reformed Theological College in Melbourne. His Master's thesis was in biblical sexual ethics and his doctorate in globalisation and migration.