January 1, 2024 Illinois Baptist

Illinois Baptist

illinois voices

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IllinoisBaptist.org News journal of the Illinois Baptist State Association

JANUARY 1, 2024 Vol. 118 No. 1

Nate Adams P. 2

The Fosters

in focus

Why 2024 is a ‘before’ year

Where saving our state begins Lisa Misner P. 6

God’s adoption plan

Why these families open their homes—and hearts P. 7

PLUS: Q&A with Kevin Carrothers on one year at BCHFS, P. 10

John Yi P. 9

Sticking to the mission

Drake Caudill P. 13

SBC: Our race to Indy begins Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Peoria, Illinois Permit No. 325

P. 5 March for Life, 2023

Develop a ‘multiply’ mindset

Pro-life news

No ‘deceptive practices’ suits State won’t prosecute under ‘stupid’ law Springfield | Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he will not prosecute operators of pro-life pregnancy resource centers under a new consumer fraud law, after a federal judge called the “deceptive practices” law “stupid and very likely unconstitutional.”

The Illinois General Assembly passed SB 1909 and Governor J.B. Pritzker signed it into law July 27,

only to have U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston issue a temporary injunction. Now Raoul entered a joint motion with the Thomas More Society on Dec. 11, agreeing to make the injunction permanent. Raoul says he will not try to enforce the law which would have prohibited prolife pregnancy resource centers from sharing information on alternatives to abortion by labeling it “deceptive P. 3

Paul Westbrook P. 15

Signs of our times

Meredith Flynn P. 16

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Illinois Baptist

The Illinois Baptist staff

NATE ADAMS

Editor - Eric Reed Graphic Designer - Kris Kell Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner Comm. Coordinator - Nic Cook Graphics Assistant - Makayla Proctor Team Leader - Ben Jones

The general telephone number for IBSA is (217) 786-2600. For questions about subscriptions, articles, or upcoming events, contact the Illinois Baptist at (217) 391-3127 or IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

The Illinois Baptist is seeking news from IBSA churches. E-mail us at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org to tell us about special events and new ministry staff.

POSTMASTER: The Illinois Baptist is owned and published every month by the Illinois Baptist State Association, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-4440. Subscriptions are free to Illinois Baptists. Subscribe online at IBSA.org.

The BIG Baptist family album Our Illinois mission field Sean and Lydia Stevenson are replanting Elmwood Park Community Church, a multi-generational, multi-ethnic church in a community of 24,000. “We came via Montana, Poland, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Tennessee in that order,” Sean said. He holds degrees from Belmont and Southwestern Seminary.

They have three adult children. “Pray as we expand our work into Spanish, and as our food pantry grows and reaches into our neighborhood.”

Pray the news The Psalm 139 Project continues to place ultrasound machines in pro-life pregnancy resource centers through private donations. Pray for funds and open doors for this life-saving ministry of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

met my wife when she was 18, and ever since she turned 19, I have known that she prefers the day before her birthday to the birthday itself. I guess that’s not completely unique. Some people prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas, or New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day. Still, those are two-day holidays when each day has its own traditions, its own fun, and often its own menu. Not many of us expect two-day birthday parties.

But it’s not the party or the cake or even the presents to which my wife attributes her day-before preference. For her it’s about the anticipation, the excited expectancy, and the knowledge, or at least hope, that preparations are already underway. Wrapped presents are already in sight. Family or friends have been invited. Favorite foods have been requested, or reservations made. Sometimes even the cake or birthday treats have already been prepared or delivered.

And, my wife would point out, the day before your birthday lasts longer. At some point during your birthday, she would say, the sad realization sets in that it’s almost over. But the day before your birthday never leaves you until the joy of your birthday steps in!

At the start of this new year, I’d like to invite all of us as Illinois Baptists to think of 2024 as the year before a big birthday. I’d like us to think in terms of anticipation, excited expectancy, and yes, year-long preparation for 2025, when together we will celebrate the 100th birthday of the Cooperative Program.

I know that may sound a little nerdy to some, or at least denominational.

It may even sound self-serving, since the IBSA staff and I are paid through churches’ gifts through the Cooperative Program. But if you are a follower of Jesus who cares at all about his Great Commission, you too have countless reasons to celebrate the Cooperative Program and its worldwide, century-long impact.

Throughout 2024, if it’s not been done already, I anticipate Baptist historians will attempt calculations of how many missionaries have been sent, how many nations and unreached people groups have been engaged, how many baptisms have been reported, how many churches have been planted, how many pastors and church leaders have been trained, how many volunteers have been mobilized, and many more spiritual results that can be tabulated over the past 100 years.

I’m now old enough to be able to personally count dozens if not hundreds of examples in each of those categories. You may be too. But I’m not nearly old enough to remember the kind of missional boldness and sacrificial commitments it took to start this historic, cooperative missions venture in 1925. It was my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ generations that envisioned and then established the Spirit-empowered ecosystem that now takes the gospel around the world every day, and even while we sleep at night.

So yes, it’s appropriate for all of us and for our churches to embrace 2024 with excitement as a year to think and pray and plan how to celebrate what God has done through almost 100 years of cooperative missions. Even more importantly, we should ask what our generation and the generation following us might dream and boldly do in 2025 to extend the missional impact of cooperative missions into the next century.

What if this is the year before a new vision emerges that takes the Cooperative Program’s impact to a new level? What if this is the year before a new generation catches a fresh new vision for accelerating the delivery of the gospel to the world? And what if this is the year before Jesus returns?

When will we take cooperative missions to a new level?

Your CP gifts at work

Each spring, IBSA provides VBS clinics to equip pastors, directors, and teachers to lead this effective evangelistic ministry in their churches.

This year, clinics are in partnership with local associations. One-fourth of all baptisms in the SBC result from gospel presentations in VBS.

Total giving by IBSA churches as of 11/30/23

I

The year before

$4,817,362

2023 Budget Goal to date: $5,303,608

2023 Goal: $6 Million

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

Respond at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

January 01, 2024

IBSA.org

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NEWS From the front: pro-life pregnancy centers protected

IBSA Media

Continued from page 1 business practices.” The penalty would have been up to $50,000 fine per incident. The permanent injunction is a victory for more than 100 pro-life pregnancy resource centers in Illinois.

The Thomas More Society, a Catholic legal organization based in Chicago, represented five pro-life organization in the suit. Peter Breen was their lead attorney.

“This law is just one of a number of illegal new laws enacted across the country that restrict pro-life speech—we hope this permanent injunction, with full attorney’s fees, serves as a warning to other states that would seek to follow Illinois and try to silence prolife viewpoints,” Breen said.

Thomas Glessner, founder and president of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, one of the plaintiffs, hailed the agreement. He told the Washington Times the Illinois law “was an absolute weaponization of government that unfairly and unconstitutionally targeted pregnancy centers simply because they refused to refer for or perform abortions.”

Raoul issued a statement that the remainder of the consumer fraud law remains in effect. He defended his position on abortion, even though he agreed not to prosecute prolife advocates on the basis of this law. “As filed, this proposed order is agreed to by the parties in this case and in no way affects my ongoing work protecting women’s rights to

MARCH FOR LIFE — This annual demonstration moved from the streets of Chicago to the steps of the Capitol in 2023 (pictured here). The goal was to bring pro-life issues before state legislators who were considering bills such as SB 1909. The 2024 rally is planned for Wednesday, April 17. Illinois Right to Life asks groups to register online.

The Ticker Follow the latest Illinois Baptist news

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access the full range of reproductive health services,” Raoul said.

“Since Senate Bill 1909 was introduced, pro-lifers in Illinois have been crystal clear that it was completely unconstitutional,” Molly Malone, assistant legislative chair of Illinois Right to Life told the Illinois Baptist.

“The state cannot compel or suppress speech, and this is precisely what SB 1909 sought to do simply because of the pregnancy centers’ conviction against abortion. So, while we are not surprised that this was the outcome of this draconian bill, we rejoice for this pro-life victory in Illinois today.”

Kevin Carrothers, Executive Director of Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS), also called the agreement a victory. “The language in the law was ambiguous, it lacked clear criteria for prosecution,” said Carrothers, who is also a pastor and an attorney. “This action, led by the Thomas More Society, defends lives and helps protect what our ministries are doing to safeguard the unborn.”

BCHFS has operated GraceHaven Pregnancy Resource Clinic in Mt. Vernon since 2020. IBSA churches have supported GraceHaven with supplies for pregnant women and new mothers as part of the Buckets of Blessing campaign at the IBSA Annual Meetings for the past two years.

Medical emergencies increase On the same day the agreement to a permanent injunction was filed, a pro-life news agency reported that in a single week a Granite City abortion facility had sent three women to the hospital for complications from abortions they performed. Live Action News posted that during the week of Nov. 3, Hope Clinic sent at least one of the women to a hospital 17 minutes away in St. Louis, although there is a hospital across the street.

One woman required cardiac life support after a procedure; a second woman suffered seizures although she had no history of seizures, and a third had excessive bleeding and uterine inflammation.

The pro-life group said they have documented 20 such medical emergencies at Hope Clinic in 2023 that required transport of clients to hospitals. The number has increased as Illinois has become an “abortion destination,” with more than 10,000 out-ofstate clients in the year after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and 24 states ended or restricted abortion.

—IB staff

IllinoisBaptist.org IBSA.org

New website is live Visitors to IBSA.org, the online presence of the Illinois Baptist State Association, found a surprise in November. The state association launched a completely redesigned website, coinciding with the announcement of the “For the Pastor” emphasis at the IBSA Annual Meeting.

“We reduced the number of pages from over 300 to about 60,” said Communication Team Leader Ben Jones. “Our previous version of the website had helpful content, but it had grown to a place where it could be difficult to find what you were looking for. Our priority was to provide Illinois Baptists with a much more helpful experience.”

The new website features a streamlined layout, easier-to-use event calendar, and a more intuitive search system.

The new design integrates the content of the previous website into a smaller footprint. IBSA.org also contains new resources, including IBSA.org/ForthePastor. This section provides pastors with clear connection points to events and resources that directly serve and support them.

Another new feature is the IBSA.org/ResourceCenter.

This is a digital library of practical informational and sample documents, videos, and articles. It can be explored through 12 different categories or users can simply search for a topic.

The Resource Center has initially been stocked with more than 80 helpful items and will be curated throughout the year to add new resources and remove old ones.

The IBSA website was last redesigned in 2018.

Communications Team Coordinator Nic Cook carried out the primary website redesign working with Megaphone Designs of Jefferson City, Missouri to build the new site.

Meanwhile, a redesign of the Illinois Baptist news site (IllinoisBaptist.org) is planned for later in 2024, as are redesigns for the sites of Lake Sallateeska and Streator Baptist Camps.

facebook.com/illinoisBaptist vimeo.com/IBSA

twitter.com/illinoisBaptist facebook.com/illinoisbaptistwomen

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Illinois Baptist

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief

the briefing

Illinois teacher hid LGBTQ club

A teacher at Red Bud High School who hid the existence of a “Gender and Sexualities Alliance” club from parents is no longer employed by the Waterloo School District, according to records obtained

by Christian Post through the Freedom of Information Act. The teacher was faculty advisor for the online group, but allowed the students to name it “Bubbles” to keep parents from learning its purpose. District 132 Superintendent Jonathan Tallman wrote to parents that the teacher is gone now and the club is inactive. “Every parent has the absolute right to know what groups and clubs their child is participating in,” he wrote. “The Administration or Board of Education will not tolerate any deliberate action to hide or keep such information from parents.”

Court orders records unsealed

Details on the Guidepost Solutions probe into sexual abuse allegations against Johnny Hunt may be released soon. A U.S. District Court in Tennessee ordered the investigating firm to release interviews with Hunt’s alleged victim, including audio recordings, a private journal, summary documents, text messages, and interview notes, according to Baptist News Global. Hunt left his position as Vice President at the North American Mission Board when the charges came to light in 2022. The encounter was alleged to have happened in 2010, just after Hunt served as SBC President. Hunt filed a defamation suit against the SBC, the Executive Committee, and Guidepost Solutions in March 2023.

DR rolls out Quick Response Unit A new 20-foot mobile kitchen will put a team of four or five people on the scene of a disaster in most parts of Illinois within 2-4 hours of an event and ready to serve up to 1,000 meals per day. The Quick Response Unit was purchased

by Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) with grants from Home Depot and Baptist Foundation of Illinois (BFI).

“The old-style feeding unit would require up to 30 people to operate and two or three days to transport and set up,” said IBDR State Director Arnold Rammage. This unit lets small teams cook meals like they would serve at home for the DR workers and people in need after a crisis, usually weather-related, in places without the usual services.

“In the training we had recently, our national feeding director said don’t provide anything you wouldn’t eat at home,” Rammage said. So that means no hot dogs or hamburgers, because local donors show up with those. Often on the menu are hearty meals such as Salisbury Steak and Chicken ‘n’ Dumplins.

“We serve a 6-ounce protein, two 4-ounce sides, and dessert at most meals,” Rammage said.

Many state conventions’ Disaster Relief ministries are moving to the smaller kitchen units. This one was manufactured in Texas. IBDR equipped it with a 21 cubic-foot refrigerator, 9 cubic-foot freezer, 6-burner stove and oven, 40-pound fryer, griddle, and all the necessary cleaning equipment.

The QR Unit also has a generator, for situations where electricity has been knocked out. The

Tracking website unfinished

The proposed website for tracking sexual abusers which was promised at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting when messengers accepted the recommendations of the Sexual Abuse Task Force still isn’t completed. At the 2023 Annual Meeting, the Ministry Check site went live with a collection of resources, but not the database which would help churches avoid hiring alleged offenders.

The successor team, the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF), is responsible for finishing the job. Three members resigned in August, including Chair Marshall Blalock.

While acknowledging criticism over the slow work pace, ARITF Chair Josh Wester thanked Southern Baptists and encouraged them to be diligent. “Let’s not grow weary in doing good,” Wester said. “All of us wish we were further along in this process. At the same time, we are years ahead of where so many ever thought we would be in changing the culture of the SBC on sexual abuse.”

—Christian Post, Baptist Press

mobile unit weighs about 9,000 pounds.

“In the callout after the Mayfield, Kentucky tornado two years ago, this type of unit would have been invaluable,” Rammage said, because it is easily transported and set up.

“We had converted an old trailer into a rolloff “quick response” unit where we could grill hamburgers and hot dogs, but to provide a good meal, we needed one of these,” he said.

“We have wanted to have one of these units in Illinois for about three years.”

Home Depot contributed $43,000 toward the $50,000 project, and BFI gave the remainder.

The new QR Unit, delivered in August 2023, is housed at First Baptist Church of Eldorado.

It has been used for a training event and for a missions conference so far. The team is awaiting their first callout.

“Our team is excited,” Rammage said. “We have had a revival in our feeding team as result of acquiring this unit—both in enthusiasm and participation.”

IBDR is part of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, the third-largest relief agency after the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

In Illinois, more than 400 volunteers are trained and awaiting callout for relief work, including feeding units, shower/laundry unit, flood recovery, chainsaw teams, childcare for families working the maze of FEMA applications, and trained chaplains.

—Eric Reed

Churches affected by tornado strikes Cross Creek Baptist Church in Indian Mound, Tennessee was extensively damaged when a wave of tornadoes hit the state December 9. In all, 13 twisters raked across West and Middle Tennessee and Kentucky killing six people.

When one tornado came through Hendersonville, a Nashville suburb, between 600 and 800 people were in the building at First Baptist Church, preparing for the second of what was supposed to be three performances of “Christmas in the Ville,” the church’s annual Christmas production attended by thousands.

“We quickly got them into the sanctuary and asked everybody to get between the pews, under the pews. Just as we did, the tornado went literally on our church property,” said Senior Associate Pastor Bruce Raley.

Several cars in the church

parking lot were crushed by trees, Raley said, but no one was in them. No one on the church campus was injured.

Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief responded to the callout in their state. Damage was reported in 11 counties.

—Baptist Press

January 01, 2024

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The BIG News: What we’re watching in 2024 Likely headline makers in our denomination and the world War and Peace: End time fear rises In February 2023, Alexa predicted that World War 3 would start on November 23. Amazon’s version of “Siri” missed the date apparently, but the heightened concern about the end times is real, first with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict under way now. A survey in March 2022 showed that 87% of U.S. adults were anxious about the constant stream of crises, and 69% feared they were witnessing the beginnings of WW3.

And a 2022 Lifeway Research survey found 39% of U.S. adults and 63% of

evangelical Christians believe we are living in the end times.

For pastors, this means opportunity to preach on fear and eschatology, among other related topics. There is appetite for deeper studies on Daniel, Revelation, and other pertinent Scriptures. This is also a season to explore the church’s relationship to Israel, particularly as antisemitic actions rise, especially among younger people and on college campuses.

And the biblical injunction to pray for the peace of Jerusalem still remains.

The SBC’s own Indy 500 The roar won’t necessarily be from engines at the Indianapolis speedway; it could emanate from the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in downtown June 11-12, 2024. It’s been said before, but this one could be decisive.

Several issues remain open from last year, including the role of women in the church.

While messengers took several actions related to women in pastoral positions, the vote on the Law Amendment limiting the pastoral office to men was only a first reading. A second vote will be required. After objections over a hand vote, it seems more likely that a verifiable paper ballot will be held. And defining the reasons

Search and rescue for dismissing churches from the SBC may be addressed by a study group appointed by SBC President Bart Barber. Another church was disfellowshipped in 2023, this one for racism.

Beyond that, calls for transparency from SBC entities, two in particular, may produce motions for deeper reporting on finances.

And the race for SBC president has already begun, with traditionalist Clint Pressley’s hat in the ring. In the meantime, we wait to see if the Conservative Baptist Network or the Reform-oriented B-21/Nine Marks constituencies will field slates of candidates, after less than successful attempts at the most recent conventions.

The search team responsible for bringing a nominee for SBC Executive Committee President/CEO said they hope to have a candidate by the time of the EC’s Feb. 19 meeting. No one wants to rush them, but after the failure to elect the first nominee Jared Wellman, and the withdrawal of a nominee for interim CEO following the departure of Willie McLaurin, the pressure is on. The EC said their VP Jonathan Howe will remain as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is elected, apparently ending internal debate about replacing Howe with a third interim in two years.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on EC efforts to stem the hemorrhaging of money, to settle questions arising from legal responsibilities related to abuse claims, and the still open Department of Justice investigation.

FOR SALE? — Executive Committee’s Nashville headquarters may be on the block as trustees try to make up for a $12 million loss over two years, related at least partly to sex abuse legal fees.

Election jitters in small group discussions The 2024 election looks a lot like 2020, so far, and 2016 before that.

In some churches, that’s not an issue, as many people are of the same mind politically, or their church doesn’t discuss politics. In other churches, political discussions outside the pulpit can be a minefield. A 2023 Duke University survey found that 74% of evangelical clergy said their political views

were in line with the majority of their congregation. The problem is more likely whether members can disagree agreeably and respectfully. While mainliners debate social justice issues, “Evangelicals are thinking about the community and how to preserve the community, which are traditionally conservative notions,” political scientist Paul Djupe said.

‘10 minutes from Normal’: We’re almost there The conductor’s announcement on the central Illinois Amtrak line describes life three years after the Covid outbreak. While 100% of U.S. churches had returned to live worship services by August 2023 according to Lifeway Research, only 89% of church goers were back in their seats. Enough with the “new

normal” claims after Covid, this is simply “normal.” Smaller churches rebounded quicker than larger ones, as 58% of churches with 50 or less in attendance are now at or above their pre-Covid numbers. Now it’s up to church leaders to determine how to adjust to their new sizes and budgets.

— by Eric Reed, with info from Lifeway Research, Newsweek, Washington Post

6 IBSA.org Ethics & religious Liberty Commission

Pending legislation of interest to Baptists On behalf of Southern Baptists, the ERLC, led by Brent Leatherwood, is in contact with national lawmakers on new laws and policy changes affecting religious freedoms, prolife issues, and family life. Here are a few of the pending actions they are watching in 2024.

Women’s Health Protection Act—This legislation would remove all restrictions on abortion and allow full-term abortions.

States would not be allowed to limit abortion. The bill has not come up for a vote.

The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act— This bill has not been brought up for a vote because of concerns by some legislators that they would be labeled “extreme.” The bill would codify the Hyde Amendment which is voted on when lawmakers think they have the backing to pass it.

The AHM v. FDA Abortion Pill Case—The next round of this case is pending in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Fifth Circuit ruled that while approval of the chemical abortion drug should stand, safety LEATHERWOOD precautions which would reduce its availability need to be reinstated.

Half of all abortions are chemical; 1-in-5 women who use the abortion pill experience complications.

Assisted suicide in California—A pending case would provide disabled people resources on ending their lives, while a healthy person sharing suicidal thoughts with a doctor would be offered suicide prevention care. The assisted suicide law says to deny the disabled person access to suicide resources would be discrimination.

Gender transition legislation—ERLC is watching multiple bills affecting funding for gender altering surgeries, pronoun usage requirements in schools and workplaces, sex segregation in prisons to protect women, and parents’ rights to their children’s gender issues in school.

RFRA “carve outs”—A growing trend is passage of legislation that says the Religious Freedom Restoration Act simply doesn’t apply in certain new laws. Care for migrants is just one example. Both parties are using the tactic, ERLC reports.

Illinois Baptist

ERLC places second ultrasound in Illinois Shelbyville | Through its Psalm 139 Project, the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) placed an ultrasound machine at a prolife pregnancy resource center in Shelbyville in November.

Family Life Center has locations in Effingham and Newton, and recently opened the Shelbyville center. Many of its volunteer workers are members of New Hope Church, an IBSA congregation.

Psalm 139 Project Director Rachel Wiles, who is also ERLC deputy chief of staff, spoke at the IBSA Annual Meeting prior to the dedication.

“Abortion clinics closed in Tennessee,” the Nashville resident said at the dedication. “But then today I was in Marion, Illinois, and I drove down the road to Carbondale because I wanted to see where the abortion facility in Memphis moved to… I know that you guys are surrounded (by abortion facilities) in Illinois.

“We want to come alongside you, and to place (ultrasound) machines in what we’re calling abortion destination states. So we have placed one here and one in Freeport, Illinois this year,” Wiles said.

Research has shown that women are much more likely to continue their pregnancy if they are offered the option to view their baby’s ultrasound image in a supportive pregnancy center.

Psalm 139 Project raises money to provide ultrasound equipment and training to pregnancy resource centers. Wiles told messengers at the

IBSA gathering in Marion that 100% of money donated toward the project goes to funding these ultrasound placements and subsequent trainings.

The project funded two to three machine placements per year, until December 2020, when the ERLC set a goal to place 50 ultrasound machines in pregnancy centers by January 2023.

As a result, more than 85 ultrasound machines have been placed to date. There were 12 machines placed in 2023, including the first joint placement with the International Mission Board (IMB) in Southeast Asia.

—IB staff with additional information from Baptist Press

DEDICATION — Standing with the new ultrasound machine are Psalm 139 Project Director Rachel Wiles, LPN Carla Richardson, ERLC Trustee Scott Foshie, Family Life Center Executive Director Mary Hovis, RN Kim Travis, and Center Director Dawn Adrian.

Transformation must start with churches Downtown Nashville was decked an Illinoisan I may get numb to the reporter’s out for Christmas and as busy as culture. Friends, it’s a different world ever when I arrived last month for a when you step outside the confines of notebook meeting of state ethics leaders hosted Illinois. by the Ethics and Religious Liberty I remembered in June, at the oneCommission (ERLC). Its offices are in the year anniversary of the Roe v. Wade reversal, Southern Baptist Convention Building which sits ERLC President Brent Leatherwood said, “A new just a few blocks away from the historic Ryman and vibrant culture of life is being established in Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry, along our nation after decades of death caused by Roe with several churches, barbecue joints, and v. Wade.” However, he pointed out, Illinois was honky-tonks. It seemed fitting to me that the one of the states that “have tragically chosen to SBC’s agency that deals with ethics, religious go in the opposite direction.” freedom, and the culture we live in today would Several of the other state ethics leaders I be situated so near the epicenter of what some met are working with their churches and state have nicknamed Nash Vegas. legislatures to prevent many of the pro-abortion I was grateful to be there and for the opportuand other laws we’ve seen passed in Illinois nity to hear from my counterparts from around from happening to them. They see our state as a the country. Leaders in the southern states have cautionary tale. an advantage over us in Illinois: more churches I remembered another interview with Leathmean larger budgets, while pro-life populations erwood, that appeared in the January 2023 mean friendlier state laws. The voters in those issue of the Illinois Baptist. He stated, “It’s states also hold to more biblically aligned values [the abortion battle] now going to be focused regarding the transgender debate resulting in at the state capital level and in our backyards standards in schools, churches, and workplaces. and neighborhoods where it is incumbent upon We heard reports about the work your ERLC Baptists and our fellow Christians to be carrying is doing on behalf of Southern Baptists. It’s forth a message about life and human dignity.” amazing what a staff of just 11 people can accom- His statement couldn’t have been more true. plish when their hearts are in their ministry. In As Illinois Baptists we must pull together Washington, D.C. they’re working to pass the in prayer and in ways we never have before to Born Alive Survivors Protection Act so newborns prioritize and value human life at all ages and that survive abortions won’t be left to die. And stages. But if we want to see this happen across ERLC is supporting heartbeat laws so states our state, it must first start with where abortion is legal can incrementally work us in our churches. towards a day when abortion is no more.

When I shared about issues and laws in Lisa Misner is social media Illinois, it was hard not to notice the expresand public policy manager for sions on some of my counterparts’ faces. Our IBSA and contributing editor pro-abortion and gender disfiguring laws are the to the Illinois Baptist. stuff of nightmares to Baptists in other states. As

January 01, 2024

IBSA.org

IN FOCUS Welcome home These Illinois families see foster care as a ministry

BY LISA MISNER

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Sanctity of Life Sunday, January 21, 2024 January is Sanctity of Human Life Month. Traditionally this is the time when Southern Baptists focus on abortion prevention, but pro-life concerns span a variety of issues, including foster care, a temporary solution for children who may be returned to their homes or who are awaiting adoption.

f one family in every four churches would foster, then there would be no more kids in foster care in Illinois.”

That’s the quote Corey Johnston, lead pastor at Heights Community Church in Collinsville, and his wife, Andrea, heard five years ago that inspired them to become foster parents.

The couple applied to become licensed foster parents and “started praying that maybe four other families would respond.” Today, the pastor said, “We have more than 20 families who are fostering and adopting 30 kids.”

As a result, it’s “really changed the whole culture of our family and our church.”

The number Johnston heard is a rough estimate, but the statistic helps put the need into perspective.

For the month of November 2023, there were 19,849 children and teens in foster care in Illinois. Multiple races are represented with the largest being white (11,306) followed by black/ African American (8,362). There were slightly more males (10,033) than females (9,816) reported.

“We’re always looking for foster parents,” Heather Tarczan, Director of Communications at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) told the Illinois Baptist. She couldn’t site a number, since the list fluctuates, but “there is always an opportunity for a child to go into a loving home,” Tarczan said. “We’re always recruiting for foster parents.”

Prospective foster parents must undergo background checks, including police, criminal, and sexual offender registries, along with finger printing. She describes the process as “deliberate and cautious, we don’t want to rush it for obvious reasons.” The entire process can take 6-12 months.

Tarczan calls fostering a “very rewarding experience. It is perfect for someone with the ability to love and be loved; an opportunity to give a child an experience unlike any other.”

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Continued from page 7 A huge ministry for Christians Mike and Deb Robertson are members of Rochester First Baptist Church. They have been foster parents with the state of Illinois for 30 years and were first licensed when their two children were young. After taking a break, when the couple became empty nesters, Deb said they felt the call again.

“It’s extremely important people understand that Christians step up,” she said. “People don’t realize it’s a huge ministry for Christians.”

She’s heard people say they couldn’t foster, that it would be too hard to say goodbye and let the kids go, but Robertson takes a different view as a retiree. “We’ve raised our family and are not looking to raise another one.” That’s not to say it isn’t hard letting them go. Sometimes the couple will have to send a child on to a family that shares a different set of beliefs. “I’ve had to learn that I just have to turn it over [to God],” she said. “My goal is to do the best I can for them while I’ve got them. That’s all I’ve got control of.”

Placements can be for undetermined lengths of time. “We’ve had kids placed with us for as little as 48 hours and as long as three years,” said Robertson, who is also an Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) childcare volunteer. “They travel with us, when we go, they go.”

The need is great Tarczan said the need is great to find foster homes for children of all ages. “They range at any point in time from newborn up to teenage years.” However, she acknowledged, “Teenagers are in general a little more challenging because they’re tougher to manage in terms of their teenage makeup.”

The preference is always to keep siblings together, but it can be harder to find homes for siblings.

“We have thousands of foster homes in the state, but unfortunately we have thousands of children needing loving foster parents,” noted Tarczan.

Many of the 30 children the Robertsons have fostered have been developmentally delayed. They work hard to advocate for them and to get them caught up both mentally and physically.

Robertson told of one young girl who came to them at 15 months old, diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, a chromosomal disorder, and verbal

and oral dyspraxia. The doctors had not given her much hope. “We got her glasses and early intervention. That child is now an adult, and a mother with a full life. She’s gone above and beyond.”

The girl left their care at age two and half and then her adoptive parents took over where the Robertsons left off.

“The kids usually have a lot of emotional issues and baggage, Robertson said, “even babies if they’ve come out of a domestic violence situation. It can be a challenge but it’s a very rewarding ministry.”

A biblical calling For Johnston, fostering and adoption are a biblical calling. “Ephesians 2 tells me that I was once the orphan that God brought into his family,” the pastor said. “We were the alienated and the vulnerable.

At the expense of his Son, God adopted us into his family.”

For Johnston, the “reality is that I’m no different than a kid that’s been left alone.” He told about their adopted son, the first foster child they took in five years ago who was just eight days old, weighing barely five pounds, born addicted to opioids. The couple adopted him when he was two. Johnston and his wife, a neo-natal nurse practitioner, also have two biological children, and another foster child.

His own testimony is one experienced by many of the kids who find themselves in foster care.

Johnston was raised by addicts, his father dying from a cocaine overdose when Johnston was seven.

He had several stepfathers, and his mother was in and out of rehab to avoid going to jail before her own death. Johnston described being addicted himself and selling drugs by the time he reached high school. The better times in his life were when he was with his grandparents. It wasn’t until after college at 23 that he came to Christ, and God called him into ministry.

Johnston said it’s been a joy to see his children learn, by being foster siblings, to “actually believe the gospel for themselves and not just because their daddy told them to. They have to learn how to sacrifice time with parents.”

But Johnston says even while fostering is “hard, laborious, and takes a lot out of you, it’s really rewarding.”

Becoming a foster parent “Foster parents must be at least 21 years old and can be married, in a civil union, single, divorced or separated,” according to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

For more information and an online listing of that includes photos with descriptions of children in need of families, visit https://dcfs. illinois.gov/loving-homes/fostercare.html.

Jordan Bird is the Executive Director and Director of Church Partnerships at Restore Network.

He pastored at Journey Church SI (Southern Illinois) until December, when he left to devote his full energies to the network. The organization partners with local churches to recruit foster parents while advocating for a better foster care system.

“There is a vast, huge need,” Bird said. “The state is struggling to meet this need, (but) they’re overwhelmed with the number of kids that needs homes.”

While 50% of foster families who work with state quit in the first year, only 10% who have help from Restore Network quit. “The difference we make is to train, recruit, and support with better quality training and resources that other families don’t have…. Because we’re privately funded, we can respond like we think Christ would creatively and quickly,” he said.

When Bird’s family took in its first foster child, a five-day-old newborn, “By the time we said yes, Restore had responded already with a crib, diapers, wipes, and pizza.”

Bird believes it’s important for the pro-life community to take a holistic approach and join the fostering network. “People who want to see babies being born aren’t showing up for the ones who have been born.”

A woman who volunteered as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer told him about spending a day with five siblings while a DCFS caseworker tried to find a home that would take all five of them together. Near the end of the day, the exasperated caseworker asked the woman, “Is there not anyone in your church who can take them?”

It broke the CASA volunteer’s heart to say, no.

Bird describes foster care as a ministry of reconciliation. The children have been removed from their homes through no fault of their own. “They need someone who will look after them for a season while their parents get help. If that’s not possible, then they need families who will love them for a lifetime.”

Bird said confidently, “If the church stepped up to meet this need, we could be the answer to this struggle.”

Prospective foster families are required to: Participate in a home inspection and social assessment.

Complete 27 hours of training focused on foster care and the needs of children who are in foster care.

Complete a criminal background check of all household members.

Be financially stable.

Complete a health screening that includes verification that immunizations are up to date.

January 01, 2024

IBSA.org

Key stats about fostering and adoption With nearly 450,000 children in foster care in the U.S., over 100,000 of those children are waiting to be adopted.

It is not uncommon for children to wait two or more years to be adopted once becoming adoption-eligible, with over 20% of children waiting five or more years; some children never get adopted before reaching adulthood.

The average age of children waiting to be adopted is eight, and the older the child, the less likely they are to be adopted.

illinois voices

Adopted for identity When it comes down to it, we’re all adopted. Thankfully.

On December 29, 2016, when he was 2 years, 10 months, and 22 days old, Gloria and I legally adopted Jasceon Watson. That day, we commemorated his new identity with his new name, Jabez Jasceon Watson Yi. The very next morning felt like so many mornings past. “Jay” hopped up on his bathroom stepstool, and we stood together in front of the bathroom mirror. I was spreading his toothpaste onto his toothbrush when I looked up and caught his eyes gazing into mine through the mirror.

Quite matter-of-factly, Jabez declared, “Dad, you’re my dad!”

My quivering voice squeaked, “Yes, Jay. And you’re my son.”

Priority for sibling group adoption is offered for those willing to open their families to more than one child at a time; there is a great need for adoptive homes for large sibling groups in foster care.

Up to 75% of all adoptions in the U.S. this year were “open adoptions,” which allows for specific conversations, visits, and relationships to be maintained between adoptive families and biological families.

The majority of children in foster care have “return home” case plans. That means that the end goal of their time in foster care is to return back home to a biological parent once it is determined that the home is safe. In order to preserve families, adoption is only determined as the best option once a “return home” plan is not possible.

—from SOSIllinois.org

Statistics on page 8 from TheRestoreNetwork.org.

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In the Scriptures, we observe at least several examples of adoption.

Although she would have been well aware of her father’s royal death sentence condemning all Hebrew male infants, the Pharoah’s daughter adopted Moses as her own son.

“Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she had no father or mother… When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter” (Esther 2:7).

Samuel was probably just a toddler when his mother, Hannah, surrendered him to the Lord in Shiloh by placing him in the care of Eli, the High Priest. Although he had sons of his own, Eli raised Samuel who becames the Lord’s prophet and judge.

With both his father and grandfather dead, Mephibosheth probably possessed little more than the protection and care of his guardian, Machir. That is until David sought him out.

David adopted a grown Mephibosheth into his household, as he “ate at the king’s table like one of the king’s sons.”

Joseph planned to wed Mary. Mary became pregnant. The problem was bigger than he could have imagined: the baby wasn’t his son, but God’s! Still, Joseph adopted, raised, and protected Jesus. How do we know Joseph treated Jesus as his own son? When the boy, Jesus, was found in the temple after days of separation from his family, Mary exclaimed, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

In numerous places, the Apostle Paul, speaks to what is the most significant adoption story of all. God’s adoption of you and me.

Consider Romans 8:15 and 23, Galatians 4:4-6, and Ephesians 1:4-6. Paul gives a sober reminder to the Ephesian church. It was a church consisting of both Jews and Gentiles— peoples who formerly shared a dividing wall of hostility. The first held claim to an ancient birthright, a covenant. The second had no claim at all. They “were dead in [their] trespasses and sin…,” “walked according to the ways of this world… according to the ruler…working in the disobedient…,” “by nature children under wrath…,” “Gentiles,” “uncircumcised,” “without Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel, and foreigners to the covenant of promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:1-3, 11-12).

As Gentiles, without Jesus, we too had an identity; it just wasn’t one we would want. We were “by nature children under wrath.”

“But God… rich in mercy… great love… made us alive by Christ…raised us up… and seated us in the heavens in Christ Jesus.”

“But now in Christ Jesus, [those] who were far away have been brought near… so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father… no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:4-5, 13, 17-19) Did you get that? In Christ, the stranger has been united to the child with the covenant.

Despite our former identity, in Jesus, we have access to the same Father. The two who shared hostility to each other, now have peace together in Christ as members of the Father’s family. By the unmerited favor of God in Christ, we have been adopted into a new identity, new rights, and new benefits.

Jabez Jasceon Watson Yi doesn’t have Daddy’s genes (or Mommy’s), but he knows his identity.

He knows his father and whose child he is. How? He is loved by his daddy, and he loves his daddy right back. Jabez is so steeped in his seemingly unnatural identity that he very naturally indulges in all the rights and privileges of being a member of the Yi family. The heavenly Father has offered to each of us an unnatural birth—a supernatural rebirth—into his household through faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God who has bestowed on us all the rights and privileges of daughter- and sonship!

“But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

John Yi is a church planter catalyst serving with IBSA and NAMB in Chicagoland. He is the father of two and with his wife, Gloria, has fostered a dozen children.

10 IBSA.org

news makers

Illinois Baptist

Q&A with Kevin Carrothers of BCHFS

A lot has happened in a year. The Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services’ Board of Trustees brought a candidate for Executive Director in November 2022, and he was elected unanimously. After a lengthy search, the new leader proved to be a familiar face to Baptists in Illinois. The Associational Mission Strategist for Salem South Baptist Association had served as pastor of Rochester First Baptist Church. He was known for his work in the state convention, serving on committees, as vice president, and two terms as president of the Illinois Baptist State Association. And before all that, he was an attorney. His experience in law would be helpful.

Illinois Baptist: I know it’s been a

learning year. You talked about having people in new positions and clarifying the goals of BCHFS. What is your perception of it all?

Carrothers: Well, I would say I have grown, number one, in just a greater appreciation for the staff who carry out the ministry through our five programs, their commitment, their devotion, their compassion, and their expertise in the areas in which they work.

When you’re a pastor or as the AMS, you have occasional interaction. You know, you’re always getting people at their best. But the day in, day out grind is a little different as you observe people. But that passion is consistent.

Then secondly, the diversity of our programs. Caring for the unborn, caring for prospective mothers, dealing with people that are looking to adopt, helping troubled teens and families reconcile. And then to think about the whole spectrum of people that come to our counselors and are dealing with so many different issues, whether it’s depression or marital strife or family strife, all those things. It’s a testimony to those who’ve walked ahead of me that had the foresight to move ahead in those programs; now being entrusted with that responsibility.

The conversations that we have in our leadership meetings are focused on mission. We’re focused on the vision about who we are, what we do, and where we’re going. It’s important for us not only as the staff, but to be able to clearly communicate that to our churches and to our donors as we serve them.

Q: At the IBSA annual meeting, you used

a phrase that intrigued me. You said, “The children’s home is not an orphanage.

It hasn’t been since 1940.” Why is that significant?

A: Well, the word orphanage conveys a particular meaning, right. It means children who essentially have no guardian, no mother or father, and there’s nobody left to care for them.

And certainly in the creation of the Children’s Home in 1918, with the

The challenges of the pandemic meant there were open positions and a decline in residents at the Carmi campus. Yet the need for counseling services was growing, as was the opportunity for GraceHaven Pregnancy Resource Clinic, BCHFS’ newest ministry, since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Many states were limiting or ending abortion—except Illinois.

For Kevin Carrothers, now one year on the job, it has been a busy and productive season, but the challenge in this cultural and economic environment grows. As does his hope. He talked with Illinois Baptist editor Eric Reed.

Spanish Flu and World War I occurring, there was a need.

By the 1940s, even the state of Illinois changed their vernacular about orphans. It was no longer parentless children or teenagers who were coming to the organization. It was teens who were having trouble at home and needed care.

Today we have a boys’ cottage and we have a girls’ cottage in operation, and we are licensed for four. We have about a dozen residents. They often are here for a few months or a year.

Maybe a school year.

since the pandemic, has grown exponentially. We will have served almost 1,000 clients this year. Pathways Counseling is by far the program that reaches the most people.

We are always looking for counselors who align with our statement of faith (Baptist Faith & Message) who would be willing to work with us and provide those services. We have ten or so churches around the state that would like to have a counselor.

But that’s where we need the help of churches, to find those counselors to contract with us.

Q: And the goal is to get the residents

Q: How do we encourage our churches

back to their homes.

A: Yes, restoration with families is always the goal. The residential care program focuses both with the resident but also the family members at home, because there are changes that have to be made there as well for effective restoration to take place.

In 2024, the diversity of our programs is much different than just the focus on residential care that the agency had in the early years—with the residential campus in Carmi, Angel’s Cove Maternity Home, GraceHaven Pregnancy Resource Clinic, Faith Adoptions, and Pathways Counseling in 11 locations across Illinois and online.

Q: What would you say are your fron-

tier ministries, those areas where you see BCHFS having more impact going forward?

A: Well, I would say every one of our five programs has impact going forward. Obviously GraceHaven, our pregnancy resource clinic is our newest ministry. I find there are parallels between the creation of Baptist Children’s Home in 1918 and then Grace Haven in 2020. The pandemic in both cases was providential. I think that particular ministry is ripe for partnership with like-minded agencies around the state.

Q: Your annual report talked about the

recent achievements of Pathways Counseling service.

A: Yes, the number of people seeing counselors these days, especially

and ourselves to engage more fully in those places where there are more abortion clinics, and where the landscape has changed?

A: Well, I think for our churches to really become engaged, it comes down to answering the question about human life and human value.

Life that begins at conception looks a lot different from life, say, at age 90, doesn’t it? But that person at age 90 was the same person who was conceived and is in that embryo. He’s just in a different stage of development.

If we can understand that truth in that context, then I think the value of human life becomes self-evident. I think if we can understand that truth in the church, we might be more apt to defend life.

Q: What about the pastor who is con-

cerned about stirring up a debate?

A: Yes. So sanctity of life begins in the pulpit. Looking back, I’m better informed today because there are more resources, and I’ve engaged the conversation more in recent years than I did early on in my pastorate.

Our recent speaker at our GraceHaven fundraiser dinner has written a book called The Case for Life. Scott Klusendorf speaks about how we can equip Christians to engage the culture, specifically pastors equipping their church members.

Fear number one is the fear of distraction. Won’t addressing abortion distract the church from the gospel?

That’s a valid concern. But recog-

nizing abortion is sin, then we have to point people to the gospel, to the forgiveness of God, the redemption of God.

Q: The Roe reversal has meant calls for

the church to respond differently—especially in care for pregnant women and for adoptions.

A: Our Faith Adoptions program has a statewide reach. In 2024 we’re looking for couples, preferably in our Baptist church family, our IBSA family, that are looking to adopt. And we do home studies from Chicago all the way south to Metropolis.

We have good relationships with DCFS, and they make us aware of birth moms who are ready to adopt.

Our counselors will go to the hospitals and meet with those birth moms and are often there at delivery. That’s why we need adoptive couples. We need families who are ready to adopt.

Q: Illinois is one of the most liberal states

in terms of abortion, which means among the least favorable in terms of the sanctity of—and preservation of—life. In this environment, how do you hold onto hope?

A: There’s a verse that I preached when I was IBSA President, Jeremiah 29:7: “So pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”

We know about the vast amount of lostness in the state of Illinois, and we could focus on the darkness, the despair that surrounds us, as God’s people did when they were in Babylon. They felt out of their element.

They felt alienated. They were in a culture that was dark. They had all these beliefs and other gods, but rejected the one true God. But I see parallels to our culture.

We have the good news, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be well received. But we can ask the Lord to help us make our towns, our communities, our state, a better place despite the darkness. We just need to shine right where we live.

Learn more about the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services at BCHFS.com

January 01, 2024

IBSA.org

MISSION 33 local associations serve Illinois Baptist Churches

Resurging

Exploring the future of local associations of Baptist churches

“L

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have full-time Associational Mission Strategists

have part-time or bivocational AMS’s

have moderators or volunteer leaders

ocal Baptist Associations are alive and well!” Ray Gentry declared at a regional meeting of Midwest leaders in Springfield. The question of the health of local networks of Baptist churches was legitimate, given the challenges faced by all kinds of churches and networks in the previous decade.

At the same time, Gentry warned, “Too many associations are living as if it’s a Blockbuster world, but we’re living in a Netflix world.” Gentry heads the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders which organized the regional conference.

“For some associations, it takes six months to make a decision. But we need teams that can move quickly, so we can be serving our mission fields better,” Gentry said.

He told leaders of local church networks, “Do you have a mission, a vision, and ministries worthy of your churches’ participation and their money?

Ask yourself that question, ask your leadership that question.”

In some states, associations have shifted from full-time paid leadership to part-time or volunteer leadership in response to economic declines and shifts in funding streams. The challenge was complicated by the pandemic, which for networks of all kinds made plain the need to narrow their purpose and clarify their goals.

Some associations have merged, finding strength in numbers. The limitations of geography that once brought churches into missional partnership are overcome by easier transportation and the information superhighway. The Thirty Mile Zone that once limited partnership and relationship doesn’t control us anymore. So local associations of churches are revisiting the missions and theology that brought them together in the first place.

“Why does our association exist?” is a common question today. The Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA) is working with 15 of its 33 local associations in revitalization projects to bring new focus to their work.

The answers are as broad and varied as the associations themselves. In Southern states with the oldest and largest networks, local associations are still relatively strong, and they can fund a great variety of missions and ministries that often mirror the work of their state convention.

But outside the deep south, local associations are tending to coalesce around a few goals, mostly related to church planting and evangelism through their congregations.

The following article by David Roach features an association on the northern Illinois border. Its story is typical of local networks in the Midwest.

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Illinois Baptist

Resurging: Local church networks say they’re coming back Southern Wisconsin has seen God move over the past 18 years. In 2005, the Southern Wisconsin Baptist Association, headquartered in Madison, had 13 churches. Today it has 36, thanks to church planting and new affiliations.

Partnerships and trust were key ingredients in the associational resurgence. Director of Missions Mark Millman also serves as a church planting catalyst with the North American Mission Board (NAMB), forging strong ties between the association and the SBC. Partnerships with other associations across the nation yield prayer support, ministry volunteers and resources for Southern Wisconsin Baptists. Those partnerships include associations in Texas, Ohio, and Georgia. As a result, lives are being changed in Wisconsin churches.

The Southern Wisconsin Association illustrates a larger trend, according to Millman.

“I’m around enough people to know, and I feel like there’s an upward trend” among Southern Baptist associations, Millman said. “I really have seen associations thrive across the country.”

Twenty years ago, the relevance of associations was not a given. Several associational leaders told Baptist Press they recall meetings where national SBC leaders predicted the demise of associations. Skepticism toward associations lingered into the 2010s, indicated by a 2017 study that found “nothing” was the most common answer when Baptist leaders were asked to describe the most exciting aspect of their local Baptist association.

Finances can be a challenge for associations as well. In Alabama, for example, churches’ reported gifts to local Baptist associations declined 29% over 20 years—from $13.9 million in

When Abe turned 21, the first local Baptist association was formed in Illinois The oldest association of Baptist churches in Illinois is Kaskaskia Baptist Association founded in 1830, followed by Clear Creek in 1831 and Westfield in 1833. The newest is Gateway Baptist Association, the merger of Madison County and Alton Industrial Associations, in 2003.

2002 to $9.9 million in 2022.

“Off and on through the last 20 years or more, people have said there are three levels of cooperation in SBC life—association, state, and national— and that at some point in the future there may not be three. There may only be two,” said Ray Gentry, president of the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders (SBCAL). “The two were going to be the state convention and the national.”

But the predictions of associations’ demise have not materialized. One encouraging sign is the growth of SBCAL, a professional cohort of associational mission strategists.

Today’s SBCAL membership is the largest at any time since the group’s inception in 1960. More than 570 associational leaders are members out of approximately 1,100 associations.

They meet for an annual conference preceding each year’s SBC Annual Meeting. They also produce resources and webinars and host ongoing ministry cohorts to help associational leaders refine their skills.

Gentry thinks he knows why associational cooperation is making a

comeback. For one, God is using SBCAL resources “to really raise the bar of what is an effective associational leader.” A benchmark resource was the conference’s 2020 book, edited by Gentry, The Baptist Association: Assisting Churches, Advancing the Gospel. The book built on a 2018 study of associations’ work in SBC life, which identified 17 competencies of effective associational leaders.

“Many changes have taken place in associational missions in recent years,” said Steve Laughman, Associational Mission Strategist for the Centennial Baptist Association in Thomaston, Ga. “Associations and associational leaders who are not willing to change will find themselves hurting and ineffective. But those who have embraced what SBCAL has found to be the essentials—the 17 proficiencies of an effective associational leader—have adapted and are generally thriving because they are serving their churches well.”

Another factor in the comeback of associations is that they foster trust among Baptists in an era when it can be in short supply. Social media re-

Local associations are supported directly by their member churches. They do not receive Cooperative Program money directly, although IBSA provides assistance with local missions and leadership training, in partnership with local associations of churches.

The largest is Chicago Metropolitan Baptist Association with 110 churches.

Founded in 1957, when the SBC met in Chicago for the second time in that decade, today CMBA is known as Chicagoland Baptists.

flects differences over mission strategies, SBC entity leadership, SBC presidential elections and how the Convention should respond to sexual abuse. Yet people on opposite sides of those issues find themselves talking and cooperating in local associations.

“Pastors in an association may have disagreements on national convention issues,” Gentry said. “Yet they know each other and they love each other locally, so it really causes, in most cases, pastors and churches in the local association to work together well and to bridge those divides that seem to be on the national level.”

Bob Bumgarner, lead missional strategist for First Coast Churches, the Baptist association in Jacksonville, Florida, agrees. The personal relationships in an association draw in churches and pastors, he said.

“In an environment of declining trust and skepticism about institutions,” Bumgarner said, “there really is something magnetic about being able to pick up the phone and call someone who will answer the phone, know your name and situation and empathetically listen to you, and then practically offer assistance through the network.”

Back in Wisconsin, Millman thinks a resurgence of associations may be the key to spiritual renewal across the SBC. He notices the shift in attitude toward associations, and he has seen it pay dividends.

Associations are biblical, Millman said. “Two are better than one. A three-corded strand is not quickly broken. I’ve experienced it for 18 years” as an associational leader. “Even when I was a staff member for the 12 years I worked in churches, my go-to guy was always the association guy. I always felt like he had the most perspective and the best voice in my life.”

—David Roach for Baptist Press

21 local Baptist associations existed by the time of the formation of the state convention in 1908, which messengers named the Illinois Baptist State Association. IBSA is the only “state association” among the 42 Southern Baptist state conventions.

January 01, 2024

IBSA.org

13

GROWING MEET THE TEAM

Michael Awbrey IBSA Leadership Director

Hometown: Longview, Texas Family deets: My wife, Victoria, and I have three children.

Higher ed: BA in Religious Studies, East Texas Baptist University; Master of Divinity, Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary Previous ministry: Associate Pastor for Family Discipleship at Tremont Baptist Church At my baptism service: My great grandfather, who planted churches in Louisiana and Texas before it was called church planting, preached his last sermon before he passed.

Life verse: Philippians 3:13-14.

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

table talk

Mission-less churches?

Neglecting our assignment comes at a high price

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it …”

You know what happens next in the movies. The secret agent accepts the challenging mission, defeats the sinister nemesis, saves the planet, and sets up the sequel.

But what if the agent declines the mission? Neglecting the mission would lead to devastating consequences in the movie plot. Defeating the nemesis, saving the planet, and promoting the upcoming sequel all begins with accepting the mission. More than a single statement or slogan, the mission clearly defines what is to be accomplished.

Jesus assigned the mission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:1920a, CSB). The church’s mission is clear and unquestionable: Make disciples of all nations.

What are the consequences for a church that neglects its mission?

1. Idolatry Exodus 32 illustrates the dangers of God’s people neglecting the mission. God delivered his people from bondage for the purpose of worshiping him in the wilderness (Exodus 7:16). As Moses was on the mountain with God, Moses delayed. The people of God demanded the creation of a visible idol, a golden calf, to worship.

They worship a created image rather than honoring the One who created them in his image.

While the church patiently awaits Christ’s return, the temptation is to reject Christ’s mission in exchange for quick solutions.

Numerical statistics, building projects, and live stream views can be helpful resources in discipleship.

Still, they become idols when they replace the mission. Christ’s mission for the church leads to God’s glory, not the church’s.

2. Imitation After the idol’s creation, Exodus 32:6a says, “Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings” (CSB). God’s people knew what to do and say. They were going through the motions, imitating religious duties rather than joyful praise.

A mission-less church will go through the motions. They know which songs to sing, where to sit, and who will be in attendance.

Imitating religious efforts leads to empty worship. However, God designed his church for more than going through the motions. The church received a grand mission worthy of persistent dependence upon the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

3. Inward focus A mission-less church turns inward. Exodus 32:6b says, “The people sat down to eat and drink,

Favorite Bible person: Timothy, a model for a mentoring relationship.

Hobby: Scouting with my son.

Fave Illinois discovery: Starved Rock. (There’s more than cornfields here!)

Author: C. S. Lewis. His works were key in my call to ministry and continue to have impact.

Flix: The Star Wars universe Podcast: “What Happened at First Baptist?” by Heath Lambert is full of wisdom and insight.

Pets: Two cats named Rocket and Charm.

“Gossip is a serious problem in our church...

At least that’s what I heard from Doris.”

and got up to party” (CSB). God’s people forgot about their redemption from Egypt. They put the deliverance from the Red Sea behind them, focusing on pleasing themselves rather than pleasing God. Worshiping God was far from their hearts, as selfish desires consumed their minds.

The mission to make disciples of all nations reflects God’s heart for the nations. God sent his Son to redeem the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

All are invited to surrender their life in obedience to the mission.

However, when the church forgets Christ’s mission, they disregard God’s missional heart. That leads us to focus our attention inward.

Solutions for mission drift Churches must guard against idolatry by pursuing the glory of God. Success for the local church is not attained by being bigger, better, and brighter than other churches.

Christ’s mission gives a clear picture of success—making disciples for the glory of God. Churches guard against religious imitation by imitating Jesus. Discipleship is a commitment to follow the Master. When the local church is committed to following its Master, it will become committed to making disciples of all nations.

Finally, guard against an inward focus by unveiling a vision for the mission. In the Lifeway Research Greatest Needs of Pastors study, 45% say they need to establish a compelling vision for their congregation. While a mission defines what is to be accomplished, a vision illustrates what the mission looks like as God blesses the church’s obedience. The mission is vital for the local church, and a clear vision will aid in bringing clarity to the mission in action.

The church may stray from it, but Christ’s church is never without his mission. His church is not mission-less but missional. Christ’s mission, led by the Holy Spirit, leads to the glory of God. Drake Caudill pastors First Baptist Church of Carmi. Reprinted by permission from Lifeway Research.com.

14 IBSA.org

Illinois Baptist

WELCOME Steve Lyles was called as pastor of Logan Street Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon. He came from 22 years as Executive Pastor in Tyler, Texas. Lyles holds degrees from the University of Georgia, Southwestern Seminary, and Liberty University. He and his wife, Claudia, have two adult sons and a daughter-in-law.

Trevor Pasley is the new lead pastor at West Side Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon. He and his wife, Emily, came from three years at Ellis Mound Baptist Church in Wayne City. Before that Pasley served as Minister of Students at New Bethel in Evansville, Indiana, and East Salem Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon.

The Pasleys, both Wayne City natives, have two children.

Raymond Gregory is the new lead pastor at Cross Church in Carlinville. He started in December. Raymond and his wife, Erin, previously served Calvary Chapel in Anaheim, California. They have three children.

Networking

with the lord

Send Networking items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org Unity Baptist Church seeks senior pastor.

Send resume to Pastor Search Committee, 716 E. 1700 Ave, Vandalia, IL 62471 or email unitysearchcommittee@gmail.com.

Martinsville First Baptist Church seeks a bi-vocational pastor. The church seeks an energetic candidate to work with a motivated congregation to grow programs for all ages. Send resume to MFBCpastorsearch@yahoo.com.

Search more church openings at IBSA.org/pastor-search or scan this code.

IMPORTANT YEAR-END INFORMATION Now is the time to check your records to ensure that gifts given through IBSA have been credited to the proper designations. Any changes or contributions received in our office by 9 a.m. on January 4, 2024, will be included in the 2023 giving. Gifts received after this date will be credited as 2024 giving.

Contact Carole Doom at 217-391-3113 or email at CaroleDoom@IBSA.org if you have questions or need assistance. Thank you.

Mary Frances Cox Hamby, 99, died Sept. 17. She and her husband of 50 years, Leroy Cox, started a student ministry at Illinois State University. They were founding members of the churches that eventually became Vale Church and Journey Church, both in Bloomington. She was active in the East Central Baptist Association and on the committee that secured the location for Streator Baptist Camp. She is survived by four children and their families.

De Abbott, 82, of Peotone died Oct. 4. Born in Peoria, he married Jenny at First Baptist Church of Tinley Park, and worked for General Motors. He served Hillcrest Baptist Church of Country Club Hills as associate pastor for almost 30 years. After retirement he served First Baptist Church of Manteno in a variety of positions, and as associate pastor since 2015. Abbott is survived by his wife of 60 years, two daughters, and their families.

CLASSIFIED AD CLASSIFIED AD FREDERICK BOULEVARD BAPTIST CHURCH in St. Joseph, Mo. seeks a Lead Pastor to join our elders and ministerial staff to contribute with expositional preaching, discipleship leadership, and administration.

More information at frederickboulevard.com/ps.

Your IBSA Ministry Partner

In Paul’s steps…

Athens, Patmos, Corinth, Ephesus Historic sites of the first-century church

Visit Greece with a Cruise April 22-May 1, 2024 Led by Nate and Beth Adams Offered by Believer’s Travel For more information email NateAdams@IBSA.org, phone 217-391-3108, or scan the QR code.

OUR CULTURE IS CHANGING Churches face legal issues all the time, so they need to be prepared. And when an issue arises, churches need trusted counsel.

With over 24 years of service, at all court levels, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has seen the cultural and legal trends clearly shift against the Church.

We can help your church prepare itself for these changes.

Enter code IBSA20 to receive a reduced annual membership of $200, which is 20% off the regular price.

adfchurchalliance.org/partners#ibsa

January 01, 2024

IBSA.org

15

for the pastor

Developing a ‘multiply’ mindset

The pastor’s life isn’t easy.

It helps to share the journey with someone who understands.

Learn more about your network that ministers to those who minister.

IBSA.org/for-the-pastor

To be healthy and thriving, a church needs to be multiplying. When we started Multiply Illinois, the concept was to help churches plant new churches.

But multiplying is about more than just starting churches, it’s about replicating at all levels.

Eventually, the goal is to replicate the church, but it starts with replicating the positive things God has done in our individual lives, as well as those things God has done in the life of our church. If we’re going to be strong, vibrant churches, we need to be multiplying!

Jesus called his disciples to himself and said, “I will make you fishers of men.” His intent wasn’t that they would just make one person a follower of Christ or take one next step. Jesus was starting an ongoing replicating movement. We need to follow Jesus ourselves, but we also need to be making followers of Jesus who will in turn make followers of Jesus, who will make followers of Jesus.

But as that concept moves into the church environment, we need to be multiplying small groups and Sunday school classes that will meet needs and grow people. As we help to mature people, they will reach more people.

This kind of multiplying requires developing more leaders. With more leaders you can multiply services, campuses, and ultimately churches.

As we look at the Book of Acts, that’s the history of a multiplying movement that Jesus set into motion. Our Multiply Illinois regional hubs are designed to help pastors, leaders, and churches accelerate and fan what Jesus started.

Starting in 2024, our Multiply Hubs will bring

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pastors and church leaders together to help create a multiply mindset. We will first offer times of encouragement, inspiration, motivation, and challenge, starting with a joint session with everyone together.

Then second, there will be time for breakouts on various topics related to the key pillars of the church. A multiplying mindset will focus on prayer, evangelism, and maintaining an outward focus.

A third component will gather four to six leaders for transformational groups. They will discuss what they’ve heard, and help each other identify “one thing” they will commit to doing to get this multiply process moving. All too often, we go to conferences and learn great things, but then we do nothing with them when we get home.

In the spirit of iron sharpening iron, other leaders in similar ministry situations can help hold each other accountable. When the Multiply Hub meets again the next quarter, pastors and leaders can share what they did and how it’s going.

Look for the list of Multiply Hubs on page 16. We will have hubs in four regions starting in March.

Pastors, staff, and volunteers in many ministries will be welcome, as will women leaders. In each Hub, we will repeat the process: identify what you’ve learned, ask what God is doing in your life, and say what you’re going to do with it.

Paul Westbrook is Associate Executive Director for IBSA’s Health, Growth, and Mission Teams.

16 IBSA.org

Illinois Baptist

Tracker

BRIGHTER DAY

Signs of our times

Trends from nearby and around the world.

I

t took a harshly worded bumper group I identify most closely with sticker to remind me that my have all the answers. I will remind children can read now. Four them and myself that most positions, years ago, during the last contentious most deeply held beliefs, have a story election cycle, we could blissfully behind them. There are reasons peodrive by all the stickers and campaign ple feel the way they do, and undersigns without giving them a second standing the reasons may be the first thought. Now, though, signs calling step in walking through a contentious out one candidate in favor of another season like Jesus would. raise questions—difficult ones—from Secondly, I will try to keep an the backseat. appropriate perspective on this What does that mean? Why and all future elections. don’t they like them? Do History does not hinge on we like them? what happens in NovemAnd my own internal ber. Even if textbooks questions: Is it really eventually cite this time for another preselection as a mileidential election, for stone for our country, heightened division and we know what it really angry rhetoric and damsignals: four more years, aged relationships? Didn’t or however many, in which MEREDITH FLYNN we just do this? to take small steps toward Whenever the pandemic annivermore humility, more understanding. sary comes around, I find myself askLess self-aggrandizing agendas, more ing what our family has learned over difficult, sacrificial decisions. the last year. Listing the gains helps In short, more opportunities to look me feel like we’ve redeemed the time, more like Christ and less like us. the challenges, somehow. This year, Those are the things, in fewer I’m making a similar list on the eve of words, that I’ll attempt to tell our girls another election cycle. What did we when they ask questions in the car. learn four years ago, eight years ago, We all bring stories to this season, that can guide us through this season and some of them are hard. Jesus with more patience, more grace? would care well for those stories. We Two words come to mind: humility should too. and perspective. To get through this year graciously, I need to first make Meredith Day Flynn is a wife and the decision to address the issues at mother of two living in Springfield. hand with humility. I will aim to tell She writes on the intersection of my children that neither I nor the faith, family, and current culture.

Faith:

Censor the Bible?

A new survey shows the Bible may be in jeopardy in the United Kingdom

Young people aged 18-to-34 were the most likely to agree that even the Bible should be banned, if perceived “hate speech” is not edited out: (23%), followed by 35-to-54 year-olds (17%). Over-55s were least likely to agree (13%).

— Christian Post

23% 18-34

17%

13%

35-54

55+

“We may no longer be a majority Christian population here in Britain. That’s even more reason to protect freedom of speech and belief for all,” said Lois McLatchie of Alliance Defending Freedom UK. “We need a robust defence of religious freedom from those who craft our legislation and we need to educate the ‘be kind’ generation on the truly hateful consequences of censorship before this type of thinking creeps further into reality.”

86%

of U.S. adults say the nation is in moral decline.

14%

blamed “low level of respect for the Bible as a guide for moral development.”

— 2023 State of the Bible survey

EVENTS January 23-25

Midwest Leadership Summit (MLS)

Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield What: Training for over 1,000 leaders from 12 Midwestern states and 9 state conventions Contact: AubreyShelby@IBSA.org Info: MWadvance.org

Multiply Illinois Hub

What: Church planters and interested churches Feb 27-28, Metro East St. Louis March 7, South March 12, East Central March 21, Chicago Contact: PaulWestbrook@IBSA.org Info: IBSA.org/multiply-illinois-hubs

March 17-18

VBS Clinics March 9 & March 23

For more information visit IBSA.org/ministries/children/

Ignite Evangelism Conference Where: Metro St. Louis Area Contact: LisaHarbaugh@IBSA.org Info: IBSA.org/IgniteConference/

March 23 February 24

IBSA Training Event

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield What: Tax Seminar, VBS, more Info: IBSA.org

march 3-10

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering

Where: Your local church What: North American missions offering and Week of Prayer Info: AnnieArmstrong.com

Hispanic Multiply Illinois Hub Where: Chicago, TBA Contact: PaulWestbrook@IBSA.org Info: IBSA.org/multiply-illinois-hubs

April 26-27, 2024 Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield, Il

april 12-13

D-Now Weekend

Where: Streator Baptist Camp Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org Info: IBSA.org/events/d-now-weekend

For more information visit IBSA.org/priority or scan the QR code