Illinois Baptist State Association

Executive Director’ Report

For 2019, the IBSA Board of Directors approved four major goals, along with multiple metrics for each goal:

Praying for God’s guidance and power, and cooperating with associations and other partners, we will strive to truly assist churches as we:

1.Develop Leaders: Effectively engage a growing network of church pastors, staff, planters and other leaders in spiritual, relational development processes, striving for breakthrough growth in leaders that helps transform churches into higher levels of effectiveness.

2.Inspire Cooperation: Effectively communicate and consult with IBSA churches and leaders, continually developing excellent relationships and trustworthy services and processes that strengthen Baptist identity, affinity, and cooperation.

3.Stimulate Church Health and Growth: Effectively train and resource churches in the making, maturing, and multiplication of both disciples and leaders, and in the development of new and improved ministries.

4.Catalyze Evangelistic Church Planting and Missions: Effectively facilitate the movement of evangelistic volunteers from churches to their Acts 1:8 mission fields, and the multiplication of evangelistic, cooperating Baptist churches and pastors throughout Illinois.

The IBSA staff has been pursuing each of these goals and their corresponding metrics, which can be best reported after year-end 2019 Annual Church Profile data is available from churches in January 2020. We are optimistic about improvements in several areas of ministry in 2019, in part because of the 257 IBSA churches that, by the end of 2018, committed to one or more of the Pioneering Spirit commitments to “go new places” in church planting, “engage new people” in evangelism, “make new sacrifices” in cooperative missions giving, and “develop new leaders” to send as pastors, missionaries, or church planters.

By the end of 2019, 17 to 19 new church plants are anticipated (up from 14 in 2018), and about 70 church plants are in some stage of development. In addition, 16 new churches are being recommended for affiliation at the 2019 IBSA Annual Meeting. Baptisms in IBSA churches were up 6.8% in 2018, and we are hopeful that evangelistic and baptism emphases such as “One Grand Month” and “Who’s Your One” may further increase baptisms in 2019.

IBSA continues to see strong growth in its children and student camps, especially at its two camp properties, Lake Sallateeska and Streator Baptist Camps. Participation at IBSA’s nine summer camps this year was up 17% over 2018, the second consecutive year of double-digit growth.

IBSA’s efforts in Leadership Development continue to expand, with over 500 pastors or church leaders participating this year in leadership development events, cohorts, or self-guided resources. The Midwest Leadership Summit, planned by 9 cooperating Midwest Baptist state conventions every three years, was hosted by IBSA in Springfield in both 2015 and 2018. The MLS will again be hosted by IBSA in Springfield in both 2020 and 2022, with the increased frequency being due to the event’s popularity and effectiveness. The January 2019 Illinois Leadership Summit with keynote speaker

Mark Clifton resonated strongly with more than 200 pastors and leaders, and launched an emphasis in church revitalization that continues to shape IBSA’s future strategies and structure.

In order to allocate staff and resources to a new church revitalization ministry, this past summer IBSA eliminated one missions position and one worship and technology position. IBSA will continue to resource these areas of ministry through its Leadership Development staff, but will now focus less on individual programs or church ministries staffed with specialists, and more on three overarching processes of Revitalization, Leadership Development, and Mobilization, which will include church planting, evangelism, and missions.

Year-end measurements of missions giving from churches will not be available until Annual Church Profiles are compiled in early 2020. Through September, however, Cooperative Program giving is up 3.1% (2% increase is the annual goal). Mission Illinois Offering receipts through September are up compared to the previous year by 13.3% (3% increase is the goal). Total income over expenses through September are a strong $293,209. The proposed 2020 IBSA Budget reflects no subsidy from IBSA to the Baptist Foundation of Illinois, meeting the goal of BFI’s financial self-sufficiency by 2020.

At the end of 2019, Pat Pajak will retire after 12 years of service through IBSA. The IBSA staff and I, as well as many years of IBSA Committee and Board members, gratefully acknowledge Pat’s tremendous service over these years. Pat will continue to work with IBSA part-time as a Zone Consultant relating to three local IBSA Associations.

The IBSA missionaries, staff, and I appreciate so much the partnership and cooperation of IBSA churches, and consider it a joy to serve the Lord through this ministry. We welcome any questions or input that may assist us in serving IBSA churches more effectively.

Illinois Baptist State Association

Board of Directors

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 10:00 AM

1.Chairman Bob Dickerson called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM.

2.A motion to adopt the printed Agenda was made by Mike Jameson and seconded by Cal Callison. The motion carried.

3. David Starr gave a brief devotion from I Corinthians 12. God has gifted each of us uniquely for service; therefore, each Board member has something significant to contribute. God doesn’t want us to try to be someone other than who we are. As Scripture says, we are to walk worthy of the calling to which we were called (Ephesians 4:1).

4.A motion was made by Curt Lipe and seconded by Jerry Higdon to accept the printed minutes of the September 11, 2018 Board Meeting. The motion carried.

5.Chairman Bob Dickerson welcomed the Board and its guests (the wives of Nate Adams and Drew Heironimus) to the meeting and recognized the following new Board members: Josh Bledsoe, Andy DeWitt, Bob Dyer, Barbara Lee, LaRue Parr, Amy Rogers, and Kathy Stanford.

6.Board members were reminded to sign in on the attendance sheet and to complete their expense forms.

7. The Chair recognized Denny Hydrick who brought greetings from the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services and then shared the following story. Not long ago his family adopted a dog from a shelter. The lady helping them process Moose’s adoption told him that she had been a resident at the Carmi Baptist Children’s Home and she expressed appreciation for the impact that experience had on her life. For Denny Hydrick, the appreciation wasn’t his to keep; it was his to share. He expressed gratitude to the Board, noting that the BCHFS exists and changes lives because of the association of churches it represents.

Chairman Bob Dickerson announced that First Baptist Church of Marion, where he pastors, will be hosting a 5K race the Saturday after Mother’s Day, with the benefits going to the Carmi Baptist Children’s Home.

8.Board members were directed to Board Advance Materials regarding the proposed motion from the Nominating Committee with the following two recommendations: Jeff Dalton (Central Baptist Church, Three Rivers Association) fill the vacancy on the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services Board of Trustees (a Class A term expiring 2019) and Mark Goldman (First Baptist, Herrin, Williamson Association, Region 6) fill the vacancy on the IBSA Board of Directors (a Class B term expiring 2020). The motion carried.

9.Chairman Bob Dickerson reported that the Board Committees selected the following members to serve on the Board Nominating Committee: Roger Marshall (Administrative), Jacqueline Scott (Strategic Planning), and Curt Lipe (Resource Development). Roger Marshall has agreed to serve as the Chairman of the Board Nominating Committee.

10.Danny Donato, the Vice Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, brought one item for Board action.

The Strategic Planning Committee recommended the approval of the 2020 Goals. Executive Director Nate Adams noted that he and the staff are re-evaluating the work of IBSA in light of NAMB funding, staff vacancies, and other matters, and will develop the specific metrics in the near future. Until then, the overall 2020 Goals will remain unchanged as the 2020budget is created. The motion carried.

11.Curt Lipe, the Chairman of the Resource Development Committee, brought three items for Board action.

Item #1 – The Resource Development Committee recommended the Board accept the Audit Report from Capin Crouse, which was positive, giving IBSA a clean audit. Appreciation was expressed to Nate Adams, Jeff Deasy, and the IBSA staff. The motion carried.

Item #2 – The Resource Development Committee recommended a correction to the 2019 Budget due to a minor error in calculating the Cooperative Program amount to be sent to the national Southern Baptist Convention. The adjustments were highlighted in the Advance Materials. The motion carried.

Item #3 – The Resource Development Committee recommended that the Executive Director prepare a 2020 budget and salary structure based on a Cooperative Program Goal between $6,200,000 and $6,300,000 (to be finalized prior to the August 13 Resource Development Committee meeting), and a Cooperative Program ratio of 56.5 percent/43.5 percent (IBSA/SBC), excluding shared expenses not to exceed 10% of the Cooperative Program Goal, and with Cooperative Program funds received beyond the budget goal to be distributed at a ratio of 50 percent/50 percent (IBSA/SBC). The motion carried.

12.Bob Dyer of the Administrative Committee brought three items for Board action.

Item #1 – The Administrative Committee recommended that the Board express its support of the Statement of Principles concerning sexual abuse proposed by Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear on February 17, 2019. The motion carried.

Item #2 – The Administrative Committee recommended the following change to the Board Handbook (Board Member Expense Reimbursement, item #3): Members will be allowed up to $15 per eligible meal for reimbursement. The motion carried.

Item #3 (since this affects all three committees it is found in three sections of the Board Handbook) – The Administrative Committee recommended that the following be added to the Board Member Handbook under the heading of Governance Process for all three committees: In the event a vacancy occurs within the office of chairperson, the vice chairperson shall be the chairperson. In the event of a vacancy occurring within the offices of vice chairperson or secretary, the selection of these officers shall be the first order of business at the next meeting of the committee. The motion carried.

Bob Dyer concluded by informing the Board that the Administrative Committee will present one additional recommendation during Executive Session.

13.Executive Director Nate Adams began his report by introducing the only staff member hired since the last meeting of the Board: Aubrey Krol, who fills the vacancy left when Barb Troeger moved to the position of IBSA Executive Assistant. Executive Director Adams expressed appreciation to Van Kicklighter for his eight years of service to IBSA. He will transition to disability status on April 1. During Kicklighter’s tenure almost 150 IBSA churches were planted.

While IBSA staff members have received a check and recognition internally in recognition of 10-year increments of service, beginning with this Board meeting they will also receive a memento to mark these milestones. Jeff Deasy and Barb Troeger presented awards to the following staff members for ten years of service: Nate Adams, Linda Darden, Carole Doom, Philip Hall, Steve Hamrick, Drew Heironimus, Kris Kell, Lisa Misner, Debbie Muller, Pat Pajak, and Kendra Jackson. Drew Heironimus, Kendra Jackson, and Lisa Misner also received an award for twenty years of service and Kendra Jackson received one for thirty years of service.

After briefly describing each Board Committee’s focus in the Spring and Fall, Executive Director Nate Adams shared some successes to celebrate from 2018 which included strong numbers of mission volunteers, 14 new church plants with others moving along in that process, an increase in baptisms, an increase in IBSA Children’s Camp participation, a strong number of Illinois Baptists involved in leadership development, ACP data received from 97% of IBSA churches, 257 churches committed to at least one of the components of the Pioneering Spirit emphasis, and the Illinois Baptist received the Award of Excellence from the Evangelical Press Association. To sum it up, he said our mission is Churches Together Advancing the Gospel.

Executive Director Nate Adams named 7 Key Priorities that must influence our 2020 strategy, goals, and budget.

Church Revitalization – must be intentional with evangelism at its core.

Illinois Contextualized Church Planting – with the North American Mission Board moving to year-by- year funding commitments, it is vitally important that IBSA maintain a strong Church Planting staff and strategy.

Equipping Churches to Reach Younger Generations – our most effective churches are reaching younger generations while benefiting from older generations.

Transformational Leadership Development – resulting in healthier churches.

Assist Churches with Evolving Cultural Issues – churches need to be prepared to deal with things happening in our culture such as same sex marriage, unisex bathrooms, and sexual abuse.

Effective Associational Partnerships – this continues to be a need due in part to gaps left in associational leadership when the North American Mission Board cut Associational funding. IBSA Zone Consultants are helping to ease this burden.

Inspiring Church Engagement – through local associations of churches, leading regional churches, and technological means.

Executive Director Nate Adams noted that addressing these 7 Key Priorities requires vision casting and re-evaluating what a valuable, relevant State Association of the future looks like and must be reflected in the IBSA 2020 budget. As he and the staff work on metrics for the 2020 Goals, they will look at how best to focus on the following four challenges from the Pioneering Spirit: Go New Places, Engage New People, Make New Sacrifices, and Develop New Leaders.

14.Following the Executive Director report, the Board moved into Executive Session.

15.At the conclusion of the Executive Session, the Board reconvened into General Session. It was announced that the Board Nominating Committee would meet immediately following the Board Meeting. Sharon Carty asked for prayer for IBSA President Adron Robinson and herself in the upcoming specially called meeting of the Executive Committee of the SBC, with the purpose to consider the election of its next President.

16.A motion to adjourn was made by Alan Newcomb and seconded by Robert Windes. The motion carried.

Respectfully submitted

Jeanette Cloyd Board Secretary

Illinois Baptist State Association Board of Directors

Tuesday, September 10, 2019 10:00 AM

1. Chairman Bob Dickerson called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM.

2. A motion was made by Mike Jameson and seconded by Cal Callison to adopt the printed Agenda. The motion carried.

3. Chairman Bob Dickerson welcomed new Board Member Mark Goldman as well as the rest of the Board and its guests to the meeting. Board members absent: LaRue Parr, Darryl Williams.

4. Tim Rhodus gave a brief devotion describing how the three parables from Luke 15 (Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost/Prodigal Son) are applicable to us today.

5. The Chair recognized Doug Morrow who brought greetings from the Baptist Foundation of Illinois. He shared highlights from the BFI Mid-Year Management Report, which the Board received upon arrival. He introduced the Board to a new BFI estate planning tool that can be found at freewill.com/bfi. Though still in its infancy, there are already over 100 estates in this planning process.

6. A motion was made by Curt Lipe and seconded by Bob Windes to accept the printed minutes of the March 26, 2019 Board Meeting. The motion carried.

7. The Chair recognized Roger Marshall, the chairman of the Board Officer Nominating Committee to bring their motion. The committee, which also included Curt Lipe and Jacqueline Scott, made the following nominations for 2020 Board Officers: Bob Dickerson (Chairman), Andy DeWitt (Vice Chairman) and Mike Jameson (Secretary). The motion carried.

8. Executive Director Nate Adams began his report by recognizing and presenting a thank you gift to the following board members who are completing their years of service: Bruce Allen, Adam Lewis, Jay Lowder, Roger Marshall, and David Starr. He also expressed appreciation to the Board Officers who have served this year: Chairman Bob Dickerson, Vice Chairman Roger Marshall and Secretary Jeanette Cloyd.

IBSA staff members hired since the previous Board Meeting were introduced: Brad Lovin (Administrative Director for Mobilization), Kevin Jones (Church Planting Director), and Bryan Price (Zone 1 Consultant).

Executive Director Nate Adams recognized Carole Doom for twenty years of service to IBSA and invited Jeff Deasey to present the award to her. Carole is now one of four current IBSA staff members with 20 or more years of service.

Board members were encouraged to pray for Bill Weedman and his wife Judy. Bill, who served IBSA for 28 years is in Hospice care, nearing the end of his life.

Pat Pajak was invited to speak about IBSA Evangelism efforts. He reported that baptisms increased nearly 7% in 2018. One Grand Sunday was introduced last year and saw over 650 baptisms. It was relaunched this year as One Grand Month, and over 700 baptisms were reported. Reports from this year’s SBC emphasis on Baptism Sunday (September 8) are still coming in; so far 54 have been reported from IBSA churches on that one day. Other evangelism emphases include Who’s Your One? and the use of Three Circles of Evangelism. It was also reported that there are forty evangelism resources available through the online Shelf section of the IBSA.org web site.

Executive Director Nate Adams noted that it is estimated IBSA will have nineteen new churches this year. Other things to celebrate include a continuing increase in the number of students attending IBSA camps and an approximately 1% increase in Cooperative Program giving.

The IBSA Annual Meeting will be held at Cornerstone Church in Marion. The theme is Refocus. Worship will be led by the Cornerstone worship team, with their pastor Michael Nave and IBSA President Adron Robinson bringing sermons.

Executive Director Nate Adams explained that the 2020 budget and metrics reflect an intentional revitalization strategy. The twelve metrics were included in the advance materials the board received.

Board members received an IBSA organization chart that shows staff members and their positions under the new structure. Executive Director Nate Adams also addressed the 40 Steps of Change which summarized IBSA’s 2020 Restructuring. He noted that perhaps the most important item on the list is the first one under Precipitating Factors: multiple flat or declining trends in overall IBSA church statistics (worship attendance, baptisms, Bible study, missions giving) noted and communicated during both 2017 and 2018 IBSA Annual Meetings, leading to the “Pioneering Spirit Challenge.”

The necessary changes will take time and move through stages, including evaluating strategies and structure and budgeting that needs to be done now for 2020 (that stage is complete), planning processes that will affect 2021 (a “Vision Team” of IBSA staff, board, associational leaders and church leaders has begun that work) and a longer term planning process (that has been initiated this fall with a “Future Team” of IBSA staff, in consultation with Will Mancini, President of Denominee and founder of the Auxano process now owned by LifeWay) that will take place from 2019 through 2022.

Executive Director Nate Adams concluded his report by sharing letters he received from two individuals on opposite ends of the age spectrum, each recognizing the value of IBSA. Kenneth Neibel spoke words of affirmation for the heritage of IBSA and its ministries and included a check for the Illinois Offering. Rachel Vanbebber expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve as an IBSA intern this summer.

9. Jay Simala, the Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, brought one item for Board action.

The Strategic Planning Committee recommended the adoption of the Metrics for the 2020 Goals. The Goals were approved at the March 26, 2019 Board Meeting. The motion carried.

10. Curt Lipe, the Chairman of the Resource Development Committee, brought three items for Board action.

Item #1 – The Resource Development Committee recommended the following three overspend items:

An overspend of up to $2,000 in the Church Cooperation AED department of the 2019 IBSA Budget due to commissions on tenant lease renewals that were not anticipated.

An overspend of up to $122,000 in the Properties department which reflects an $11,000 overspend due to higher insurance expenses related to added equipment at the camps and a projected $111,000 overspend due to the repair of the roof of the IBSA building from wind damage. Brotherhood Mutual Insurance is covering the cost of the roof repair in its entirety, which will appear in the revenue/income side of the budget.

An overspend of up to $22,000 in the Student Ministries Department due to a 17% increase in anticipated attendance at Student Camps. The additional expenses will be matched by additional income in the Cost Recovery income line of the budget.

The motion regarding the three overspend items carried.

Item #2 – The Resource Development Committee recommended approval of the 2020 Cooperative Agreement between the boards of the Illinois Baptist State Association and the Baptist Foundation of Illinois. It was noted that the Baptist Foundation of Illinois will not receive any money through the 2020 IBSA budget, though emergency funds (from IBSA’s Special Emphasis & Projects Net Asset Fund) may be requested, on an as needed basis. The motion carried.

Item #3 – The Resource Development Committee recommended the approval of the 2020 Proposed Budget which reflects strategies for revitalization and also includes the Cooperative Program ratio, pay scales, etc. The motion carried.

11. Bob Dyer, the Chairman of the Administrative Committee, reported on the findings of the Board’s self-evaluation. For the most part, members are satisfied with the work of the Board. He brought one item for Board action and noted that the Administrative Committee would also have an item to bring during Executive Session.

The Administrative Committee recommended several changes to the Board Notebook, mostly to clean up the language and formatting of the document. These items were included in the advance materials that Board members received. The motion carried.

12. Board Chairman Bob Dickerson brought a report from the Advisory Committee. They brought two motions for Board action; these motions required a second since the Advisory Committee did not approve the exact wording of the motions.

Item #1 – The Advisory Committee of the IBSA Board recommends that IBSA’s Executive Director, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, be authorized to engage IBSA in litigation that proactively challenges zoning restrictions in Illinois municipalities (e.g. Evanston) which do not currently allow religious institutions (e.g. churches or church plants) in certain zones of their cities, in violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). The unrecovered cost of litigation shall not exceed $5,000 without further IBSA Board action. The motion was seconded by Bob Dyer. Nate Adams gave some background information and shared that at the Advisory Committee’s recommendation, he spoke with an attorney (Matthew Flanigan from Logan Street Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon) who in turn spoke with John Mauck to assure that IBSA is not at risk in joining this proposed litigation. The motion carried.

Item #2 – The Advisory Committee of the IBSA Board recommends that IBSA’s Executive Director, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, be authorized to engage IBSA in litigation that seeks exemption for IBSA entities and IBSA member churches from the “Reproductive Health Act,” which requires employers to provide abortion coverage as part of their employee health insurance plans. The unrecovered cost of this litigation shall not exceed $5,000 without further IBSA Board action. The motion was seconded by Jeff Logsdon. It was noted that by gaining exemption to this law on behalf of all of its churches, IBSA would be protecting the religious freedoms of its members. The motion carried.

13.A brief break was taken to allow time for the three committees to elect their officers for the coming year. At the conclusion of the break, the Committee chairs announced the following officers:

Strategic Planning

Chairman Jay Simala

Vice Chairman Danny Donato

Secretary Jeff Logsdon

Resource Development Chairman Curt Lipe

Vice Chairman Cal Callison

Secretary Barbara Lee

Administrative Committee

Chairman Bob Dyer

Vice Chairman Sherry Harlow

Secretary Alma Bonner

14. There was no Miscellaneous Business to consider so Cal Callison made a motion that the Board move into Executive Session. The motion was seconded by Kent Renshaw. The motion carried.

15.At the conclusion of the Executive Session a motion to adjourn was made by Kent Renshaw and seconded by Cal Callison. The motion carried. Chairman Bob Dickerson closed the meeting in prayer.

Respectfully submitted

Jeanette Cloyd Board Secretary

IBSA Board of Directors Recommendations

The IBSA Board of Directors moves that the proposed 2020 budget and salary structure be adopted as printed (see pp. 29-34), based on a Cooperative Program Goal of $6,300,000 and a Cooperative Program ratio of 56.5%/43.5% (IBSA/SBC), excluding shared expenses not to exceed 10% of the Cooperative Program Goal, and with Cooperative Program funds received beyond the budget goal to be distributed at a ratio of 50 %/50 % (IBSA/SBC).