Ripple effect
CEO search begins
Frank Page cites ‘personal failing’ in resignation
Nashville, Tenn. | The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (EC) will meet April 17 to elect a committee to search for its next leader. Frank S. Page resigned as president and chief executive officer March 27 over what he described as “a morally inappropriate relationship in the recent past.”
Shortly after Page’s departure, D. August (Augie) Boto, executive vice president and general counsel for the EC, was named interim president. Boto appointed Jimmy Draper, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and president emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources, as EC ambassador “to assist him in fulfilling the many representative functions that fall to the office of president.”
When they convene April 17, the EC will elect a six-member search committee among nominees from the floor during the special meeting. The board chair will serve as an ex-officio member with the right to vote, constituting a seven-member presidential search committee. Page, who has served in the post since 2010, initially announced his retirement, receiving accolades and congratulations on social media. He later released a personal statement with more information.
As Illinois turns 200 in 2018, IBSA is seeking to engage at least 200 churches in each of these challenges. Is your church one of them?
BICENTENNIAL
Happy 200th Birthday, Illinois!
the cooperative program
Giving by IBSA churches as of 4/09/18
$1,506,455
Budget Goal: $1,575,000
Received to date in 2017: $1,417,531
2018 Goal: $6.3 Million
The Illinois Baptist staff
Editor - Eric Reed
Managing Editor - Meredith Flynn
Graphic Designer - Kris Kell
Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner
Multimedia Journalist - Andrew Woodrow
Administrative Assistant - Leah Honnen
The general telephone number for IBSA is (217) 786-2600. For questions about subscriptions, articles, or upcoming events, contact the Illinois Baptist at (217) 391-3119 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 three weeks by the Illinois Baptist State Association, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-4440. Subscriptions are free to Illinois Baptists. Subscribe online at IBSA.org.
NATE ADAMS
After Easter
Easter, of course, is about new beginnings. Those of us who know the risen Savior find in Easter new hope, new life, new power, a new covenant, new perspective, and more. Even for those who don’t yet know Jesus, Easter often means new clothes, new plantings, and new spring projects. But just after Easter a few years ago, it was the idea of beginning a new church in our community that brought my wife, Beth, and I together in prayer with three other couples.
Praying was all we knew to do at first. But soon all kinds of new thoughts and ideas started flowing. We began talking about who in our community didn’t know Christ or didn’t attend church, and why. We talked about the spiritual and physical needs we sensed those people had, and how a new church could help address them. We talked about what events we could host, and where we could meet, and how we could invite people to a new beginning.
Over the next several months, we had lots of new beginnings. We began three new Bible studies in our homes. We began a rental contract with a grade school. We began buying sound equipment, and children’s ministry supplies, and everything we could imagine that a portable church might need. We began developing a constitution, and a logo, and mailers, ads, and door hangers.
And we began surveying our community for feedback on a name for our community’s new church. Together, we chose the name New Hope.
That first year flew by quickly, and as it did, the Lord gathered about 40 people into our core group. Not surprisingly, we chose Easter Sunday one year later as the launch date for our new church. A hundred and eighty-two people responded to our invitations to come to a new beginning that Easter, and found New Hope, in more ways than one.
Looking back, more than a new church began that Easter. For me, it was the beginning of a firsthand understanding that new churches reach new people in ways that existing churches don’t. We were meeting in schools and homes, and baptizing in swimming pools, and making disciples of people who hadn’t been to church in years. It was the most challenging and most rewarding church experience of my life. And it convinced me forever that church planting is essential to go where lost people live, and to reach people that are “lost in the cracks” between existing churches.
New Hope had only been around a couple of years when the North American Mission Board called and asked if I would bring my communications and management background to help start hundreds of new churches each year. I’m not sure I can think of anything else the Lord could have used to lead me away from that new church, but that did it. We moved our family to Georgia, and spent almost a decade encouraging others to live a life that’s on mission, and to start new churches. And now here we are in Illinois, and it’s just after Easter, again. There are 10 counties in Illinois that still have no Southern Baptist church, and another 12 that have only one. There are at least 200 places in Illinois that need a new church now—most of them in communities where there’s no evangelical church of any kind.
Easter is still about new beginnings, and in many ways the most-needed new beginnings in our state are the planting of new churches that will reach new people, and bring them new hope. I’m praying that there are still clusters of families out there, willing to start praying after this Easter, about what might be possible by next Easter.
Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Respond at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.
In this season of new beginnings, consider how a new church can bring new hope to people who don’t know Christ.
Board hears ‘Pioneering’ challenge
Springfield | The IBSA Board of Directors met March 27 to vote on the proposed 2019 budget and goals, welcome new members, and hear a report from Executive Director Nate Adams
Adams reiterated the “Pioneering Spirit Challenge” issued at November’s IBSA Annual Meeting, which calls churches to embrace the spirit of early Illinoisans who took risks to start something new. He referenced Scots-Irish settlers who were often sent to the front lines to forge the path into new territories.
“Only a special kind of person is willing to come in and be a pioneer,” Adams said. “I think that’s what we’re calling churches to do. Remember where you’ve been. This is a new ridge. God will bless you for it.”
The Pioneering Spirit theme (online at PioneeringSpirit.org) will continue this year, culminating with the 2018 IBSA Annual Meeting. Adams said the meeting theme will most likely be “Pioneering Spirit–200 & Counting.”
The Board unanimously approved the recommended 2019 Cooperative Program goal of $6.2 million, which is $100,000 less than 2017. The budget includes forwarding 43.5% of all CP gifts to the SBC Executive Committee in Nashville, Tenn., with the majority to be used for international and North American missions. The 56.5% remaining in Illinois is to be used to strengthen existing churches and to plant new ones in the state.
The budget will be brought before messengers to the IBSA Annual Meeting at First Baptist Church, Maryville, Nov. 7-8.
The Board also approved the 2017 audit report recommendations from the Chicagoarea accounting firm of CapinCrouse. The “clean, unqualified audit report” was approved unanimously. An overspend was approved in the 2018 budget of up to $19,000 for collegiate ministries.
Adams’ report included an overview of 2017 with data from IBSA reports and the Annual Church Profile reports completed by IBSA churches. Among the highlights:
-Missions volunteers were up 3.8%
-Children’s camps expanded from three to seven weeks
-IBSA staff consulted with at least 75% of IBSA churches
-17 new churches affiliated with IBSA
-Missions giving was similar to the previous year.
One area in need of improvement is evangelism, Adams said. IBSA churches baptized about 3,500 people last year, less than four people each, with more than a third of churches reporting zero baptisms.
“Our challenge is to reach and support churches not seeing baptisms,” Adams said.
The 2017 IBSA Church Needs Survey showed churches were looking for help in the area of evangelistic outreach. He cited a new evangelism saturation strategy, “Everyone Hears,” which will begin this year. IBSA’s Eddie Pullen will move from his role as a church planting specialist in the Metro East region to a statewide director role where he will link existing churches with church starts to advance the gospel.
New online training resources, training events, and part-time staffing deployments will be available to provide further assistance.
In other business:
- The proposed 2019 IBSA Goals were brought by the Strategic Planning Committee and accepted unanimously.
- Nine new board members were introduced: Cal Callison, Sherrie Harlow, Jerry Higdon, Jeff Logsdon, Alan Newcomb, Bill Simmons, Roger Teal, Rob Windes, and Matthew Woodford.
Hybels steps down
Willow Creek Community Church pastor Bill Hybels resigned April 10, six months ahead of his planned retirement and just weeks after a Chicago Tribune report detailed allegations of misconduct against him from several women at the Chicagoland megachurch. The Tribune report revealed Hybels’ conduct had been the subject of inquiries by church leaders, but that he had been cleared.
In his resignation announcement to his church, Hybels maintained his innocence but also apologized for some of his choices. “I too often placed myself in situations that would have been far wiser to avoid,” Hybels said, according to the Tribune “I was naïve about the dynamics those situations created…I commit to never putting myself into similar situations again.”
Texas church rebuilds
The Sutherland Springs, Texas, church massacred by a gunman’s attack last November will launch a new building project in May “to lift Jesus up in the community,” said Pastor Frank Pomeroy Baptist Press reported the North American Mission Board will accept donations for the project and cover any remaining costs for the construction of First Baptist Church’s new worship center and education building.
The church became a symbol of faith and resilience after 26 worshipers were killed during a Sunday morning worship service Nov. 5. The new buildings will be completed in 2019.
– Chicago Tribune, Baptist Press
From the front: PAGE RESIGNS OVER INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP
“It is with deep regret that I tender my resignation from the SBC Executive Committee and announce my retirement from active ministry, effective immediately,” Page said. “As a result of a personal failing, I have embarrassed my family, my Lord, myself, and the Kingdom.
“Out of a desire to protect my family and those I have hurt, I initially announced my retirement earlier today without a complete explanation. However, after further wrestling with my personal indiscretion, it became apparent to me that this situation must be acknowledged in a more forthright manner. It is my most earnest desire in the days to come to rebuild the fabric of trust with my wife and daughters, those who know me best and love me most.”
Page, 65, as EC president, held a key role in coordinating the work of the SBC’s national ministries, encompassing two mission boards, six seminaries and other entities, and overseeing a Cooperative Program budget of nearly $200 million yearly. His work also included building relationships with 42 state and regional Baptist conventions and 47,000-plus Southern Baptist churches in all 50 states.
He was the 2006-2008 president of the Southern Baptist Convention, elected to the post as pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C. Before being elected as Executive Committee president in 2010, Page was serving as vice president of evangelization for the North American Mission Board, from 20092010.
Among the hallmarks of Page’s eight years as EC president were strong calls for personal evangelism, support for the Cooperative Program channel of Southern Baptist missions and ministry support, and inclusion of numerous ethnic groups, women, young leaders, and small-church pastors in the life of the denomination.
– From Baptist Press
Illinois leaders named to SBC committees
Chicagoland pastor Adron Robinson will serve on the Committee on Resolutions for the Southern Baptist Convention that will convene June 12-13 in Dallas.
Robinson, senior pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and president of IBSA, will join nine other committee members to consider resolution submissions prior to the annual meeting, and propose their own during the convention.
Two more Illinois pastors will serve on the SBC Committee on Committees that nominates people to serve on the Nominating Committee, which then nominates trustees for SBC entities. The Illinois representatives are Scott Nichols, pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Carol Stream, and Randy Plunkett, pastor of First Baptist Church, Eldorado.
– From Baptist Press
Baptists face another ‘tricky’ election
Greear/Hemphill race inspires surge in campaigning
Dallas | The 2018 election for president of the Southern Baptist Convention in many ways echoes the election in St. Louis two years ago. J.D. Greear, a 44-yearold North Carolina pastor, will face off with Ken Hemphill, a known Baptist evangelist not unlike Greear’s opponent in 2016, Steve Gaines.
The return of public campaigning, however, is setting the election apart from most in recent memory.
Hemphill in particular has received support from leaders who espouse what they term as “traditional” Baptist doctrine, including Louisiana’s David Hankins, who was part of the group that appealed to Hemphill to run for the office.
In a statement on his personal website, Hankins, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, called Hemphill “thoroughly Southern Baptist” and noted his commitment to the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ unified method of support for missions and ministry.
“Dr. Hemphill values and promotes the work of the LBC and the other state conventions and has been a lifetime advocate in word and deed of the CP, without which we cannot carry out our ministries.”
In announcing he would nominate Greear, Florida pastor Ken Whitten noted Greear’s own commitment to missions, while pointing to the 44-yearold’s ability to bridge the SBC’s generation gap. On Twitter, he also noted one argument against Greear, his bent toward Reformed theology.
“He baptized over 600 people last year, gave almost 4 million dollars to [Southern Baptist] causes has 300 members on the mission field, 242 with the IMB. Planted 42 churches. If that’s Calvinism may God raise up more.”
While endorsement statements, especially from nominators, aren’t out of the ordinary, more public forms of campaigning have been largely absent during the past several SBC elections. This year, however, some leaders are speaking more openly about which candidate they endorse, and the conversation has shifted to debating the propriety of SBC electioneering.
The Louisiana Baptist Convention drew fire from Greear supporters and others when it was reported that the Convention initially hosted Hemphill’s campaign website, kenhemphill2018.com. After posts on some Baptist blogs expressed concern about the perceived use of Cooperative Program funds to facilitate a website for one candidate, Hemphill told Baptist Press the site wasn’t funded by CP dollars, but that it would be moved to an independent server to avoid “any impression that it was inappropriate.”
“If anyone got the impression the website was funded with CP money,” the candidate said, “I’m sorry, because I would never do anything to erode confidence in CP giving.”
There was some buzz around the issue of campaigning leading up the 2016 election, when Ashley Unzicker, a member of Greear’s church, produced a rap video parody of Run D.M.C.’s “It’s Tricky.” The video about the intricacies of leading the denomination featured several SBC leaders, including International Mission Board President David Platt and Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, rapping the song’s repeated refrain, “It’s tricky.” Their appearances were thought by some to constitute endorsements.
At least one blogger, Iowa pastor Dave Miller, believes the conversation around the election could chart a new course. Miller, who edits the SBC Voices blog, put forth some guidelines for “limited campaigning” in a recent post, writing that Baptists need to be honest about the Convention’s political nature.
“There are actually people who will get upset if you say that the SBC is a political organization, as if that is somehow antithetical to being spiritual. But we get together and have meetings where we make motions and vote and hold elections. That, my friend, is called politics. Hopefully, those politics can be done by the fruit of the Spirit not the works of the flesh, but it’s still politics.”
Acknowledging the chatter surrounding the election, both Greear and Hemphill tweeted about an April 5 phone conversation during which they agreed to call Southern Baptists to pray for the annual meeting and the election, for civility and grace leading up to the Dallas convention, and for unity in the SBC.
Other candidates
San Diego pastor A.B. Vines will be nominated for SBC first vice president when the annual meeting convenes in Dallas. Vines, who has pastored New Seasons Church for 22 years, is currently president of the California Southern Baptist Convention and a past president of the SBC’s National African American Fellowship.
Felix Cabrera, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Central in Oklahoma City, will be nominated for second vice president. Cabrera planted the Spanish-language congregation in 2015. He is co-founder of the Hispanic Baptist Pastors Alliance and founder of a church planting network that has started 34 new churches in the past five years.
The 2018 Southern Baptist Convention is June 12-13 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
– Meredith Flynn, with reporting by Baptist Press
Summit addresses major need
Leadership development in Chicago churches
Broadview | “Many of our churches are suffering in the area of leadership,” said Steven Glover, IBSA’s zone consultant in Chicago, describing a major need in the Windy City.
Reversing that trend was at the heart of IBSA’s first Illinois Leadership Summit in Chicagoland, held at Broadview Missionary Baptist Church March 23-24.
“I’m excited having this conference in Chicago,” Glover said. “We are gathering together to develop leaders. And that’s key because we can use that here in Chicago.”
Nearly 70% of the state’s 13 million people live in the Chicago metro area. But only 32% of its residents say they are actively involved in their Christian faith. And there is only one Southern Baptist church for every 34,000 people.
“We once had a rich history of missions,” said Phil Miglioratti, a Chicago native and IBSA prayer consultant. “But many of our congregations have suffered because their generations didn’t pass on the Christian faith. So many churches are suffering through a lack of proper spiritual leaders.”
The Illinois Leadership Summit focused on pastoral leadership training through 20 breakout sessions and three general sessions led by Daniel Im, director of church multiplication for Lifeway Christian Resources.
In each session, Im emphasized the need to make disciples and train leaders.
“You can’t achieve the vision God has for your church without two key elements: a discipleship pathway, and a leadership pipeline,” Im said.
Despite the threat of snow, nearly 120 people attended the summit. Many who gathered at the conference were grateful for the chance to be able to attend an event in their city. When asked how many in the audience had previously attended a Leadership Summit, fewer than 10 people raised their hands. The annual Illinois Leadership Summit and the Midwest
Leadership Summit, held every three years, are traditionally hosted in Springfield.
“Having the conference up north is more accessible for me,” said Jeong Hun Lee, pastor of Korean Baptist Church in Schaumburg. “And I hope there will be more conferences like this in the Chicago area.”
Others commented on IBSA’s partnership with churches in Chicago and how the summit could go a long way in promoting spiritual leaders because of its location in such a diverse city.
“Partnership is important simply because the church is more effective,” Miglioratti said, “And that’s how it is when churches partner with IBSA. Churches are called to fulfill the Great Commission which is for all people— all ethnicities. And Chicago is a great place to live out the Great Commission.”
– Andrew WoodrowMissionaries remembered
Richmond, Va. | Southern Baptists grieved for two missionaries killed in a car accident March 14, and prayed for another missionary couple injured in the crash.
Randy and Kathy Arnett (below) and Jeff and Barbara Singerman were traveling in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when their car was involved in a singlevehicle accident. The Singermans and the group’s driver were hurt; both Arnetts died from injuries sustained in the accident.
Kathy Arnett, who was born in Cairo, Ill., served as a seminary professor, HIV/AIDS coordinator, and theological education coordinator throughout the couple’s long missionary career. Randy was also a professor at the Baptist Seminary of Theology for West Africa, and served five years as the IMB’s West Africa regional leader.
International Mission Board President David Platt said of the Arnetts, “They gave their lives and family for over 30 years proclaiming the gospel, planting churches, and training pastors and missionaries across Sub-Saharan Africa. They did all of this with a zeal for God’s name, a confidence in God’s Word, and a dependence on God’s Spirit.”
Since the accident, IMB personnel have reported on the Singermans’ recovery, asking recently for prayer for healing especially for Jeff, “as his injuries are extensive and he has many months of medical treatment, healing, and recuperation before him.” The couple lists Illinois as home and have visited the state to report on how God is at work in West Africa.
– International Mission Board
Treasurer arrested
After theft at Missouri church
New London, Mo. | Antioch Baptist Church near Hannibal, Mo., is recovering from the theft of more than $300,000 by its former treasurer. Donald R. White, 68, was arrested March 9 on two federal counts of wire fraud. He has pleaded not guilty.
“[We’re] just anxious to move on with what the Lord has for us to be doing,” Pastor Jack Emmite told Baptist Press. “We’re trying to just stay focused on doing ministry right now.”
White’s arrest was the result of an investigation into a fire that destroyed the church’s building in December 2016. The Pathway newspaper of Missouri reported the church started looking into alleged financial discrepancies in March of that year, and White was confronted in October. The fire has not been linked to the missing funds, The Pathway reported, but the blaze has been labeled “suspicious.”
“We’ve been through a lot, obviously with this and the fire,” Emmite said. “But the church is anxious to get into our new facility we’re in the process of rebuilding, and we’re really, really trying to focus on that.”
Volunteer construction teams from Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, and possibly other states will help the church rebuild this summer, the pastor said.
– Baptist Press, The Pathway
The paradox of life through death
Read: John 12:24
While preparing for Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday, the paradox of life through death kept reoccurring in my study. In a world obsessed with avoiding death, we who follow Jesus Christ are called not to avoid death, but to embrace it as the path to eternal life. And while we all understand that we have to die before we go to heaven, many of us don’t believe that there are things in us that must die in order for us to experience the Kingdom of God on earth.
ADRON ROBINSONIn John 12:24, Jesus tells us that a life of discipleship means a life of death; death to our sinful tendencies, death to our idols, death to our desire to control our lives and the lives of others.
Jesus realigns our values by reminding us all that in the Kingdom of God, it’s cross before crown, suffering before glory, service before reign, and death before life. Jesus teaches us that dying to self is the path to experiencing the Kingdom of God.
Moses had to bury his way of deliverance before he could learn God’s way of deliverance. Jacob had to bury his scheming ways in order to learn to trust God’s ways. Esther had to bury her fears in order to step up and deliver her people. And the ultimate example is Jesus himself, who died on the cross of Calvary in order to give eternal life to all who believe in him. It is the paradox of life through death; the abundant life that Jesus offers us is only experienced through denying self and following him.
Prayer Prompt: Father God, we praise you, for your ways are higher than our ways. In your omnipotence, you have taken death and used it to deliver abundant life to your children. Help us to learn to die, that we may live. Amen.
Adron Robinson is pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and president of the Illinois Baptist State Association.
Students take ‘crosswalk’
Share
Carbondale | A group of Christians took a very
stand for their faith at the University of Southern Illinois the week before Easter. Led by SIU Impact Student Ministries, a recognized student organization on campus and a ministry of IBSA, students and leaders carried a cross through campus ev-
ery morning, stopping to distribute evangelistic tracts and share about their faith in Christ.
Impact director Brandon McNeely told SIU’s Daily Egyptian newspaper, “The crosswalk is a way for us to become public with our faith and get students to think about the real meaning of Easter.”
MISSION
Going public
Hundreds across Illinois take the baptism plunge on One GRAND Sunday
Staunton | On Sunday, April 8, volunteers at NET Community Church carried a livestock feeding trough into the high school gymnasium where the church meets. The trough had a lofty purpose—11 people were baptized during the morning worship service. They wore shirts with the words “going public.”
“Their life stories were all very different, but their life conversion was the same,” said Pastor Derrick Taylor. “It was so exciting to witness each one going public with their new lives in Christ, thus declaring I’m not ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ!”
Across Illinois, hundreds of people were baptized on the day dubbed “One GRAND Sunday.” IBSA’s Pat Pajak first shared the goal of 1,000 baptisms in one day last fall. As word came in of
baptisms around the state, Pajak celebrated the 321 reported so far, and the renewed excitement about evangelism that seemed to characterize the day.
“The real purpose of One GRAND Sunday was to remind churches that our responsibility and privilege is to have gospel conversations outside the walls of the church,” said Pajak, associate executive director for evangelism. The day “was a reason to reignite our passion for the Great Commission and rejoice in both salvations and baptisms, which some of our churches had not seen for many years.”
On the following pages, read a few of the many stories from a day focused on baptism, and on “going public” with faith in Jesus.
P. 8
Diving in
Eleven people at NET Community Church in Staunton joined hundreds more that were baptized across the state on One GRAND Sunday April 8.
Brittany Miller grew up going to church, but when she went away to college, it never became a priority, she says. Over the past year, she felt a pull to go back. When a co-worker told her about his new church, NET Community in Staunton, Brittany decided to check it out.
“The pastors were so, so dedicated and just really believed in what they were preaching,” she says. “And I liked how it was just taken right from the Bible.”
There was a disconnect, though. Everyone kept talking about salvation, an unfamiliar concept for Brittany.
“I kind of just kept it all to myself,” she remembers. “I didn’t want to ask too many questions, because I didn’t want anybody to think I was a nonbeliever. Because I believed.” A personal relationship with God, though, was something she didn’t have—yet.
At a small group Bible study one evening, Brittany got up the courage to ask her questions. The group’s leader, Nancy Taylor, pulled in associate pastor David Baker, and together, they walked Brittany through what it means to have saving faith in Christ.
“After hearing what salvation was, I knew that that was what I wanted,” she says. “I wanted that relationship with God; I wanted to deepen my knowledge of him. I wanted him to live through me.”
There was one hang-up, however. “I was so worried that I couldn’t do this because I was going to let God down. And I didn’t want to do that,” she says. “It took a while for the pastor to assure me that that is not how this works.”
After two hours of talking, she prayed to receive Christ. “It all makes sense now,” she says. “It was God pulling me, little by little, to that moment.”
Over the next days and weeks, Brittany started telling family and friends what had happened to her. They were supportive in some cases, and skeptical in others. In some cases, the news didn’t go over as
well as she had hoped. Brittany says she’s leaning on her church family to deal with the relational difficulty. She also downloaded a Bible app on her phone, so encouragement is always nearby.
Her baptism April 8 was a way to publicly give God the glory for her faith, and a testimony to the people in her life, she says.
“I need to do this so these people know I’m serious about this.”
‘I’m serious about this’
All in the family
Willow Krumbwiede decided to be baptized so she could share her decision to follow Christ with her church family, among others. Her public profession of faith April 8 also had a profound impact on her dad.
Willow’s father, Tim, came to Grace Fellowship Church in Amboy on that Sunday morning to support his daughter. The church planned baptisms for the end of their first worship service, Pastor Brian McWethy explained, so Tim sat through the entire service that day. Unbeknownst to him, Willow, her fiancé Andrew, and their pastor were actively praying for his salvation.
Throughout the sermon on biblical baptism where McWethy explained why each person must choose to be baptized for themselves, Willow’s father faced his own life decisions. McWethy said he could see the Holy Spirit was at work in Tim’s life during that sermon.
As the band played an invitation of “O Come to the Altar”, Willow’s father stood up. He stepped forward and
‘One happy Grandma’
McKenzie Boston and Kaitlyn Warren are 15-year-old cousins whose “carefree” lifestyle completely changed when McKenzie’s mother suddenly passed away February 8.
McKenzie and Kaitlyn were brought up rarely going to church despite their mothers’ Christian upbringing. But during their visits with their grandparents, John and Carol Warren, the church-going became more frequent.
“I had a burden for all my children and grandchildren,” Carol said. “But I had especially been praying for my daughters and granddaughters.”
Carol wasn’t satisfied with just praying, however, and put her prayer into action. She wanted her children and grandchildren to know where her faith stood. “Every time they visited, I would take them to church.” Carol’s influence paid off and her daughters began attending Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville—the church where they had both been baptized.
The death of McKenzie’s mom came as a shock to the family. The young cousins started thinking more seriously about their own faith and what happens after life on earth. Kaitlyn’s mom, Cheryl, began talking to both girls about Jesus and the salvation he offered from ultimate death.
“The girls were ready by this time to have a relationship with Christ,” Carol said. She laughed, “But they wanted to wait for their grandmother to talk to them.”
On Friday, April 6, Carol talked through the Romans Road with her granddaughters and prayed with them as they received Christ. “It was
such an answer to prayer!” she said. “And such a relief for me to know the hope of their salvation.” After talking to their pastor, Cliff Woodman, they prepared to publicly proclaim their salvation to the church on April 8—One GRAND Sunday.
“It was a very emotional time for us all,” Carol said. “But perhaps most especially for me.”
Carol had led her own daughters to the Lord years earlier and had seen the two of them get baptized. Now, she was watching her own granddaughters, whom she had also led to Christ, get baptized in the same church.
“It was very special for me,” Carol said. “I’m just one happy grandma!”
grabbed McWethy by the arms, saying, “I just surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.” McWethy was thrilled at the news. Before he could say much, Tim also said that he was ready to be baptized. Today.
So, a few minutes later, Tim followed his daughter into the baptismal trough. After everyone celebrated with them, McWethy asked Willow, “Did you have any idea this would happen?” Incredulous, she smiled and replied, “No.”
The pastor gives all glory to God. “There is power in his word. There is power in the gospel.” One GRAND Sunday’s emphasis on baptism helped him and his church to focus not only on baptizing, but also evangelism, McWethy said.
“If I’m gonna baptize somebody, they’ve got to get saved.” McWethy has found a renewed focus in sharing Christ daily because he was given the charge to renew his commitment to baptizing believers. “If it did nothing else, it got our minds thinking about the lost.”
THE cooperative program • 1st quarter report jan. 1 - march 31
This report includes contributions received by the Illinois Baptist State Association through the first quarter of 2018. For questions about this report, contact the IBSA Church Cooperation Team at (217) 391-3106, e-mail JeffDeasy@IBSA.org, or write to P.O. Box 19247, Springfield, IL 62794-9247.
Global impact
When Southern Baptist churches give through the Cooperative Program, missions and ministries are supported here at home, and around the world.
In 2017, Baptists gave more than $197 million through CP.
Those gifts: including 14 in Illinois last year
Startnew churches,
Facilitate
Disaster Relief and other vital ministries
Support
more than 5,000 missionaries and chaplains in North America, and 3,500 international missionaries
“We must understand that the Cooperative Program is not really a program,” Nathan Lorick says. “It’s people and a partnership. It is about partnering together to send people into the mission that God has called us to.”
“There is nothing that allows a dollar to go further than the Cooperative Program.”
Nathan Lorick, executive director, Colorado Baptist Convention
Giving back
“Through the Cooperative Program, we can be in a thousand places.”
Ben Mandrell, church planter, Colorado
Now in its third year of life, Storyline Fellowship near Denver voted to quadruple its giving through the Cooperative Program.
“It’s one thing to plant a multiplying church in Denver,” says Pastor Ben Mandrell. “It’s another thing to be a part of planting multiplying churches all over the country and world.”
The church’s partnership mindset is built into its DNA. Teamwork is one of their core values.
“We not only believe in building teams but in being part of a team, and the SBC is our team. So we want to give back and help other churches get started.”
Top 100 Illinois churches in Cooperative Program support through the first quarter of
Sharing the load
“The SBC has long understood the power of cooperation. What would be impossible for one church becomes possible when churches work together.”
DavidHutchison, professor, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Top 100 Illinois churches in per capita CP support through the first quarter of 2018
Prairie Du Rocher First 34.58 Hoosier Prairie, Louisville 34.55
First, O Fallon 34.46
Friendship, Plainfield 34.26
Faith, Breese 34.22
Brainard Avenue, Countryside 34.13
Swansea, Swansea 34.10
Mascoutah First, Mascoutah 33.14
Tabernacle, Decatur 33.07
Dorrisville, Harrisburg 31.97
Highland Avenue, Robinson 31.72
Casey First, Casey 31.19
Beaucoup, Pinckneyville 30.72
Liberty, Harrisburg 30.39
Quincy, Quincy 30.20
Eastview, Belleville 30.13
Calvary, Edwardsville 29.73
New Hope of Como, Sterling
When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas last year, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were on the scene soon afterward. And when the year’s other major storms hit Florida and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Baptists rallied to help their neighbors. Giving through the Cooperative Program helps support these Disaster Relief ministries, even before they’re needed, said Texan David Hutchison.
“You’re not going to do it by yourself, and you may not yet be the one in the trenches, but if your church participates in the Cooperative Program, you are sharing the load.”
Making the miles count
Refresher course
QWhen I look at the reports, I see we should be collecting twice what we do for a church our size. How can I encourage our church to be more generous in their giving?
AIt sounds like it’s time to teach on biblical stewardship. Remind the church of three principles: the ownership of God, the stewardship of believers, and the partnership in the ministry. Challenge your members to tithe and trust God. Don’t be afraid to mention a Christian’s responsibility to support God’s work.
PAT PAJAKBe an encourager
QI keep reading how pastors are lonely. My pastor seems cheerful enough. Should I ask if he’s lonely?
APastors are human. They deal with the same emotions, stress, loneliness, and discouragement as everyone else.
I don’t think you have to ask him if he’s lonely. Do something special for him, and in his most difficult moments, he’ll remember your act of kindness. Pray daily for him, invite him and his family out for an evening, or surprise him with a letter of thanks and encouragement, just to let him know he is loved and supported.
Train him up
QOne guy in our church thinks he’s a great leader, but he’s not. He’s a roadblock.
ALeadership doesn’t happen by accident; leaders are discovered and developed. It might simply be that this person has never been trained how to be a leader.
Consider introducing a leadership class, cohort, or coaching network, and ask everyone in a leadership position to participate.
If he isn’t interested in improving his leadership skills, let him know he won’t be able to serve in the leadership position. If he is willing to be trained, you might discover that he really is a good leader—he just needed some help.
Pat Pajak is IBSA’s associate executive director for evangelism. Send questions for Pat to Illinois Baptist@IBSA.org.
Last year Lindsey Yoder walked 300 miles from Arthur, Ill., to Nashville, Tenn., to raise awareness and funds to help end human trafficking. This year, the 15-year-old is riding a recumbent trike nearly 1,700 miles, from the U.S.-Mexico border to the U.S.Canada border, to raise money to free 30 human trafficking victims through the organization Hope for Justice.
Joining her on the ride are two siblings, a cousin, and her mom, Regina. The “Yoder gang,” as Lindsey calls them, left Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 3 and plan to reach the northern border on May 16.
You can follow their ride at BikeForFreedom.com and on Facebook at BikeForFreedom. To donate, text bikeforfreedom to 41444.
Summer mission trips
Find more information about IBSA-sponsored trips at IBSA.org/Missions.
Uptown Baptist Church, Chicago
Dates: July 6-10, October 5-9
Overview: Teams will work alongside Uptown leadership on ministry projects, including street ministry, community meals; nursing home visits; and a women’s event.
Meet the Nations, Chicago
Dates: July 23-26
Overview: This trip is designed to highlight how God has brought the nations to our cities. The team will spend time studying the cultures and religious beliefs in various communities, prayer walking, and learning ways to engage a variety of people groups.
WellHouse, Birmingham, Ala.
Dates: June 24-28
Overview: This team will work alongside the leadership at WellHouse, a transitional house for women coming out a life of exploitation, primarily prostitution.
Germany/United Kingdom
Dates: May 11-19, July 20-28
Overview: On these vision trips, the mission teams will be introduced to the work of IMB missionaries serving among South Asian peoples in Frankfurt and London, in hopes of entering into strategic partnerships.
South Asia
Dates: July 26-August 6
Overview: This team will work alongside missionaries who operate a girl’s day center in a slum area of a large city. The team will participate in the daily programming of the center (teaching, special projects, etc.), in addition to home visits and Bible storying. Team size is limited; any member under 17 must have an adult traveling with them.
CLASSIFIED AD
Second Baptist Church in Bowling Green, MO is seeking a part-time music/choir director. If interested, send resume and philosophy of music ministry to trustees@2bcbg.com.
“So...When was the last time you did a Spring Break ministry?”
NeTworkiNg
Find more information on ministry positions at IBSA.org/connect
Send NetworkiNg items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org
First Baptist Church, Goreville seeks a full-time pastor who can provide Holy Spirit-inspired leadership to lead our congregation to become the church God desires of us. Send resumes to: Goreville First Baptist Search Committee, 608 West Main St., Goreville, IL, 62939, or e-mail gfbc1890@frontier.com.
Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Huntley seeks a parttime worship leader to lead a blended worship service for a multi-generational audience. Contact interim pastor Dave Jenkins at mzeedavejenkins@gmail.com or (630) 649-4350.
Nine Mile Baptist Association is prayerfully seeking an associational missionary (DOM) to serve God through serving and leading our association. Resumes will be received through May 31. Please send to Mark Lee, Search Committee Chairman, at markdlee@frontier.com.
Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services seeks a full-time director of operations. For a detailed description and an application, visit bchfs.com/employment. Send applications to BCHFS, Attn: Melinda Bratcher, at 949 County Rd. 1300 N, Carmi, IL 62821.
EVENTS
April 20-21
Disaster Relief Training
What: Chaplaincy, intro, and speciality classes. Pre-registration is recommended.
Where: Crosswinds, Plainfield Register: IBSA.org/DR
April 21
VBS Clinic
What: Training in 2018 curriculum
Where: Northside, Dixon Register: IBSA.org/Kids
April 27-28
Priority Women’s Conference
What: Enjoy a time of spiritual renewal, fellowship, and training.
Where: Decatur Conference Center/Hotel Register: IBSA.org/Priority
May 4-5
Young Leaders’ Conference
What: Worship, teaching, and breakout sessions for leaders in their 20s and 30s
Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Info: RichCochran@IBSA.org
June 2
What: Hands-on mission projects for the whole family
Where: Gateway Association and Christian Activity Center Info: DwayneDoyle@IBSA.org
June 15-16
Father/Son Overnight
What: Camp for fathers, sons, grandsons, grandfathers, and mentors of all ages
Where: Lake Sallateeska and Streator Baptist Camps Register: IBSA.org/Kids
June 18-23
Illinois Changers
What: Students in grades 6-12 tackle construction projects and engage in evangelistic outreach
Where: East Peoria Register: IBSA.org/Students
Should Illinois Legalize Marijuana for Recreational Use?
That ’s the question voters will be asked to decide on the November 6th ballot.
Here’s what Chicago lawmakers don’t want you to know In 2013, they legalized “medical” marijuana, ignoring the warnings and concerns from medical groups. In 2016, they decriminalized it to a mere $100 fine, plus records for possession are expunged every July 1st and January 1st
Colorado legalized marijuana in 2013.
What ’s happened there is tragic:
Youth (12-17) now rank #1 in the nation for “past month use” and 55% higher than the national average
A 66% increase in pot-related deaths
A 72% increase in pot-related hospitalizations;
a 147% increase in Poison Center calls
A 268% increase in marijuana-related exposures for children ages 0-5
In Denver County, there are more pot stores than Starbucks, McDonald’s and Walmart’s combined by double Nearing bankruptcy, lawmakers are looking for a new source of tax revenue to cover their years of reckless spending. But at what cost? Colorado’s revenue is a mere 0.8% of their budget. The negative consequences to families can’t be measured.
Layoff insurance
dave says
QSome of the people I work with have been buying into a new kind of supplemental insurance that protects against layoffs. It costs about $30 a month per person, and the full payout if you’re laid off is $9,000. It seems to me you would have to be paying in for a long time to see that kind of return, so I wanted to see how you feel about this kind of thing.
AAnytime insurance is there for something you could cover yourself, it’s a good idea to stop and remember that every insurance company is still a business. They must cover all the costs of operation, plus make a profit. Believe me, that takes a lot of money.
Statistically speaking, if lots of people cashed in on a policy like this, an insurance company would go out of business. We’re talking about only $30 a month to cover $9,000. That alone tells you not many people cash in. It’s gimmick insurance.
On average, you’re losing money when you buy insurance of any kind. Again, on average, over the scope of your lifetime you’d be better off simply saving money and selfinsuring against things like this. The only things I recommend buying insurance for are things you can’t afford to cover personally. But you can afford to cover a layoff by saving an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses.
Financial advisor Dave Ramsey is a prolific author and radio host.
IBSA Summer Camps
IBSA.org/Kids Sallateeska Baptist Camp Students who have completed grades 7-12 Sallateeska Baptist Camp Students
July 15-20
entering grades 6-12
Hope that endures
After six weeks of work in flooded homes, Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers and partners from other states completed almost 200 jobs. But even more amazing than the amount of work they did in Iroquois County, said Dwayne Doyle, is the care they showed for homeowners.
“You give of your time, you give of your talent, you give of your treasure to come serve people who need someone who has not forgotten them,” Doyle told volunteers serving in Watseka this spring. “Thank you for doing that.”
The multi-week response in Iroquois County was done in partnership with a local IBSA church—Cornerstone Ministries in Watseka. Pastor Jerry Parker and his church opened up their building as a command and housing center for the volunteers, and worked “tirelessly” to serve them meals every evening, Doyle said.
Through the work in Watseka and surrounding communities, four people prayed to receive Christ. “This is truly more important than the number of work requests that were completed, which was amazing,” said Doyle, state director for Disaster Relief and IBSA’s director of men’s ministries and missions.
Also amazing, Doyle continued, is seeing how God works through churches that work together to meet practical needs, and advance the gospel.
John Lindeman is a Disaster Relief supervisor from Williamson Association. He started with the ministry in 2011, he recounted in a recent video interview onsite in Watseka, but didn’t really understand the true value of the work back then.
“As we served people we got to know what the real value of our work was,” said the volunteer from Cornerstone Community Church in Marion. “The real value was sharing Jesus.”
John’s wife, Francie, is a Disaster Relief chaplain with the Williamson team. She says a lot of times, people in difficult situations just need someone to listen. During the response in Iroquois County, she talked to a young mother whose home the team was working on, and eventually had the opportunity to ask whether she went to church.
“That opened up the door for me to share the gospel with her,” Francie Lindeman said, “and that’s what it’s all about.”
Watch a video about the Disaster Relief response in Watseka at vimeo.com/IBSA/Watseka.
Exegete the culture Understanding the world where we live and serve
Church needed here...
Location: Montgomery
Focus: Young families
Characteristics: This village southwest of Aurora is one of the fastest growing places in Illinois. People continue to move from the inner suburbs to this outer part of Chicagoland for new homes at lower prices. Even with the growing population, however, there has been little growth in new churches.
Prayer needs: Our focus is on the west side of Fox River. We envision new churches all along this area that will help reach Chicago from the outer suburbs, into the city.
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists
“Welcoming those new to the church has to be the constant and intentional posture of the entire congregation.”
– Thom Rainer, LifeWay Christian Resources
Practicing hospitality
LifeWay asked 1,000 Protestant pastors how their churches welcome guests: Have an opportunity to meet the pastor after the service
Have greeters at the entrance
Have cards guests are asked to complete
Have a central location they can learn about the church
Have time during service for attenders to welcome guests
Host a session for new people to learn more about the church
Have books in pews that collect visitor information
Have gifts for guests
Have greeters or attendants in the parking lot
Ask guests to stand in the worship service
New neighbors: New opportunity
Hispanics, along with Asians, are the fastest growing ethnic groups, with increased population in all 102 Illinois counties.
But new research shows only
10 %
of Latinos in the U.S. are born again.
“The longer Latinos are in the United States and the more Americanized they become, the more secularized they become…
This is the opportunity to have the conversation: Will we have a five- or ten-year plan?”
– IBSA Church Planting Team