Chicago | A Baptist will be the new president of Moody Bible Institute (MBI) starting August 17. Rick Melson will leave his role at Southwest Baptist University (SBU) in Bolivar, Mo. for the post vacated by Chicago pastor Mark Jobe after seven years.
Melson, with Baptist roots, joins the independent evangelical school founded by Dwight Moody in 1886. The school has had a series of shorter presidencies since the 2005 resignation of Joe Stowell after 18 years at the helm.
“It is a great privilege to be entrusted with leading and stewarding this extraordinary ministry into its next chapter,” Melson said. “I come to Moody with profound respect for its remarkable heritage and tremendous optimism for its future.” He also pointed to considerable ministry assets held by the Midwest-centered evangelical entity. “Together, we will seek God’s wisdom as we strengthen Moody’s educational mission, expand Moody Global Media’s reach, extend Moody Publishers’ influence, and make the gospel available to more people than ever before,” Melson said.
Melson holds degrees from Murray State University, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dallas Baptist University.
PLUS: Mission Illinois Offering focuses on kids, camps, and colleges. Pull-out prayer guide inside.
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GLOBAL
PRAYER POINTS
Fewer thumbs up for religion
Two-thirds of U.S. adults say America would be better off if it were more religious, but at 65%, the number is down from 75% in 2013. Those saying less religion would be better is 22%, up from 17% a decade ago. Highest favorable numbers in the new Gallup poll were among Republicans (95%) and Catholics (85%), both up slightly.
Homeschoolers sentenced for ‘neglect’
A couple in Brazil was sentenced to 50 days in jail because their homeschool curriculum did not include gender and cultural diversity lessons. The daughters, ages 11 and 15, both skilled pianists, did not indicate a taste for hip-hop when quizzed by authorities. The court called that ‘intellectual neglect.’ Alliance Defending Freedom (an IBSA ministry partner) is representing the parents.
Anti-Christian crimes rising
In 11 European countries, 37 hate crimes were reported in May, including 13 arsons at Christian sites. In Germany, which had four arsons, a Christian-owned café closed permanently after 26 attacks in 2.5 years. Watchdog group OIDAC reported repeated vandalism and butyric acid thrown by far-left extremists.
Global Hunger Relief offering Aug. 23
Conflict in Sudan has displaced millions of people—and they’re hungry. Sudan is featured in Global Hunger Relief this year, along with Brazil, Philippines, and Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. IMB President Paul Chitwood said, “Nearly 675 million people face hunger around the world every day, with another 2.3 billion people facing food insecurity.”
English clubs in Vietnam
Hien is one of many teachers offering language classes in Ho Chi Minh City. The ‘clubs’ are popular for students advancing their careers. IMB asks, “Pray for Hien as she creates engaging lessons, develops new friendships, and shares about Jesus.”
Church billboard affirms transgender
A billboard at an Anglican church in New Zealand protests a proposed law defining men and women by their biology. The law would protect rights related to birth gender. The sign reads, “We don’t care what’s in your pants—and neither should the government.”
IMB, Christian Post, Christian Institute, Morning Star News, ABC -TV
SCOTT FOSHIE
Seeking Spirit-led momentum
As a young man starting out in ministry, I was reminded by mentors many times that “serving the Lord is a marathon, not a sprint.” This admonition continues to ring true as we launch into this new season of Illinois Baptist life. While we celebrate many signs of growing Spirit-led momentum in our Great Commission partnership, I know that God is setting the stage for years of missional investment and harvest as we sow the gospel throughout our Illinois mission field.
It is healthy to prayerfully pause, listen, and look around us for signs of God’s blessing and momentum. We must ensure we are truly abiding to be able to look around us with God’s perspective. This requires time in God’s Word and an obedient, listening posture before him.
As I pause to look around Illinois with you, I see several encouraging signs: churches expressing a sincere desire to pray, refocus, and share Jesus with dependance on him abound. In addition, we are bombarded with stories of gospel conversations, salvations, and baptisms happening in every part of our state this year.
Our giving through the Cooperative Program is growing, and closer partnerships are developing with entities including our local associations, your International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, and fellow state conventions. These are all reasons to celebrate God’s favor and to recommit to John 15:5 disciple-
ship and Acts 1:8 mission together. I’m committed to leading your IBSA team to remain devoted to increasing pastoral posture, relational depth, and diligent missional leadership in the days to come.
Now is also a good time for us to pause, pray, look, and listen for signs of Spirit-led momentum in each of our churches. Do people look forward to coming to worship? Is there a sense of expectation as Sunday school classes, small groups, and ministry efforts are about to begin?
If our churches were gone next week, would our communities miss us?
These are all good questions to ask as we assess our willingness to join God
in the work he’s doing through us.
We must remember that true spiritual momentum and fruit are produced by God alone. It is tempting to grab on to the latest fad or to take something that worked for another church and “plug and play” it without seeking God deeply about his plans for us. Sadly, this unspiritual approach is a recipe for frustration and wandering.
God’s plan to bring spiritual momentum in our lives requires us to be in tune with him through a close personal relationship rooted in his Word and prayer. As we can hear his voice, we begin to see how he is already working around us. We grow
Journey along with Scott as he meets with Illinois Baptists across the state.Follow at Facebook.com/ scott.foshie.1
“…but
those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.”
– Isaiah 40:31
encouraged and hopeful as we see that he has placed us amid souls that are hungry for meaning and are ripe for hearing the gospel. Then, as God invites us to join him in his work, we are blessed to answer His invitation. Living these timeless, biblical Experiencing God principles bring hope to hopeless Christians and life to lifeless churches every time.
If you’re seeking to listen to God about how he’s working in your church and how he might be inviting you to a new season of Great Commission fruit, your Illinois Baptist team is ready to walk the journey with you. Reach out to us and we will be privileged to listen to God and even run the wonderful, shared journey of ministry he has for us to run together.
Contact Scott Foshie at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.
Pastors and leaders, receive weekly video updates from Scott. Sign up for text updates at IBSA.org/subscribe
Your church can give by using this QR code to digitally submit or mail your CP missions offering.
NEWBIES– Scott Foshie hosts nine summer interns with the Heartland Baptist Network at IBSA and they took over his conference room.
Good signs (so far)
Foshie's first quarter proving positive
Springfield | In church life, some summers are marked by a slump—in giving, attendance or attitude. But not this year, and especially not for IBSA.
With the new administration now entering its second quarter, there are notable signs of positive attitudes in the network of churches. Some observations are anecdotal, with sto ries coming from the mission field about enthusiasm for the new season, and some observations are based on upticks in attendance and missions support.
IBSA Board Chair Paul Cooper shared Foshie’s assessment. “He has travelled the state to listen to others; he’s communicated well with the board and other leaders, and we’ve seen some early signs of growth,” Cooper said.
“I’m moving into the second half of 2026 encouraged by the unity, support, and the desire to impact lostness that Illinois Baptists are expressing as I spend time with them,” Scott Foshie said.
Elected in December with a transition overlapping Executive Director Nate Adams’ April 1 retirement. Foshie has officially held office three months. In that time, Foshie has held listening sessions with leaders in every corner of the state. And his preaching schedule is full through the end of the year.
“There is a palpable desire among our churches to reach their communities and the world with the gospel,” Foshie said.
IBSA President Doug Munton cited Foshie’s personal interactions as a positive. “He is a great listener and encourager. He has helped us connect with each other and seek God's direction for our work together. I am delighted that we can join together in the important mission God has for us in Illinois.”
All five regions have consultants in place now, IBSA’s collegiate contractors are at work, and the missions, growth, communications, and operations teams are fully staffed for the first time in three years.
Attendance at IBSA camps was strong this year, as it was at Priority Women’s Conference, which expanded to three locations. Coming out of the SBC Annual Meeting, reports about increases from 300 to 1,600 missionary candidates in the pipeline to global mission fields buoy support from local churches. There is a sense
FROM THE FRONT: new MOODY PRESident
Continued from page 1
of unity around mission, even as the denomination works through constitutional issues and attitudes related to women’s roles in ministry.
Foshie is strengthening Illinois Baptists’ partnerships with the International Misson Board, North American Mission Board, and other state conventions.
Giving follows vision
If people vote with their feet and their wallets, then early balloting appears positive. Attendance numbers won’t be official until Annual Church Profiles are filed in September and tallied for a January report. However, compared to the same period last year, Illinois Cooperative Program giving is on the increase. Slight, but up.
For January 1 through June 30, the 2026 total was $2,692,691.07, compared to $2,690,422.05 for the same period last year. That is an increase of almost 1% ($2,269.02). While the shift
may seem small, it is an uptick. Ministry experts say that giving in churches follows other numerical trends by six months to two years. So, any upward movement is a good sign.
Foshie is obviously hopeful the trend continues. He inherited a budget plan for $6 million in 2026, but IBSA historically does not spend as much as it budgets. A spending plan more in line with the 2025 giving total of $5.2 million is more likely going forward. A staffing plan based on that projection is in place.
In contrast to the Illinois story, CP giving to the national SBC through June was below the budget goal. Total national CP giving remains a little more than 3% under budget for the year.
“I am especially excited to see an uptick in CP giving and a renewed optimism that God has great plans for Illinois,” Cooper said. “I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next!”
Network partnership season opens
Is your church interested in applying for cooperation with the Illinois Baptist State Association? The deadline to turn in an application prior to a vote at the IBSA Annual Meeting is September 15, 2026. To request an application and more information, contact BarbTroeger@IBSA.org or use the QR code.
Young rejoins Mission Team Byrd leads St. Louis
Melson led SBU in renewal, the Missouri Pathway reported, “marked by enrollment growth, strategic innovation, financial strengthening, fundraising success, expanded academic opportunities, and a renewed focus on student success and Christ-centered discipleship.” Record incoming enrollment was reported in four of the past five years.
Moody’s trustees are hoping for similar results. MBI trustee Mark Flannery, who chaired the search committee, said, “Melson is a deeply committed follower of Jesus Christ, an accomplished leader in Christian higher education, an exceptional fundraiser, gifted communicator and proven executive who understands how to lead complex ministry organizations while remaining firmly anchored in God’s Word.”
Melson served with John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, and at Mars Hill Church of Seattle, founded by Mark Driscoll.
Jobe announced his planned departure in January. As Christian Post reported, Jobe “is credited with growth in enrollment and improved financial reserves, arriving in 2019 amid controversies over the sudden departures of multiple Institute leaders following an article published by The Roys Report noting allegations of self-dealing, mission drift and intimidation.”
The two schools are about the same size. SBU has an enrollment of about 2,300 students, while MBI has 2,200.
Eric Reed
Mike Young rejoined the state staff after six years as pastor of Illinois churches. He will serve as IBSA Missions Director from his home in Carbondale. Young is the former Streator Camp manager, led revitalization there, and later provided oversight for both Streator and Lake Sallateeska camp facilities.
“As a part of Mike's new role, he will be serving as our Disaster Relief State Director with the assignment of taking our DR ministry to the next level in participation and effectiveness,” said IBSA Mission Team leader Shannon Ford. “He will also be accepting missions and evangelism assignments, especially in Southern Illinois.”
Young had served as pastor of the Ridge Church in Carbondale, and before that was pastor of New Beginnings Church in Streator. As a member of that church, he was instrumental in the formation of New Beginnings as a merger of two other Streator churches.
Before joining IBSA in 2016, Mike and Wendi Young were missionaries with the SBC International Mission Board for over nine years, serving in the Czech Republic.
Young recently served as a member of the IBSA Board. “We are very excited to have Mike and Wendy back in the IBSA (staff) family,” Ford said. Young concurred, “I’m excited about this new role.”
His return is effective August 1.
Ferguson, Mo. | A church planter familiar to Illinoisans has been named executive director of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association. His work will be on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, but his influence is felt across the region. Michael T. Byrd is a church planter and associational worker who has been preaching in his native city since he was 19.
Byrd was a self-described “church baby” who grew up in church culture. After serving as a youth minister, Byrd planted Faith Community Bible Church in North St. Louis City, a partnership with the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Send Network of St. Louis.
“Church planting helped me to really home in on a missionary heart and mindset,” he said. “You can’t just talk about the mission. You have to live as a missionary.”
Byrd is the first Black associational missions strategist in the 210-year history of the St. Louis Association and the sixth Black AMS in the Southern Baptist Convention. Leading an African-American church in a predominantly White organization during the 2020 Ferguson riots tested him.
“It required grit, focus, and extreme gospel intentionality,” Byrd said. He wanted people “to see that preaching the gospel is one thing; living the gospel is something totally different.”
Baptist Press with IB Staff
YOUNG MELSON
BYRD
IMB's
Chitwood
tours quake damage
Baptists partner for Venezuela relief
Caracas | The death toll following the June earthquakes in Venezuela is almost 5,000, with another 50,000 people still missing. Baptists on the ground are bringing the first wave of relief. International Mission Board (IMB) President Paul Chitwood joined a team at the invitation of the Venezuelan National Baptist Convention.
The team visited damaged areas in and around Caracas, the capital city and one of the hardest-hit regions. They also witnessed Venezuelan Baptists serving their communities.
Southern Baptists’ Send Relief has been serving local churches in Venezuela since before the earthquakes, which enabled quick response to the recent disaster with emergency funding and coordination. Send Relief partners were activated less than 24 hours after the earthquakes hit.
“There are thousands upon thousands of people who are homeless,” Chitwood said, standing in the rubble of toppled buildings. “It’s an indescribable scene. A response to this terrible devastation is demanded of us to bring compassion and help.”
Chitwood described the 75-year partnership with Venezuelan Baptist churches as being key to the effective response. “The IMB helped start the Venezuelan Baptist Convention,” he said. “Now there’s over 700 of those churches here. Working alongside them, we’re bringing a very practical response to the needs that are here: clean water, meals, emergency shelters and most importantly, the hope of the gospel.”
Send Relief Vice President Jason Cox said that even in the devastation, he has seen the commitment of local Baptist churches to serve their neighbors, while also ministering to each other in this time of loss.
the only survivor in his family. The only “home” he had was the piece of cardboard he was sleeping on. The team immediately responded to his needs with a few basic supplies, including a tent to use for shelter. They took time to share the hope of Jesus Christ and told him about their church.
A few days later, he walked for hours to find the church. On Sunday, July 5, the man professed his faith in Jesus, surrounded by a new family of faith. Since then, he has served alongside the church, even returning to the plaza where he once slept, to serve others who still sleep on scraps and pray to survive one more night.
“Every site we visited, we found the same pattern—people who had every reason to give up were instead looking for who they could help next,” IMB missionary Matt Waldraff said. “That resilience isn’t new. It’s the same faith these churches have been building on for decades, and now it’s on full display.”
The IMB Send Relief site offers donation channels for churches and individuals. “Recovery will take months, if not years, and many families
“These churches are serving while they’re experiencing grief and trauma themselves,” Cox said. “I met and prayed with a pastor yesterday who lost his son and granddaughter in the rubble. It was heartbreaking—but there he was, still doing what he could to serve his community.”
One local ministry team shared the story of a man they met in a public plaza in Caracas. He was
need help rebuilding their lives,” the site reads. “Your gift today will help provide food, medicine, blankets, shelter, and other critical assistance. You’ll also strengthen local churches as they bring practical help and the hope of the gospel to those affected by these devastating earthquakes.”
Reported by IMB
Girls’ sports protected
Washington, D. C. | Southern Baptists hailed two rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court preserving girls and women’s sports for biological females.
In response to the June 30 judgment, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Evan Leenow cited a 2025 SBC resolution that expressed “concerns over biological males competing against females, stating that ‘the participation of biological males and females in opposite gender sports...represents a rebellion against God’s design for male and female...and undermines fairness, safety, and truth.’”
The cases originated in West Virginia and Idaho over Title IX protections for women’s sports.
IB staff, from ERLC news
Worrisome new laws
Springfield | The spring session of the Illinois General Assembly passed multiple bills that conflict with the biblical values of Illinois Baptists. Some were signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in late June:
- HB 4834, the Prescription Monitoring Program, removed testosterone, estrogen, mifepristone and misoprostol from the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program.
The law was hailed as a victory by both LGBTQ and abortion advocates and took effect immediately.
- HB 5492, the Pharmacy Practice Act, requires insurance companies to provide coverage for six months of prescribed hormone therapy. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
- HB 5095, ID Card-Gender Designation, enshrines gender markers on state IDs and driver’s licenses into law, allowing individuals to identify as “male,” “female” or “X.” It takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
- HB 5295, The Reproductive Health Privacy Act restricts or “shields” access to the records of women who’ve had an abortion in Illinois to out-of-state entities. Advocates for the law claim it will protect patients from possible physician retaliation in states where abortion is illegal. Patients may choose to grant access to that information to their healthcare providers. The law will go into effect on July 1, 2027.
RED H T SUMMER
Camp attendance tops 1,100 with 40 salvations
Both IBSA camp managers were new in their locations when student camp weeks began in June. Now they’re seasoned veterans.
Jacob Kimbrough had served at Streator Baptist Camp for five years before heading south in February to prepare for the busy summer season. “Moving to Lake Sallateeska, I knew very little about the property itself,” he explained. “So, I quickly had to learn how everything worked, where everything was, the hundreds of big and small things to make sure I could serve well.”
Kimbrough and his wife, Katie, found a ready team of staff and volunteers. Their first camp season there, working with local associations, proved fruitful. Between the two facilities, 1,132 students and leaders attended camps, and 40 professed Christ as Savior. Another 32 answered a call to ministry or another commitment.
At Streator Baptist Camp, new manager Anthony Heathcoat had safety in mind. “We had the storm shelter prepared,” he said, for two rounds of bad weather. “I did my best to make sure kids felt safe. We had teddy bears and stuffed Clairs that they could hug and process through things.” Clair is Anthony’s German shepherd. It seemed appropriate for both students and managers that the camp theme was “Be Courageous” from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.
VBS encourages innovation
Vacation Bible School is a high point in many IBSA churches, reaching local communities with the gospel and bringing students to Christ each summer. Beyond the usual Bible story and Kool-Aid brigade, churches in Illinois tried new things with their familiar outing. Multiple churches reported teaming up to make extra special staging and decorations for the “Light of the World” theme.
Jamie Bond, ministry assistant at Central Baptist Association, initiated a resource swap involving First Baptist Church of Mt. Zion that she plans to expand next year. “I grew up in a small town, in a small church, we
Teens target deeper discipleship at Super Summer
This was Reese Lee’s last year at Super Summer. After graduating up to the seniors’ “grey school,” she’s entering college this fall. Returning to Greenville University near the Metro East, the IBSA-led week for student development was on familiar territory for leaders, but new ground for some teens.
Lee said her group from several churches has grown close over the years. As a member of the youth group at Woodland Baptist Church in Peoria, she knew how valuable the relationships were. “It was encouraging to meet people my age that also want to follow Jesus,” she said.
This year there were 214 participants including faculty, 162 were
students. There were nine professions of faith and 24 students expressed callings to missions or ministry.
Lindsey Wineinger, a mom and feed store owner from Princeton, has spent 11 years pouring into students like Reese. Three years ago, she became the Super Summer director. “These kids want answers to hard questions,” she said. And Super Summer focuses on growing young believers into mature leaders. Beyond career choices and relationships, “they want to know, ‘When I walk in a room, what makes me different as a believer and how will people know?’”
─Summary from reports by Kayla Houchin. Read more at IllinoisBaptist.org.
often didn’t have a lot,” Bond said. “I wanted to offer an opportunity to our association that could help serve the smaller churches.”
Rochester FBC staged a Bible club in Nashville, Tenn. “We were blown away with how God worked through our kids,” said Susan Bynum, who organized the mission trip for their students immediately after RFBC’s own VBS week. “While we (adults) walked alongside them, they led everything. Before this, we had some kids that had never prayed out loud before, for them it was a big deal.”
VBS, it turns out, is a growing experience for everyone.
ON POINT– Archery lessons are one of many activities at IBSA Summer Camps.
What would Illinois be like if each new generation of young people were transformed by Jesus Christ?
That’s the question that led us to the Faith Forward initiative. In my own teen and college years, so many faithful older saints sacrificially gave and served to invest in my faith. During times when it could have been so easy for my life to go a different direction, I was given opportunities to encounter the life-changing truth of a risen Lord and grow in His word. Church volunteers and ministry leaders poured into me at youth events, at camps, and in Baptist college ministry. They believed in the eternal value and kingdom potential of this boy growing up among them. So they invested.
Illinois Baptist churches are filled with people my age and older whose stories are much the same. Maybe you’re one of them. If so, would you join me in making sure that the generations of Illinois youth to come have the same opportunities we had?
A new direction for the Mission Illinois Offering: Next Generation ministries for Kids Camps Colleges
This is why we’re now directing all resources raised through our annual Mission Illinois campaign into Next Generation ministries, that reach and disciple kids, teens, and college students. It’s stories like Kate’s (inside)—and others featured in the 2026 Mission Illinois Offering and Week of Prayer—that I believe God wants to do all across our state, for generations to come. They’re our neighbors, our kids, and our grandkids. They’re also our future pastors, missionaries, church leaders, and Christian teachers, doctors, farmers, and businesspeople.
And we believe they are worth it.
Where will your next pastor, worship leader, small group teacher, or deacon come from?
The answer is found where it has always been. Sitting in high schools and homeschools, in the back row of small churches or at the large church youth group just for the pizza. These students have God-given gifts waiting to be unlocked through an invitation to join something bigger… Jesus and His mission.
This is why we’re investing in Next Generation ministry. Both short-term events and ongoing engagement reaches youth where they are, connects them to a bigger network and vision, and develops them into Jesus-following leaders in their own churches and communities.
This is what’s happening with young people like Isabella Munoz. The experiences she found and people she met through Illinois Baptist Next-Gen events built on the faithful foundation she received in her home church and helped shape her into the leader she is today.
“I was very close with my family growing up, and we did a lot of ministry together. But outside of that, I always struggled a little bit when it came to connections,” she said. “Having these conferences, having these gatherings that are outside
KIDS CAMPS RAISING LEADERS
of our church and part of a network gets to remind us it doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what your past is. If you are in Christ, you now have a family, you’re adopted into his kingdom.”
Participating in IBSA Next Gen events as a teen helped her grow in faith and gave her opportunities to use her skills and giftings. After she returned home from college, she got the call saying, “Hey, we need help at Super Summer. We could definitely use a leader like you.”
Isabella has now led worship and served as a family group coordinator at Super Summer, an Illinois Baptist weeklong discipleship camp several years in a row. But it’s the opportunity to spiritually invest in the next generation of girls from across Illinois that excites her the most.
“Being able to provide answers, not perfectly, but just with what the Lord has been teaching me through those years of finding our peace, finding our hope, finding our rest in him, is something that I think is beneficial to a lot of kids. Because what the world tells them is, ‘you do you, you keep figuring out your stuff, whatever you feel is what you should be feeling,’ instead of going to truth.”
“For three or four days... everything revolves around Jesus, who He is and what He’s done.”
OVER 70% OF ADULT CHRISTIANS WERE SAVED BEFORE AGE 18.
FAITH GROWS HERE
housands of children and teens stream down the gravel lanes into Lake Sallateeska and Streator Baptist Camps each year. Most arrive in the summer, when week after week the two rural retreat centers, one in northern Illinois and one in the south, serve as hosts for spiritual transformation.
Kids paddle on the lakes, play games on athletic fields and in the woods, and sleep in bunkhouse cabins. But more importantly, they study open Bibles on porches and under trees, they pray with one another and with church leaders and camp staff, they sing songs of praise to God at the tops of their lungs, and they hear and respond to messages of Jesus Christ and His kingdom call on their lives.
Lives are changed there. This is the power of a unique place, holy and set-apart for God.
In 1941, the Illinois Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) sacrificially raised the funds to purchase Hiller’s Lake, which had housed their youth camps for several years. It would later be renamed Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp. At the time WMU leader Maude Hathaway wrote, “The large number of conversions this year and the missionary zeal created through the camps justify the purchase of this property.”
Streator Baptist Camp was added to the ministry in 1969. Through the decades, countless young people have professed faith in Jesus, deepened their walk with Him, or responded to God’s call to missions and ministry at the camps.
MATT’S STORY
Matt Griswold is one of those lives. He has spent at least one week at a camp at Lake Sallateeska each year since 1990, first as a camper, and now for years as a leader. He grew up hearing his grandmother tell stories of WMU ladies prayer-walking the camp property as men built some of the first cabins. His parents met at the camp. For him, it is holy ground. Not because of family nostalgia, but because of the impact he has experienced there and witnessed in the lives of others.
“In 36 years…I’ve probably seen between 300 and 400 people saved,” he said, “and hundreds called into ministry or missions.” It’s that level of spiritual impact across the years that has created his deep commitment to Illinois Baptist camps ministry. “It’s just a week that we don’t mess with. We don’t plan anything on that week. We know from Saturday to Saturday I’m going to be there for junior high and high school camp, and my leadership team knows I’m not going to be there on Sunday.”
Griswold, now a pastor, can tell of lifelong friendships that span Illinois and other states that formed during summers at camp. Now it’s his own daughters, and own church youth, that he sees growing in their faith through the work of God in that set-apart week each summer.
“This is one of the most unbelievable places I could think of to invest in. I won’t know till heaven, but there’s no telling the impact this place and its workers have in the kingdom of God.”
COLLEGES HARVEST READY
ach year, more than 450,000 university students gather on Illinois campuses to pursue their dreams for the future. They come from all over the state, nation, and world. Each one is seeking answers to why they exist, how to find fulfillment, and what they will spend their lives pursuing.
They want to make an impact and be a part of something that matters. While at the same time they are realizing that there is something very wrong with this world. They feel the weight, anxiety, and disconnectedness of our culture, and know there must be a better way.
This season is one of the most pivotal times in their lives. It’s also a ready-made opportunity for them to find God’s answers to life’s biggest questions. The fields are ready for the harvest. Recognizing the critical importance of this ministry, IBSA is expanding investment in reaching students at Illinois universities and seeing them grow into fully devoted followers of Jesus.
KATE’S STORY
When Kate Biros left her small northern Illinois town and headed to college at Illinois State University, she was searching for something. What she didn’t expect to find was a faith in Jesus that would change her life. That’s what dynamic college campus ministries can do – meet students who are away from home for the first time, searching for a community and identity.
“Everyone’s looking for something,” Kate said, “and it’s kind of whatever finds you first.” For her, it was a connection made in the first weeks of her freshman year with a Salt Company campus ministry volunteer. That led to Kate connecting with another student from the campus ministry for a ride to a Salt Church service, the Illinois Baptist cooperating church that houses the on-campus ministry. That Sunday morning, she saw others worshiping and knew they had something she didn’t have – a real relationship with Jesus.
Seeing Kate’s emotion, her new friend asked if she wanted to take the next step in faith. “I told her I did not know what that was, but whatever it was I wanted that! We went through Romans 10:9, and I got saved that day!”
State Missions Prayer Guide
Sun: Next-Gen ministry leaders
Ministry to kids and teens relies on dedicated, spirit-led, volunteers and church staff. These women and men are on the front lines, sharing the gospel with tender hearts, building biblical foundations, and showing the love of Jesus to young lives experiencing the ups and downs of growing up. IBSA Next Gen ministries invest in these leaders through support and trainings that builds skills, reinforce best practices, and equip churches to create safe, fun, biblical communities for kids.
Pray that church members across the state would continue to respond to the call to be Next Gen ministry leaders and volunteers, and that God would use IBSA training efforts to support and equip them to share Jesus with compassion and integrity.
Mon: Growing Jesus followers
Where do churches find the next pastors and ministry leaders? They are in middle schools, high schools, and home schools right now. They are not too young to begin to grow into their own unique calling to serve God. Events like the AWSOM Girls Weekend, Forged Student Guys Retreat, Go Chicago mission week, and IBSA Super Summer focus on deepening students’ understanding of the faith and their place in God’s bigger plan.
Pray that older kids and teens would develop an identity deeply rooted in Christ at IBSA Next Gen events. Pray they would begin to use their gifts and talents to serve Jesus and his church now, preparing them to be leaders.
Tues: Reaching teens
More than 70% of adult evangelical Christians made their profession of faith in Jesus before age 18. Reaching teens with the gospel is essential. That’s why IBSA Next Generation ministry events include a clear presentation of the Gospel. This is why events like Youth Encounter also teach teens how to share the Gospel with their friends.
Pray for students who attend Illinois Baptist youth events to hear the truth of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection and respond in repentance of faith. Pray for those who are already believers to be emboldened as they are equipped to share their faith with their friends.
Thurs: Summer camps
Once the calendar turns to June and July, Lake Sallateeska and Streator Baptist Camps play host to youth and children’s camps every week. The mid-week off-season solitude is replaced by the chatter, energy, and excitement of over 1,000 kids who come from all across the state. Whether it is a camp organized by IBSA, a local Baptist association, or a church, these multi-day spiritual getaways are fertile ground for God’s work in kid’s lives.
Pray that more and more parents would send their kids and youth to summer camps; that kids would embrace the distraction free environment and have open minds and hearts to Jesus during the week; and that God would continue to call out future missionaries and pastors through camps.
Fri: Central campuses
Illinois Baptists have partnerships that fund ministries on four campuses in central Illinois. Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois State University in Bloomington/Normal, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, and Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. With nearly 100,000 students on these campuses, there is a tremendous opportunity to reach young people searching for truth, purpose, and a future at a critical season of life.
Pray for campus ministry leaders and returning students to develop relationships with new students through fall outreaches. Pray for God to open doors to students who are seeking truth and purpose.
Sat: Southern campuses
Illinois Baptist partnerships fund college ministries on two campuses in southern Illinois. McKendree University, with 2,500 students, is located in the small Metro East town of Lebanon. The sprawling SIU-Carbondale campus, with almost 12,000 students, is situated in the Shawnee hills. College ministry in Carbondale has a long history, and multiple strategic partners reaching students through the Baptist Student Ministry Center on campus.
Pray for God to provide opportunities for campus ministry leaders and returning students to make positive connections with new students through fall outreaches. Pray for the hearts and minds of students to be open to hear the truth of the gospel and the hope found in following Jesus as Lord.
“WHAT I FOUND WOULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT GENERATIONS POURING INTO COLLEGE STUDENTS AND SEEING US AS WORTHY.”
Since then, she has steadily grown through the discipleship of the campus ministry and church, leading other friends and students to faith in Jesus, is now a student leader, and has served with a global team in Africa.
This is the power of college campus ministry. Multitudes of young people converge, all seeking community, identity, purpose, and answers. Imagine the generational impact in Illinois if every college campus had a gospel-centered ministry connected to a dynamic local church.
Wed: Rural camp retreats
For decades, Lake Sallateeska and Streator Baptist Camps have served as special places where children and students hear God’s word and commit their lives to following Jesus. Each is designed to provide separation from the distractions of daily life and focus on God. Through summer camps, youth events, and church retreats, hundreds of students are reached with the gospel and discipled all year long.
Pray that young people would continue to hear God’s call in these sacred environments and they would grow into godly leaders in their churches. Pray for camp directors Jacob Kimbrough and Anthony Heathcoat, and the camp staff, as they serve the thousands who come to the camps each year.
Sun: Future campuses
More than 450,000 students study at Illinois four-year colleges and universities, plus hundreds of thousands more at community colleges. This unique time in their lives places many students in a residential experience surrounded by their peers, seeking community and answers to the big questions in life. IBSA is strategically working to help expand college ministry, especially in northern Illinois, where university enrollment is growing.
Pray for God to provide churches strategically located near campuses and leaders with a calling to invest in students with the Gospel of Jesus. Pray Luke 10:2, that God would provide more partners ready to be workers for this great harvest.
100% of your gifts to Mission Illinois support:
Camps at Streator and Lake Sallateeska where kids’ faith grows.
Expanding student ministries across Illinois college campuses.
Next Generation evangelism and discipleship events.
Training for local church children’s and youth ministry leaders.
Provides coffee & coaching with a Next Gen leader
Helps equip a church to launch a VBS in their community
Supports continued ministry on a college campus
Provides a discipleship retreat for 50 students
Here are three ways you can give:
Mail to IBSA, P.O. Box 4466, Springfield, IL 62708-4466. What
Giving through your local church Mission Illinois Offering is the best way!
If your local church is not participating in the Mission Illinois Offering, individuals can give directly online or by check.
Online at MissionIllinois.org.
Make checks payable to Illinois Baptist State Association, with "Mission Illinois" in memo line.
news makers
SBC President Willy Rice
The Mohler Amendment isn't finished yet. Neither is the Great Commission.
Willy Rice is looking to late September. At the time he talked with the Illinois Baptist, Rice was on a brief trip, gathering his thoughts and outlining his first address to the SBC’s Executive Committee next month.
In our conversation, it’s clear that Rice feels the weight of passing the Truth and Unity (Mohler) Amendment which will come for a second vote in Indianapolis in June 2027, the same city where a similar amendment to the SBC Constitution limiting the pastoral office to men failed to receive the required two-thirds majority vote.
“It’s not finished,” Rice said. He wants leaders “rowing in the same direction” so the Amendment can be passed and the Convention can focus on its missions commitment. The Florida
Q: You’re just over one month into your first term: is your phone ringing a lot? Are you feeling the weight of the work that’s ahead?
A: Out of the gate, I’m very excited. And you’re right, the phone is ringing. You know, there’s a lot of opportunities. People are asking me to come and speak. We’re also trying to get our work organized. I came in with some very clear ideas in mind, so now it’s about how to formulate that into specific strategies.
I’ve had a lot of conversations with the entity heads, but a first step is getting ready for the Executive Committee in September. I view that address as an opportunity to lay out several specific ideas that I have, things that I will need their help on, things that I will call Southern Baptists to. And so the first stage is turning dreams and visionary statements into action plans.
Q: Is there anything that you might want us to hear a little bit about before September?
A: One is the ongoing issue of the Truth and Unity Amendment, which is an issue that, you know, is going to have to be solved in the sense of how we achieve broad, vast, convictional consensus.
I really believe there is consensus that Southern Baptists have [but] there are legitimate questions about what certain things mean and how certain things will be applied. What are the unintended consequences? If we can find our way through some of the maze of that, I do think we can achieve a vast convictional consensus.
Q: Have we not done that by passing this amendment in Orlando by nearly 75% approval in the first vote?
A: Yes, I think we’ve taken a big step forward, a big step forward. But as everyone knows, it has to be passed a second time.
I’m listening to people in that 25% or so [who voted against the amend-
pastor says he will spend his first year answering questions about limitations on the use of the word pastor and firming up “broad convictional consensus.”
He has other plans too. While not tipping his hand completely, Rice spoke about an evangelistic “thrust” tied to the coming 2,000th Anniversary of the Great Commission that could unify Southern Baptists afresh around missions and evangelism for the next generation.
Rice also talked about God’s timing in the fouryear delay in his election, and debate over bringing SBC Annual Meetings to the Midwest and places outside the deep South.
This interview with editor Eric Reed was condensed to fit the space available.
ment], I’m trying to do what I would want them to do for me if the shoe was on the other foot. I think there are some legitimate questions that need to be clarified. My goal will be to move [support] from 75% in the affirmative to like 90% in the affirmative.
I hope by the time we get to Indianapolis, everybody goes, “Okay, that’s what they mean; that’s what they don’t mean; that’s how this is going to be used.” And I hope that we can finish the job.
everyone so that the Baptist on the back row knows what we mean.
Q: Can the president appoint ad hoc committees of his own choosing and purposes?
A: Yes. There’s precedent for that— a tool the SBC president has at his disposal.
Q: You also have the meeting of the minds that happens with entity heads and seminary presidents where this kind of
Q: What is the mechanism for doing that?
Because you might have thought coming into office that you’d have a task force or a study group, right? A mandate to address the role of women in church life. But nine task forces got quashed with a single vote.
A: Well, I think I have a way. That’s probably part of what I will share in September. But you’re right, admittedly there was task force fatigue. The messengers had kind of learned that if you want to accomplish something, appoint a task force. Everyone was getting a little tired of that, and I understood that entirely. While I’ve adjusted, you know, my plan and strategy, I do believe there are some ways that we can clarify for
coalescing of support could happen.
A: The entity heads do occasionally meet. They’re always talking to one another. I would think if you want to present something to that group, it’s really helpful if we can get everybody rowing in the same direction on an issue like this. Just to be honest, that wasn’t the case in the past. We had people kind of pulling in different directions.
Q: People have asked us about expansion of the Mohler Amendment to include the roles of women in positions other than pastor, and using that to withdraw fellowship from some churches. But Dr. Mohler said in Orlando he did not believe the
Convention had intention to expand use of this amendment. Is that what you want to answer before we get to Indianapolis?
A: I would say yes. I want to answer the questions of anyone who may be may be imagining a worst-case scenario or a draconian enforcement. I want to answer the good faith questions. There are always people who can imagine draconian things in order to instill fear or to move their own agenda. But my goal will be that by the time we get to Indianapolis, the only way you would vote “no” on this is that you really do want women pastors.
I’m not in any way impugning someone’s motives who may disagree with me. I’m just saying my goal is to be so exceedingly clear that that’s really the only reasonable explanation somebody could give to vote against the constitutional amendment. I hope to get there. We’ll see if we do.
Q: In your understanding, any pastoral position as applied to a woman would be inappropriate—including associate pastor?
A: The challenge in answering that question is the term pastor. We have people using the title to mean different things. And really, it’s a rather modern phenomenon.
I like to go back and say my grandmother knew what a pastor was. She knew the pastor was a guy who preached on Sunday and helped lead the church. Maybe there would be an associate pastor if the church got a little bit large, but you didn’t hand out the pastor title to the minister of youth or the minister of music.
We had an inflationary use of the term [with] massive staffs and megachurches, and then we started handing the title pastor out to everyone. The only way we’re going to get out of this is that we appeal to people to use that term in a way that is biblically appropriate.
The pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida for 22 years, Willy Rice and Cheryl, his wife of 42 years, have three adult children and their spouses, and eight grandchildren (pictured below).
“This anniversary is an opportunity for a generational initiative to pursue the Great Commission... It’s the biggest challenge imaginable.”
─Willy Rice
Q: Let’s talk about the Midwest. Are you concerned that coming to Indianapolis might present a challenge for approval of the Mohler amendment?
A: Yes, it’s a concern. I’m not up at night over it, but it’s a concern. I spoke about the issue of annual meeting locations this spring and created a little bit of controversy and got, you know, misunderstood some. I love Indianapolis. It’s a great city, as is St. Louis. And I think the convention ought to move around in a regular rotation outside the South and to the north and to the west. My concern was the frequency, where I looked at the next decade and I saw we were coming to the Deep South only once, and yet we were voting to go to Anaheim twice in a five-year period.
Somewhere around 80% of Southern Baptist people live in the Deep South and in Texas. The statistics
have borne out most people are going to drive from about five hours away. When you move it outside our geographic footprint to the north and to the west, it means you are going to have a smaller convention.
When you have a smaller convention, the percentage of people at that convention who are employed by SBC entities, that is, who are paid to go, is going to increase. So you are going to get a more institutional expression and a little bit less of a grassroots expression.
Q: Is there value at times in having the convention in a place where it actually draws the denomination’s attention to that area. You know, the convention was held in Chicago twice in the 1950s. That brought some significant missions engagement in Illinois.
A: Absolutely I think there is value there. I want Baptists around the
country to know they are valued. We want to be a national and international movement. We are not simply a parochial movement in the South. I just think there needs to be balance there. (And I look forward to coming to the Midwest.)
Q: You were briefly in consideration for SBC president in 2022, then withdrew. Might this be a better time for you to serve?
A: When you’re on the backside of God’s timing, it’s easier to see that was part of God’s sovereignty. I can only speak for how I feel, but I just feel so much more prepared to lead in this moment than I would have four years ago. I’m more ready to try to bring about some renewal and some change.
We’ve come through some controversies [as a denomination]. We see some things in a clearer way. And I just feel like, you know, in God’s good timing, this is the right time.
Q: The 2,000th anniversary of the Great Commission is coming up—although the exact date may not be certain. Is that on your list?
A: In the next decade we will pass that mark when Jesus gave his final
instructions. Many Christians are circling May 2033 as a way of fixing a date on it. I feel like this is an opportunity for a generational initiative to pursue the Great Commission. By the end of my presidency, I would hope this is something Southern Baptists around the country are talking about. And I would hope we could cast a vision for what that generational thrust would look like in the United States and globally. So, we’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of groundwork to lay.
Q: Some of us remember Bold Mission Thrust. How can you make sure the SBC follows through on such a commitment?
A: It’s a generational challenge. It’s the biggest challenge imaginable. It’s the task that Jesus gave us, and it is impossible. And yet, imagine how impossible it must have sounded to those first disciples when Jesus laid it out— no technology or transportation like we have, and yet he gives them this mission to go to the ends of the earth. It seems so impossible, and yet is it? Nothing’s impossible with God.
That could be a goal that catalyzes us and motivates us, and that’s what I hope.
2026
MAJESTIC FRATERNITY PASTOR’S BIBLE STUDY RETREAT
Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp; Pinkneyville IL Monday and Tuesday; October 5-6
Check in is at noon on October 5th Retreat concludes at 3:30 on October 6th
Cost for the two-day session including motel and meals is $81 for double occupancy This includes 3 meals and conference fee
Make check payable to “The Majestic Fraternity” Mail to: Brent Cloyd 1440 Illinois Highway 15 Fairfield IL 62837
Questions? Call or text 618-599-5059
Dr Robert Smith, Jr , Retired Professor of Preaching at the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, will be our teacher
Worth every effort
When the news came, I was tired—Day 4 of VBS tired. Tired had been the theme of every drive home with my wife that week. Somewhere along the way I had finally asked the question only the overly weary ask: “How long are we going to keep this up?”
Months of planning had become weeks of preparation. Church halls were covered in painter’s tape posters, painted foam creations, and every color of light Hobby Lobby had to offer. We had prayed families would notice the sign in front of the church, heed the email invitations, and show up for the first night of Bible School.
My wife thought about my weary question and answered without hesitation: “Every year. Our grandchildren—and every other child—deserve the opportunity to experience a VBS like we had tonight.”
God had already given us a few indications that he was working that week. Three of our grandchildren were gathered around the kitchen table practicing their VBS memory verse when our youngest granddaughter—just 14 months old—called out “Jesus” for the first time. I’ll be preaching on that in the future.
I was outside preparing for recreation when Pastor Josh came with the news. On Day 4 of VBS, our pastor visits each grade school classroom and shares a simple, age-appropriate gospel presentation. The children had been learning about Jesus all week: that he is the Promised Savior, the Perfect Savior, and the Proven Savior. Each child was offered the opportunity to meet Jesus personally, without pressure or manipulation.
Pastor Josh came to tell me that my oldest granddaughter had indicated she wanted to talk with someone about accepting Jesus as her Savior. There on the rec field, my son-in-law and I wept, overwhelmed by the goodness of God.
About 9 p.m. that night, my wife and I received a FaceTime call from our granddaughter. She told us she had asked Jesus to be her Savior. Nonnie, Poppaw, and all the angels in heaven were rejoicing at that news.
The personal aspect of evangelism can sometimes get lost in the large numbers. We live in a state where 8 million people do not know the Lord, and 176 people will die today in Illinois without Jesus. Yet onefourth of all SBC baptisms are directly related to Vacation Bible School. Somehow, as I anticipated Day 5 of VBS, I found new energy for the work.
Mark
Emerson is IBSA Associate Executive Director.
INSIGHT
What makes ministry successful?
My Illinois predecessor proves it’s not what you think.
As a psychologist and researcher, Angela Duckworth was puzzled why some intelligent and talented people persisted while others quit.
Most of those she observed were probably far more gifted than I am, but raw talent was not a reliable predictor of success. What she found was one characteristic that repeatedly predicted success above raw talent—grit.
John Wayne would be proud.
Duckworth wrote a bestselling book about it, and a corresponding TED Talk, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. A person may not have the most talent, but if he or she has grit, look out! They will change, adapt, and keep finding a way to make it work.
We can see examples of this in history, business, athletics, and even ministry. In fact, grit may be the one quality we need to emphasize most in ministry today, especially as church fads come and go.
It is tempting to look at others with their degrees, church facilities, and social media reach and feel like we are an insignificant speck somewhere in flyover country. We may be overlooking one of the most important qualities we need.
One example of this is a virtually unknown Illinois Baptist pastor named Peter Hagler Hagler was a pioneer to the state when it was barely one decade old. He settled in an area outside of Du Quoin known as Nine Mile Prairie. As other believers moved in, the desire to start a church grew. They wrote to two ministers in Tennessee asking them to come to Illinois, but neither did. So, out of necessity, they began the church in Hagler’s log cabin in 1829.
“Now, while we were in this destitute condition, I felt deeply impressed with a sense of duty to preach the gospel. I do not mean to say that I felt qualified to preach, but I felt that the gospel ought to be preached,” Hagler said. He was appointed as the first pastor of Nine Mile Baptist Church at about age 22.
Nine Mile went on to start eight other churches. Bro. Hagler—armed simply with a Bible, a hymn book, a pocket concordance, and “a heart consecrated to the work of winning souls”—became a circuit riding preacher.
“I used to furnish my own outfit,” he wrote, “and travel and preach for ten dollars per month… I was as poor as anybody. I lived on public land in a log cabin… I resolved to give myself to the work. I thought that if I could do my duty and please the Master, it would be enough… I never suffered rain or snow, nor heat or cold, to prevent me from filling my appointments, although they were frequently 25-to-35 miles from home; and yet I do not suppose that during the 30 years of my ministry, upon an average, I missed one appointment a year.
“Thus, I traveled a great many long, cold, snowy and rainy days across the lonely, wild prairies,
MONUMENTAL Peter Hagler’s grave marker says he lived 79 years, 1 month, and 27 days. What he accomplished is told by nine churches founded, 3,000 baptisms, and the author of this essay.
sometimes dripping wet, sometimes my overcoat would be frozen stiff.”
It is estimated that Hagler baptized 3,000 people. Oh, and on top of that, he raised seven orphaned children.
Historian Justus Bulkley wrote of Hagler, “Very few men in Illinois have left such a record. The influence of such a life no human mind can estimate. Before the presence of such a character, we stand with feet unsandaled and head uncovered. We revere…such a man… His work will stand when the scepters of monarch and diadems of kings shall blend in common dust.”
I should know. I am one of the direct beneficiaries of his ministerial grit. I grew up in Nine Mile Baptist Church.
As an Illinois Baptist pastor for 20 years, I have seen many fads and fears, technologies, threats, and programs promising to be the magic bullet, but one underrated quality seems to be grit.
“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart,” Paul says. Even though they were afflicted, crushed, perplexed, and driven to despair, ministry grit had the odd result of causing them to be renewed day by day.
God can use any of your skills and abilities, no matter how small they may seem to you. But one thing to remember, despite what you have, he can always use your grit.
Mark Goldman has served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Herrin since 2017.
Ben Foxworth retired after 12 years as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Vandalia. Foxworth served 21 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 1998 as Senior Chief Petty Officer. He began preaching in 1997 and was called to his first pastorate in 2001. Foxworth holds M. Div. and D. Min. degrees from New Orleans Seminary. He is a member of the IBSA Board. Foxworth and his wife, Dena, have three daughters and four grandchildren. He cites Romans 12:1-2 as verses that changed his life.
with the lord
Phil N. Jones, 87, died May 27 in Springfield, Mo. Jones was a threeterm trustee for the Baptist Foundation of Illinois. He chaired the scholarship committee.
“Phil was a dear friend of BFI and someone who is deeply loved and respected,” BFI's Doug Morrow said. “He had a massive impact on thousands of beneficiaries of ministries in whom he invested and hundreds of scholarship recipients have benefited from the work he did over many years as a trustee.”
Jones is survived by his wife, Carmen, two daughters, and two grandchildren.
NetworkiNg
Argenta Baptist Church seeks a bivocational pastor. The small- to medium-sized congregation has a balanced age range. The church and parsonage are located in the family and sports friendly A/O School District. Send resumes to Mark A. Roberts, mrcobaltblue79@yahoo.com
Search more church openings at IBSA.org/pastor-search
Issac King is the new Associational Mission Strategist for Sandy Creek Association. He has served as pastor of Hillview Baptist Church in that association. He holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Midwestern Seminary, and anticipates completion of a Masters degree in 2027. King is married to Abby and they have three daughters.
Bob Carruthers served Sandy Creek Association 23 years. He was succeeded by Richard Nations in 2023, and Brian Kenny as interim AMS in 2025.
Thomas “Mike” Barnard, 77, of Girard, died June 10. He was married to longtime IBSA executive assistant Sandy Barnard, and was a well-known figure in music and ministry in Central Illinois.
Barnard served 48 years as minister of music in two churches, First Baptist of Springfield and Sugar Creek United Methodist in Chatham. He was a librarian and music teacher at Lincoln Land Community College for 36 years, retiring in 2005.
Barnard traveled with the Illinois Baptist Singing Churchmen for performances and mission work, and led worship for many revivals throughout the years. The Barnards have two children and their families include eight grandchildren.
Bethel Baptist Church in Vandalia seeks a full-time lead pastor. This church, with an average attendance of 100-150, values connections. They seek a pastor who is led by the Spirit, relational, and able to preach and teach the living and active Word of God. Salary range is $50-70,000, based on experience and education. bethelbaptistsearch26@gmail.com
Wayne City Baptist Church seeks a full-time lead pastor. This congregation of 50-75 worshippers on Sundays is next door to the local school district and has a good ministry with children. A nice parsonage is available. Send resume to waynecitybaptistchurch.org, Search Committee Chair David White.
August 3-4
EVENTS
Associational Roundtable
What: Two-day gathering for leaders of local Baptist associations to learn and grow together. Leaders will receive advanced registration information directly.
Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Info: More details coming soon.
August 21-22
Priority: Hispanic Conference
What: Leadership conference for women
Where: Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Email: CarmenHalsey-Menghnini@IBSA.org
August 21-22
Tech Conference
What: Specialized church tech training for pastors, tech and/or worship leaders, team members
Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Cost: $20 per person
Contact: CarmenHalsey-Menghnini@ IBSA.org
August 28-29
Disaster Relief Training
Where: Lake Sallateeska Camp
What: Childcare, chaplaincy, flood recovery, chainsaw, and incident management.
Cost: Current members free. New members or expired badges $50.
Info: IBSA.org/events
Contact: JanetSheley@IBSA.org
All Church Training
9/8 – Three Rivers Association 9/15 – FBC Columbia 9/17 – Chicago Region 9/29 – Marion
What: Tune-up core ministries. Pastors, ministry leaders, and workers receive training to lead a healthy, growing church.
Cost: Free
Info: IBSA.org/events
Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
September 11-12
For the Pastor & Wife Conference
What: This retreat is for rest, renewal, and encouragement for senior/lead pastors and their wives.
Where: Embassy Suites, East Peoria Cost: Free for senior/lead pastors of IBSA cooperating churches.
Info: IBSA.org/events
Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
September 13-20
Mission Illinois Offering
What: Your church’s MIO giving carries the faith forward by funding ministry at summer camps and to children, youth, and college students.
Where: Your Church
Info: MissionIllinois.org
Contact: MissionIllinois@IBSA.org
October 11
Youth Encounter
What: A one-day evangelism and growth experience for students. Christ. Where: South – FBC Herrin
Central – Cross Church, Carlinville North – Cornerstone, Woodland
When: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Cost: $15 per person, includes dinner and T-shirt (shirt not guaranteed after Sept. 15) Info: IBSA.org/ministries/students/youth-encounter/
Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
October 24
IBSA Kids Ministry Conference
What: Speakers are Sandra Peoples, Adjunct Professor at Southwest Seminary and disability ministry consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas, and Melita Thomas, VBS & Kid Min Specialist with Lifeway. Breakout options include a sneak peek at Lifeway’s VBS 2027. Where: IBSA Building, Springfield When: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Cost: $15 per person (includes lunch) Info: IBSA.org/events
Contact: MichaelAwbrey@IBSA.org
November 3-4
IBSA Annual Meeting
What: This gathering of messengers and guests from the nearly 900 IBSA churches is the business meeting of the state network. It’s an opportunity to celebrate what God is doing through IBSA and SBC ministries across the state and world.
Where: Metro Community Church, Edwardsville
Cost: Free
Info: IBSAannualmeeting.org
Contact: BarbTroeger@IBSA.org
November 13-14
Forged Young Men’s Overnight
What: Ignite a fire in young men (grades 6-12) and their leaders with equipping to become the man God is calling them to be.
Where: Lake Sallateeska Camp
When: Friday 6 p.m. – Saturday 2 p.m.
Cost: $35
Info: IBSA.org/events
November 13-14
AWSOM Overnight
What: The premiere event for girls in grades 5-12 helps them grow as disciples of Jesus and see the big picture of God’s church and kingdom.
Where: Tabernacle Baptist Church, Decatur
When: Friday 6 p.m. – Saturday 3 p.m.
Cost: $35
Info: IBSA.org/events
Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
reporter’s notebook
Messengers close loophole
To avoid another accidental theological shift
t seemed like no big deal at the time. Messengers quickly voted for a change to the Baptist Faith and Message in 2023, there was no great debate. The motion came up and it kind of slid through—and that’s the problem. In 2026 they voted to prevent that from ever happening again.
At the 2026 Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, as Baptist Press reported, “messengers amended Article XIV of the SBC Constitution to allow alterations ‘in the Convention’s adopted statement of faith,’ by the same process of amendments to Article XIV that requires, at any meeting of the Convention, a vote of two-thirds of the messengers present and voting at the time the vote is taken, provided that an amendment shall be so approved by two consecutive annual meetings of the Convention.”
Three years earlier a messenger moved to change the language in the BF&M to clarify the male-only pastorate. His motion affecting the statement of faith was a separate action from the similar constitutional amendment under debate at the time.
Later in the same meeting, the BF&M motion was scheduled for a
miscellaneous business session and approved.
Some observers would have expected a change to be referred to the Executive Committee and brought back for a vote in successive conventions—as are amendments to SBC governing documents. But that didn’t happen.
One meeting, one motion, one vote, and our definition of pastor was changed. Not only the “male-only” part that has been argued for four years now, but the language of “pastor/elder/overseer” was added for the first time.
That is a significant theological shift for some churches.
It cannot be said that SBC President Bart Barber or the Committee on the Order of Business were skirting the rules when the motion was brought up for an immediate vote instead of being referred to the EC, because there was no explicit rule in place. It was kind of assumed the Baptist Faith and Message was on the same footing as the Constitution. But you know what they say about assuming.
This observation is about fixing the loophole, but also what slipped through it. The 2023 BF&M amendment equates “pastor/elder/over-
seer” in a way that some churches did not prior to this shift in language.
Three distinct words are at work here: “Pastor” is poimen in Greek. It appears 18 times in the New Testament and is mostly translated as shepherd. Nine times it is used metaphorically for spiritual leaders, and once, in Ephesians 4:11, it is translated as “pastor” in most renderings.
“Elder” is from the Greek word presbuteros, “overseer” is episcopos. You can see words are important. Whole denominations are built round these two words in particular.
Even in Baptist life, the word for overseer is sometimes translated “bishop.” Baptists don’t have bishops, at least not the denominationally appointed hierarchical ones. Some Baptist churches recognize the senior status of long-term clergy with “bishop” as an honorific. Bishop may be more comfortable than overseer, which has historical connotations making that translation problematic in some settings. Simon Legree was
AN ACTUAL LOOPHOLE— This portal for guns to shoot from is called a loophole. This one is from Zbarazh Castle in Ukraine built in 1631.
"Closing the loophole" originally meant sealing the opening to protect the castle. Later it came into legal usage to mean preventing the exploitation of a vulnerability.
an overseer.
Why does this matter? When the Baptist Faith and Message was so quickly amended to make pastor/ elder/overseer synonymous words for one office, the action advanced a theological position that not all churches ascribed to. While rising numbers of churches that adopted elder-led governance would generally approve, the churches that held onto deacons as top level leaders were more likely to argue the point. But they didn’t have the chance.
The SBC suddenly moved to language that supports the reformed position on “plurality of elders”—but it’s clear not everyone who voted in 2023 recognized what was happening. The loophole-closing motion approved this year in Orlando—on second reading—should make certain it doesn’t happen again.
─Eric Reed is editor of the Illinois Baptist.
Mission ILLINOIS
Celebration Community Church met the summer heat with free slushies after the worship service. “Warning,” they said. “Side effects may include brain freeze… but we promise the sermon won’t.” The church followed up with a cooling station in the park, offering water and ice pops.
Send Relief Ministry Center hosts mission teams from all over. Among the summer missions, Concord Baptist Church from Anderson, S.C. stocked shelves at a food bank.
“Palmerdale Cross Church from Pinson, Ala… jumped into every project with great attitudes and worked hard all week to serve alongside our ministry partners,” the Chicago Center posted.
"...when we care for others."
First Baptist Church of Eldorado teamed their meals ministry with local gardeners and Showers of Kindness, a shower trailer ministry, to offer necessities to people in need. “Today was a beautiful reminder of what can happen when a community comes together to care for others,” FBC posted. The shower ministry has teamed with SBC Disaster Relief on occasion.
