February 10, 2014 Illinois Baptist

Start planning now page 2

Responding to the marijuana debate page 5

She’s sharp: Young writer helps Disas

page 8

Telling stories in Africa

page 3

Southern Baptists in northern regions face formidable realities

By Eric Reed

Jesus in pop culture

page 11

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Illinois | Kermit the Frog sang, “It’s not easy being green ” He felt that no one noticed him because he blended in with the scenery Southern Baptists in the North might identify with Kermit We blend in, not because we are like the backdrop against which we live, but because there are relatively few of us

We have a head start on what Christians elsewhere (especially Southern Baptists in the south) are just learning: how to be in the minority

And yet, few in number, we stand out because we are different from the world around us Like a tap dancing

frog playing a banjo, being a Baptist kind of gets you noticed We’re outnumbered But we can make it work for us.

The majority culture is shifting

“I don’t think they have a negative opinion of Southern Baptists I think, in general, they don’t know who are at all,” said Odis Weaver, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Plainfield He was describing witnessing encounters with his neighbors in the suburban Chicago community

“For many people in my region, church just isn’t on their radar,”

SBC: State of the state we’re in

Springfield | Since he began studying and teaching evangelism more than 30 years ago, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Dr Chuck Kelley, told associational leaders in Illinois in January, we’ve been quoting the same statistic: 30% of our churches are growing, and 70% of all Southern Baptist churches are plateaued or declining “The difference today is the 70% aren’t so much ‘plateauted;’ our churches are declining We are a convention at a crossroads.”

Kelley is one voice in a chorus of national leaders calling on Southern Baptists to end the decline in baptisms and missions giving in our churches that threatens fulfillment of our kingdom work and the future of the denomination itself

The head of the convention’s executive committee, Dr Frank Page, also delivered a stark address in January “ You say, ‘What is our future?’ I do not know I’m asked that every week by someone, and I say, ‘I cannot answer ’ If things do not

change, I can tell you in 20 years we will be happy to have 27,000, not 47,000 churches,” Page said

In a “State of the SBC” address at Midwestern Seminary, Page cited “fault lines” in the denomination, where pressure has built and the fabric of the organization is threatened Among them are the arguments over the nature and authority of Scripture in the 1980s, and more recently the debate over Reformed theology, methods of funding missions, and democratic-based church governance

The effect of these “fault lines” is seen in declining baptisms and a 20year downward trend in missions funding through the Cooperative Program “We have argued over issues that have taken away our evangelistic fervor to the point that now our baptismal rates have reached a low not seen since 1948,” Page said “God help us ”

Southern Baptists baptized 314,956 people in 2012, the most recent tally available That was a decline of 5 5%

Some big issues

• The majority culture is shifting

• Southern Baptists swim in a larger evangelical pond

• We wrestle with identity and loyalty

• Big city gravitation tugs at all of us

• Our churches often work from the margins

Read more on pages 6-7

Weaver said As a pastor in Kentucky, I could engage someone in a conversation at the store or the gas pump, and we might quickly get to some deeper issues in life But not in my present community.

“And if you mention the church and its location, they can recall the fastfood restaurant across the street, but not the church They just don’t see it ”

Continued on page 6

Bright spots in 2013 Illinois tallies

Springfield | Increases in baptisms and giving through the Cooperative Program are two of the 2013 highlights Executive Director Nate Adams reported to the IBSA Board ahead of their committee meetings this month

“I think indicators like 3% growth in baptisms and almost 2% in Cooperative Program giving demonstrate encouraging, steady progress, in the midst of a tough economy and an increasingly calloused culture,” Adams told the Illinois Baptist

He also reported good news in the areas of leadership training and church equipping: Last year, 754 Illinois Baptist churches were assisted through 2,800 phone, e-mail or personal consultations, and 370 were trained in evangelism And four new campus ministries were started Involvement in missions and church planting also were bright spots in 2013 Adams said 249 churches are now participating in comprehensive Acts 1:8 missions strategies, and 24 new

Continued on page 2

Part one in an Illinois Baptist series

BRIEFING the

News updates every Tuesday at www ib2news org

The power of praying pastors

Nearly 400 Southern Baptist ministers met to pray together in Atlanta last month, doubling the attendance of a similar meeting of senior pastors Dallas last fall “We are the revival generation,” Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd posted on his blog after the Atlanta meeting “We must reach this world for Jesus Christ,” wrote Floyd, who organized both gatherings “The hour is critical The time is short This is why we need to practice extraordinary prayer ”

Forum to focus on biblical sexuality

“The Gospel and Human Sexuality” is the theme of a Nashville summit planned for pastors and leaders this spring The Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission will host the April 21-23 meeting on marriage, family, purity, morality and culture

“So many of the questions pastors grapple with today deal with situations that would not even have been possible a generation ago,” said ERLC President Russell Moore. “ We’ll talk about these questions, and how we can be faithful in ministry, Gospel-focused in engagement and Christ-shaped spiritual warriors in the ways we seek to wrestle with the principalities and powers of this age ”

Blessed are the … athletic?

Just before the Super Bowl and Win Olympics took over our TV screens Americans weighed in on whether God rewards faithful athletes with health and success Opinion is evenly split, accord g to the Public Religion Research Institute, with 48% saying yes and 47% disagreeing. But among white evangelicals, 62% believe God rewards faithful athletes

Military climate raises concerns

The U S military has long been serious about protectdom of its troops, said retired Gen. Carver in submitted testimony beHouse subcommittee last month arver, who directs the North AmerMission Board’s chaplaincy minclimate within the military that ous liberty Rep Brad Wenstrup zed the prevailing concern: “There en accommodation and respecting restricting religious freedom and that s the line we are walking on here.”

Subcommittee chairman Joe Wilson (R -S C ) called for another hearing on the issue in the next 60 days

Bible-themed movies coming soon

2014 may well be the “Year of the Bible,” says culture writer Jonathan Merritt. At the movies, at least Merritt lists five movies that will have the Bible front and center in the country’s consciousness, beginning with this month’s “Son of God ” Biblical biopics

“Noah” and “Mary, Mother of Christ” are due late this year, along with “Exodus ” And although “Heaven is for Real” (coming in April) isn’t based on the Bible, Merritt includes it on his list because “it will likely riff on popular Bible themes such as heaven, Jesus, and salvation ”

– RonnieFloyd com, ERLC, ChristianityToday com, Baptist Press, JonathanMerritt com

IBSA names new northeast church planting director

Chicago | Dennis Conner will join the staff of the Illinois Baptist State Association this month as director of church planting in the northeast region Conner has served in Phoenix for more than seven years in roles as a local planter, associational strategist, and church planting catalyst through the North American Mission Board He is a native of North Carolina, where he pastored churches before moving to Arizona

“Dennis will bring to Chicagoland experience both as a church planter and also as someone who has helped catalyze numerous churches in a major metropolitan area,” said Van Kicklighter, IBSA’s associate executive director of church planting

“His ability to enlist and build partnerships, both locally and

from across the country, will be a real asset as we invite Southern Baptists to come help plant churches all across Chicagoland ”

Chicago is the country’s third-largest metro area, with a population of 8 7 million people in 10 Illinois counties Add

Spring into action

Day of Service set for April 12

S p r i n g f i e l d | Churches across Illinois are invited to engage their communities this season through a day devoted to service projects The statewide Day of Service on Saturday, April 12, is an opportunity for church members to make a difference by meeting needs they’ve identified in their cities and towns

It’s also a chance for Christians to find out where and how people in their communities are hurting, and run toward them, said Tim Sadler, IBSA’s director of evangelism The theme is “One day One heart One thousand churches that care ”

As they serve on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, churches will have a natural next step with people they meet

“The Day of Service is strategically placed one week before Resurrection Sunday, so that believers can give a personal invitation to those we are serving and serving alongside to worship with us,” Sadler said “Churches can produce a simple invite card which details the name and location of your church, Easter Sunday worship time(s), and your church’s contact information Produce that invite card with the highest level of excellence your church possibly can,” he advised Participants also are encouraged to invite non-Christian friends to serve with them, “intentionally building relationships for the sake of the Gospel,” Sadler said That evening, churches will celebrate the day with a worship service and photo slideshow or simple video documenting the projects

the bordering Indiana and Wisconsin counties, and the population grows to 10 million As one of the North American Mission Board’s Send cities, Chicago is the focus of a multiyear church planting strategy facilitated by NAMB and IBSA

“Cindy and I are humbled and excited about the call to serve with IBSA in Chicagoland,” Conner said “We recognize the enormity of the task of penetrating the lostness of this great American city We’ve also gotten a glimpse of the passionate and able church planting catalysts, church planters and pastors that God has already called into the vast, ripened harvest in Chicagoland

“Pray for us in the transition Pray for wisdom as we learn more – daily – about the mission field of Chicagoland ”

need June through August is designated as a Season of Service

The Day of Service is the newest campaign in a national multi-year effort called God’s Plan for Sharing, or GPS The North American Mission Board partners with Baptist state conventions to promote and provide resources for each GPS campaign

• Church planting connection | In Fall 2014, IBSA’s evangelism department will collaborate with the church planting and missions teams to connect established churches with new churches On a second day of service, churches will serve alongside a planter already leading a church or preparing to launch, or in a community identified as a place in need of a new church.

IBSA churches may request financial assistance for the projects they do on the day of service For more information, e-mail TimSadler@IBSA org

The Day of Service on April 12 is a jumping off point for a year-long emphasis that extends even into 2015:

• Season of Service | This summer, some churches will commit to engage their communities in a specific area of

• Community Day | Chicago will host a NAMB-sponsored “Community Day” in 2015 Connected to the Day of Service initiative, Community Days are held in strategic cities around the country “The hope is that our state will go to Chicago and serve that day,” Sadler said

For more information about this spring’s Day of Service on April 12, go to www IBSA org/ Evangelism

Encouraging news from 2013

Continued from page 1

churches were launched last year

“I’m so grateful for the partnership in the Gospel that we are finding in churches throughout the state, and in the number that are reaching beyond themselves to advance the Gospel and to minister in the name of Christ,” Adams said Even with the encouraging metrics, Baptists in Illinois still face difficulty in their work of advancing the Gospel, he said “I think many church members

still find it challenging to view Illinois as an urgently lost mission field that needs evangelistic missionaries and creative new churches Our church planting numbers are steady, but the number of churches sending out church planters or partnering with a new church are still far lower than is needed to significantly impact lostness in our state

“I hope in the coming year we can cast a new vision and reach a new level of sacrifice

NEW IN TOWN – Dennis Conner and his wife, Cindy, will relocate from Phoenix to Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood as he joins IBSA’s church planting team

The BIG Pic ture Fishers of men in West Africa

Guinea | It had been a long, frustrating boat ride

Mark Emerson and Harold Booze were just off Africa’s west coast, trying to locate a people group everyone seemed familiar with, but no one could find With evening approaching and no place to stay for the night, Emerson knew they needed to go back to Kamsar, the city they had left a few hours before

“The crushing blow is, I’ve had to turn this boat around, and I haven’t gotten to give the Gospel to anyone,”

Emerson said He and Booze had come to Guinea with three other Illinois Baptist pastors to share Bible stories with people in the mostly Muslim, largely illiterate country The group had split into two, each with a missionary guide, and each in search of people groups who haven’t yet been engaged with the Gospel

On the boat, Emerson decided, “I’m going to give the Gospel to somebody ” Along with the captain, two other Guineans were also on board Emerson, who leads IBSA’s missions team, started telling “every ship story of Jesus, one right after the other,” he said, laughing at the memory

On a later visit to an historic village, the Americans took a turn as listeners, hearing the story of how the people came to settle there When they finished the detailed account, the villagers said, “You tell us a story ”

Emerson said, “I’ve got a great one ”

The International Mission Board will host a Base Camp training conference March 2829 at FBC, Woodlawn, Ill , for churches interested in engaging unreached people groups of Sub-Saharan Africa E-mail MarkEmerson @IBSA org for more information

Illinois volunteers help rebuild school in the Philippines

Gibitngil Island | A team of six Illinois Disaster Relief volunteers are in the Philippines this week to help rebuild after last fall’s Typhoon Haiyan

The group, composed of “blue cap” leaders from around the state, is part of a multi-week, multi-crew project to rebuild a school on Gibitngil Island The team is the first from Illinois to join the long-term relief effort in the Philippines coordinated by Baptist Global Response “ The need is massive,” BGR Executive Director Jeff Palmer told Baptist Press last month “We are initiating large-scale work with communities, local believers and volunteers and will be constantly assessing and gauging the effectiveness of our choices

“Please continue to pray for our team members and volunteers as they help in the face of overwhelming needs Pray that we choose the most strategic and effective places to work that truly help people physically and spiritually ”

The biggest repair needs are for water systems, homes and schools, Baptist Press reported BGR has created a housing kit that will construct a small home on stilts for about $250. The goal is for the construction projects to

breathe life into the local job market, Palmer said

“The community has a labor force needing work, and capable, skilled men will be contracted to work alongside [a] U S disaster response team and local volunteer labor when available ”

The Illinois volunteers are the eighth group so far to work on the school on Gibitngil Island, said Rex Alexander, state director of IBSA Disaster Relief Along with Alexander, the team includes: David Howard and Mike Robertson of Springfield; Kurt Crail from Ashmore; Don Kragness of Johnson City; and Greg Meese from Robinson

Look for updates from the group on www Facebook com/IllinoisBaptist

JOURNEY MEN – 1 After a ride on a rudimentary ferry across this inlet, missionaries from Illinois shared Bible stories in Guinean villages 2 They listened to stories too 3 Harold Booze of Peoria was brought a baby by a mother who thought it would be good luck for him to hold her child 4 And these children held full water buckets on their heads while gazing at the foreigners for 15 minutes

Photos by Mark Emerson

1.

2.

TEAM EFFORT – Disaster Relief crews from other states have already worked on this school on Gibitngil Island Illinois volunteers joined the effort this month Photo from the project’s Facebook page

Bucking the trend and bearing fruit

ast month Directors of Missions and other associational leaders from around the state gathered at the IBSA Building for a time of leadership development, fellowship, and strategic thinking about how best to assist churches Dr Chuck Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, was invited to speak to us on “Fostering a Positive Baptism Trend in an Association ”

L

To set the stage, Dr Kelley reminded us that the number of baptisms in SBC churches overall has been on a 50-year plateau, and has now actually declined six of the past eight years Nationwide data for 2013 is not yet available, but in 2012 baptisms declined 5.5% from 2011, to only 314,956. That’s the lowest level since 1948, when SBC churches reported only 6 million members rather than the current 16 million In fact, to give those numbers some further context, baptisms totaled 445,725 in 1972, and 429,063 in 1959

Here among IBSA churches, bapt actually up 3 1% in 2013 to 5,063, bu the previous year ’s 2 6% increase S is our churches’ first year above 5 tisms since 2009. And in 2005, IBSA reported 6,499 baptisms

While all of us were eager to he what Dr Kelley would suggest, none of us were really surprised when he said there are no easy answers to reversing the current

Pray through the news

Pray for the requests below and pass them along to your pastor or prayer leader to use as a guide for weekly prayer meeting, Sunday School classes or fellowship groups:

– New church planting director in Chicagoland, page 2

– Challenge in the Midwest pages 6-7

Prayer prompts are provided by Phil Miglioratti, IBSA’s prayer consultant Contact him at philNPPN@gmail.com.

The ILLINOIS BAPTIST Staff

Editor

Eric Reed Meredith Flynn Lisa Sergent Kris Kell

For questions about subscript ons, articles, or upcoming events, contact the Illinois Baptist at (217) 391-3110 or IllinoisBaptist@IBSA org

POSTMASTER: The Il inois Baptist is owned and published b weekly, Jan , March, May, July-Sept , Nov ; monthly in Feb , April, June, Oct and Dec , by the Illinois Baptist State Association, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Spr ngfield, Il inois 62703-4440 Subscript ons are free to I linois Bapt sts Subscribe online at IBSA org

baptism trend. I was personally grateful to hear him underscore that we shouldn’t seek to affix blame or pass the buck Instead, we all need to focus passionately and sacrificially on the urgent need to reach people with the Gospel in an increasingly challenging environment

While I don’t have space here to recap everything Dr Kelley shared with us, I can share his alliterated outline He said we need to Focus on Filling (of the Spirit, or revival), on Fruitfulness (intentional evangelism), on Faithfulness (a return to true discipleship), and even on Fighting (embracing the inevitable conflict that comes when change is needed, yet with Christ-like attitudes and righteousness)

All of these points hit home deeply with me, and couldn’t have come at a better time Not only are we beginning a new year of ministry here at IBSA, and in all our churches, but we are also beginning our ning and budgeting for 2015 We can’t keep g ministry as usual and expect a much difnt result

As Dr Kelley urged, we must persistently God to fill us afresh with His Spirit, and

Wecan’t keep doing ministry as usual and expect a much different result

Casting about

It wasn’t an exorcism, not in the way most people think of it: priests confronting the possessed with crosses and commands, the possessed responding with spinning heads and levitation You know, like in the movies

Instead, this was a worship service in a cathedral, led by a bishop And its content was the rejection of Satan and his lies, affirmation of God and His truth, and repentance for the actions of our leaders in government

The service was held at the same time Governor Quinn was signing the newly-passed same-sex marriage bill into law at an exuberant celebration in Chicago Inside the Cathedral, it was prayerful and peaceful A quick glance outside showed only a few protesters And whil h i well attended by conservative C who had fought ization of same marriage, it w mostly unrepor outside Illinois.

Until now

It was one yea this week, on Fe 14, 2013, that th ate passed SB 1 flurry of rallies and legislative ma neuverings produced a roller coaster of emotions for people on both sides, until the House passed the bill on November 5, 2013 Same-sex marriages will begin in Illinois on June 1

Until then, what remains are the questions: How will churches respond when same-sex couples seek use of their facilities for wedding ceremonies?

bring revival to our churches and spiritual awakening to our land We must focus much more intentionally on fruitfulness, starting new Bible studies and Sunday School classes and evangelistic ministries, and equipping believers to courageously share the Gospel We must more carefully embrace true discipleship, investing God’s Word deeply in those who will be faithful to live the Gospel and pay it forward into the lives of others And yes, we must be so committed to a different level of fruitfulness that we are even willing to engage the conflict that often seems to come with change, even in churches

Those of us leading and serving churches today have lived most of our adult lives on the downwardly sloping plateau of this baptism trend In many ways we have been maintaining our processes and doing church in comfortable ways, and if we simply continue our current patterns in the face of a changing culture, we will soon see the downward slope of the current trend steepen dramatically

So as we prepare to plot one more year of baptisms on the chart of history, it is this urgency of reaching spiritually lost people with the Gospel that must compel us, and our churches. Baptisms may not be the only measure of fruitfulness, but they are a measure that we cannot be content to see in even gradual decline

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association Respond to his column at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA org

Letter to the editor

Will churches allow the threat of lawsuits to have a chilling effect on other outreach ministries to their communities?

Will Christians remember the actions of their local legislators when they enter the voting booths in March and November?

And how long will mainstream media continue to depict people who hold to a biblical definition of marriage – Protestants and Catholics alike – as intolerant and extremist?

In answer to the last question: For a long time to come

In January, Salon com published excerpts of an interview with Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, calling the November event “a massive exorcism ”

“C i l h redefinition of marsition to God’s plan e,” the Bishop exd “So I thought that ld be a fitting time to e that prayer, really praying for God and power to drive out Devil from his influhat seems to be perre ” onths later, Paprocki ons with parenting: Perhaps it s the permissiveness of our society that people think that you’re somehow being hateful, if you don’t give them what they want But sometimes, like any good parent will tell you, that sometimes you have to discipline your child, sometimes you have to say no.”

I read with much interest and alarm about the passing of the samesex marriage bill in Illinois We have been told to pray for God to change the hearts of Springfield politicians; this would be swell if it were that simple Although God could, I don’t believe he will work a miracle to undo what we have willingly allowed to happen The voter has the responsibility to know what the candidate stands for and to vote accordingly

This bill was passed by 18 votes and then signed into law Nov 22, to become effective in June Christians in Illinois should hold our elected officials accountable for voting by biblical standards

I don’t believe same-sex marriage is the will of God or the majority of the people of Illinois It is my intention to equip the saints with access to the voting record of our lawmakers I am encouraging Christians to print out the voting record and make it available to fellow believers and friends Let us go to the polls knowing “who is on the Lord’s side” (Exodus 32:26) “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34)

As Christians, we’re called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16)

Pastor Ralph Wilton

Old Union Baptist Church, Mt Vernon

Editor’s note: To link to voting records for SB10, the same-sex marriage bill, go to www IBSA org/ssm

– LMS

Voices

Battling the gateway drug

(Editor ’ s note: As the debate over marijuana legalization continued, President Obama told The New Yorker in January that smoking pot is not very different from smoking cigarettes, and not more dangerous than alcohol ) President Obama’s recent comments about marijuana are very troubling Having smoked marijuana myself for many years as a teenager and young adult, I can say that the president's claim that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol is an inadequate comparison

As our country continues to engage in the debate about marijuana, we must remember young people in our churches are listening and watching Here are seven things a church can do to help keep their youth away from marijuana and other dangerous substances:

1. Teach what the Bible says about proper treatment of our bodies Our bodies are God’s creation, and for those in Christ, they are the temple of the Holy Spirit As such, everyone, including young people, should do their best to keep themselves healthy and sober

2 Teach young people their worth in God’s eyes. They should be made aware that their lives matter They should be taught that God has a plan for their lives and that they should seek His plan

3 Encourage adults in the church to practice abstinence toward alcoholic beverages. Young people have trouble distinguishing the difference between alcohol and marijuana use To simply say one is legal and the other isn’t is not persuasive to youth curious about marijuana

4. Hold Christ-centered substance abuse awareness seminars Parents should be made aware of the signs of substance abuse and be equipped to minister to a child who has fallen under its power

5. Develop wholesome, enjoyable activities and ministries that offer young people in the church good alternatives to non-Christian venues. Make sure there is a strong emphasis on discipleship in these as well

6 Promote ministry opportunities for young people in the church that can help them focus on service to God and others rather than self These activities can help them develop direction and purpose in their lives

7 Remind youth of the Lordship of Christ. Christian teens must be made aware of the reality that their lives are not their own Having trusted Christ as Savior and Lord, they must put Him first, above all else

Barrett Duke is vice president for public policy and research for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission This column is excerpted from Baptist Press; read the full version at www IBSA org/iBeXtra

Table Talk: Theology, ministry, and things that matter

“Be aware God put a new song in Phil’s heart this morning ”

π A slice of life

How important is religion in your own life?

22% 56%

22%

One big challenge, three signs of hope

I resigned in December from my church, First Baptist in Columbia, to return to my home state of Florida God has burdened me with the vast lostness of South Florida, and impressed upon me a duty to be closer to my aging parents I’m moving down to join a church planting movement in South Florida, and to shine my little Gospel light in that darkness

This move brings to a close 17 years of ministry in Illinois – six-anda-half years in Chicagoland, and eleven years in the Metro East I leave behind a host of people at my church and throughout the state that I love and respect As I leave Illinois, I see both a lingering challenge and a great hope

The primary challenge I see is the same one the church faces everywhere: selfishness On a personal level, a church level, and a denominational level, we must fight constantly the Satanic gravity of our own selfishness that wants to make our

lives all about us, our churches all about us, and our denomination all about us Jesus our Savior came not to be served, but to serve, and He calls us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and to follow Him God formed a church to be a light to the world, for His glory He has graciously allowed us to cooperate as a denomination to pool our efforts to fulfill the Great Commission, for His glory So to the leaders in Illinois: Do not stop calling us outward, to the lost Remember Luke 15, and the priority of God our Father: “ there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents ”

This fight to keep our eyes outward is not in vain, because there are signs of hope everywhere Here are three I see:

Planting churches. I learned during my time at Columbia that one key to a healthy church is a steady stream of new converts Like families, which continue to exist only if new babies are regularly born into them, churches begin to die without new spiritual life, and denominations begin to die without new churches

I’m encouraged that God is calling men and women to devote their lives

to starting new churches, and that IBSA is giving great priority to new church starts all across the state Even more, I’m encouraged that increasingly, established IBSA churches are beginning to discover the joy and adventure of partnering with, supporting and working alongside church plants for the advancement of the Gospel

Thinking students. I began teaching high school students at IBSA’s Super Summer in the late 1990s

Many of the students I had in the early years are now pastoring or leading in churches across our state I have been consistently impressed with the quality of the students in Illinois They are passionate about the Gospel, hungry to be taught, and eager to love God with their minds

If our churches fail to equip our students with a clear understanding of the Gospel and the intellectual tools to be apologists in a hostile culture, we are in deep, deep trouble

The good news is that when presented with the challenge, our students – our future leaders – consistently rise to it

A saving God. The real reason I have hope for the Gospel in Illinois

VERY IMPORTANT

FAIRLY IMPORTANT NOT VERY IMPORTANT

– Gallup poll of U S adults, Dec 2013

and in South Florida? God keeps saving people

In my Monday night men’s group in Columbia, God kept saving some of the most unlikely men In my first Sunday at my new church in West Palm Beach, I met a woman who came to church without an invitation, just stirred by the Spirit, and not knowing why she was there She came to faith that week

Consider Jesus’ answer to the scribes in Mark 2:17 who asked why He was eating with unlikely dinner guests – sinners and tax collectors “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners ”

No one is as passionate as our God to save sinners like us

So to my colleagues in the Gospel across Illinois: Thank you for 17 years of friendship and love. Don’t lose heart Let your light shine in the darkness Keep speaking of Jesus Keep fighting the good fight Keep holding out the Gospel, because our God is willing and mighty to save

Mark Warnock served as associate pastor of First Baptist Church, Columbia, Ill

Barrett Duke

Mark Warnock

News from our neighbors’ conventions

The Dakotas

M ssengers voted to increase the two state conntion’s national Cooperative Program giving by % percent more in 2014, up from 16 to 20 pernt IBSA’s Nate Adams was guest speaker

Illinois

“Mission Illinois: Churches together advancing the Gospel” was the theme for the 107th annual meeting Church planting was a frequent emphasis Illinois aptists continue to send 43 25% of Cooperative ogram (CP) gifts to the Southern Baptist Convenn Messengers approved five resolutions including one on same-sex marriage, which called for the protection of religious conviction amid the changing cultural climate

Indiana

The state convention announced it would sell its office building and to retire debt and build a new facility on the ghland Lakes Camp property ear the current headquarters in Innapolis Messengers approved a mission partnership with a people group identified as the “M” people of Brazil

Iowa

With a new leader in place, the state convention celebrated a renewed spirit of cooperation, purpose and a desire to multiply disciples and churches The concept of Multiplying Disciples, Mutliplying Churches (xDxC) as a way to develop strong healthy churches was introduced It also is a tool to disciple people and train them to disciple others

Kansas-Nebraska

ILLINOIS BAPTIST

Churches adapt to cultural realities

Continued from page 1

Weaver ’s assessment is understandable as fewer people today self-identify as Christian, and even less so as evangelical, born-again, or Baptist Church is not the center of community life in cities or suburbs, apart from a few strong Catholic parishes Even in small towns, there’s more to do on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings than go to church

And in all settings, the population is changing as minority cultures grow into majority status, nonChristian religions proliferate, and those who identify as “Christian” become the minority in the U.S.

What happened in big cities first is happening everywhere

Southern Baptists in the north swim in a larger evangelical pond.

Church historian Mark Noll calls evangelism “a great fractious beast ” In the Deep South, Southern

Scant SBC presence in region

Baptists dominate Christian culture and may not perceive just how many different stripes of evangelicals there are But in northern regions, SBC adherents are just one of many strong, Bible-believing and teaching movements Illinois is home to a variety of evangelical denominations and networks

Moody Bible Institute (with its ubiquitous Moody Radio), Willow Creek Association, and James McDonald’s Harvest Bible Chapel are all headquartered here Plus there are publishing giants Christianity Today and Tyndale House; academic centers including Wheaton College and others, and non-SBC seminaries

These are significant voices in the evangelical conversation And their leaders and methods are respected in many of our SBC churches

What emerges in local Southern Baptist congregations is a confluence of theologies, conflicting assumptions about polity, and competing methods of missions support SBC congregations in the Midwest seem more likely to have leaders educated outside the SBC system (not that there’s anything wrong with that). They may not esteem SBC-produced discipleship literature And they may not automatically support missions through the Cooperative Program, for example, because not many in their pews grew up giving to CP

What results are churches that build their own networks based on their broader range of interest and experiences

This is in part what LifeWay President Thom Rainer calls a shift from geography to affinity “Churches in the past often identified with other churches by their denomination and location Thus we have state denominations, local associations, and regional districts Today more churches are identifying with other churches that have common precise doctrines and common practices ”

Continued top of page 7

Messengers pledged greater levels of cooperation at their 68th annual meeting “Strengthening Churches” was the theme, based on Acts 16:5, emphasizing the convention’s core values of starting, strengthening, sharing and sending With nearly half the counties in Kansas and Nebraska lacking Southern Baptist churches, congregations were urged to purposefully connect to overcome the isolation they face

Michigan

Michigan Baptists celebrated making final payment on their state headquarters building The theme was “Rekindle the gift of God that is within you ”

Minnesota-Wisconsin

Messengers voted to operate on a slightly smaller budget in 2014, while giving larger percentage o national and international missions This meeting’s theme was “Hands of Hope.”

Missouri

Messengers defended the biblical definition of marriage and prayed for persecuted believers around the world They were reminded that God’s Word and Spirit can transform a lost world and empower ministry

Ohio

With a focus on prayer and a goal to reach 1 million of 11 5 million residents in their state with the Gospel, Ohio Baptists gathered for their 60th annual meeting Messengers heard baptisms in 2013 were up 12% from the previous year

– Compiled from Baptist Press

Declining SBC has ‘four elephants in the room’

Continued from page 1

The figure compares to the post-war baptismal rate, when Southern Baptists numbered 6 million, in contrast to today’s 16 million A decade-long focus on evangelism after World War II produced the denomination’s greatest surge of conversions, peaking at 445,725 baptisms in 1972, and the steam to power the next six decades downhill from there

Leaders are hopeful that a final tally on 2013 baptisms and Cooperative Program giving, due soon, will show a slight uptick, and perhaps end the slippery slope And in Illinois, baptisms and giving are up for 2013 (See “Bright spots” page 1)

Still, national leaders are now talking publicly and regularly about the SBC as a denomination that is plateaued and declining, mostly declining

Page’s speech, now being viewed widely on the internet, comes on the heels of “an open letter” from LifeWay President Thom Rainer calling on members of what is still the largest Protestant denomination in the United States to recapture their zeal for evangelism

“Where is the passion in most of our churches to reach the lost?” Rainer asked “I thank God for our affirmation of the total truthfulness of Scripture. I thank God for orthodoxy But I pray that it is not becoming a dead orthodoxy – an orthodoxy that has lost its first love ”

“I have no proposal,” Rainer summarized “I have no new programs for now I simply have a burden ”

CONVERSIONS

COUNT – “We have to help our churches focus on bearing fruit, and to keep up with that as a measure of how they’re doing,” NOBTS President Chuck Kelley told associational leaders in Illinois “Fruitlessness is becoming endemic in Southern Baptist Life ”

Kelley’s proposal

The history of every church and denomination is growth, plateau, and decline, Kelley told associational leaders meeting at the Illinois Baptist State Association building January 27-28 Pointing to Methodists, Presbyterians, and other mainline denominations, Southern Baptists for many years expressed thanks we weren’t following their decline Now we are “We are seeing a growing gap in the rhetoric about Southern Baptists and the reality of

We wrestle with identity and loyalty. So the next logical development is weakened identity as Southern Baptists

This is not unique to the frontier territories It is a geographical shift, but also a generational shift

Southern Baptists who founded many of our churches in northern regions in the 1950s and 60s were transplanted Southerners who wanted to worship with people who shared their tastes in theology, missions, music and food But their children who grew up in these churches did not necessarily stay in their parents’ home-style church plants They married into other denominations, or were drawn to the cutting edge non-denominational churches that emerged as they themselves grew into adulthood

Now, their children are leaving the church altogether, according to researchers

This trend is recognized in all parts of the nation, as the number of people expressing no religious affiliation at all, called the “nones,” grows exponentially, and as the millennial generation abandons the church

So in the Midwest, SBC churches are reaching out to people who don’t know much about church or about the denomination And, increasingly, these churches are populated by people who weren’t always Southern Baptist That changes the assumptions, as they evangelize and as they develop leaders

“I don’t find resistance to Southern Baptist ways,” Weaver said “I find that people don’t know much about our missions and how we operate as a church What that means for me is lots of education, ongoing education, teaching people what it means to be Southern Baptist ”

Growing Southern Baptists who aren’t necessarily “southern” is a significant piece of the Midwest puzzle The churches that survive are the ones that develop indigenous leaders: Midwest Southern Baptists.

The key word is indigenous: of, from, and fitting the area

“It has been a missionary practice overseas; they’ve talked about it overseas for many, many years,” said IBSA’s Van Kicklighter. “We have not talked about it in North America because many of our church plants have considered themselves to be the dominant culture If you’re the dominant culture,

where we are,” he said

And the declines are in all parts of the U S “We’re losing the South,” Kelley said “You need to be aware that the South is becoming more like Illinois; large blocks of unreached people, and churches that are smaller ”

And a new generation that is not following their parents’ lead by staying in church after they reach adulthood

Kelley likened the denomination’s downward turn to an airplane in a tailspin: beyond a certain point, the pilot can’t pull the nose upward and right the plane “We’re nearing that point,” Kelley said

He identified four factors in this precipitous decline, problem areas that also point to possible solutions:

Elephant 1: Awakening

“We have a power problem,” Kelley said “We have gotten so used to working without the filling of the Spirit of God, we don’t know it’s not normal Kelley called for church leaders to encourage prayer for spiritual awakening: “This is like stacking the firewood for God to light the fire

“We need to have solemn assemblies, for our people to seek a move of God If God isn’t moving, there is an issue within us,” he said, pointing to the need for repentance

then you don’t feel the need to adapt, to contextualize your approach

“But as church life and Christianity in the people we’re seeking to reach are less and less the dominant culture, being missionary in our practices is becoming a more critical piece of how we leave healthy, viable, impactful kinds of churches ”

Big city gravitation tugs at us all.

In Illinois, we might call this gravitational phenomenon the “upstate-downstate dichotomy ” Or, to hit the nail more squarely, “Chicago vs everybody else ”

“If you talk with people in the rural areas about reaching Chicago or metro St Louis, it seems too big,” Mattingly said “But if you compare my county to a neighborhood in Chicago, it seems doable The people I work with have a growing heart for the people in cities, even if they don’t live there ”

And the call is not only to Chicago and St Louis

The needs of Detroit are almost unfathomable And Cleveland and Minneapolis Of the 30 “Send North America” cities targeted by the North American Mission Board for church planting efforts, 9 are in the Upper Midwest

In addition, NAMB has recently designated another $1 million for church planting along the I-29 corridor, a seven-state stretch of interstate from Kansas City to the Canadian border, where SBC presence is as scarce as it is anywhere in the U S

“The idea is to strengthen those areas [along I-29] and move east and west through church planting to try to enter into those rural and small-town counties all across the Upper Midwest,” said Leo Endel, executive director of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention

“There’s Chicago, and there’s the rest of the state,” said Gary Frost, Midwest Region Vice President for the North American Mission Board, while speaking at the IBSA annual meeting in November 2013 “But we can’t allow the political climate [in Illinois] to affect the spiritual climate in the body of Christ There is so much work to be done in the Midwest,” Frost said

And much of it is in the cities, simply because of the population distribution

“10 million people in Chicagoland, and most of them lost? It boggles the mind,” said John Mattingly, IBSA’s church planting director for the northwest region, including Rockford and the Quad Cities “You could take the whole population in many of the counties I serve and fit them in a few city blocks in Chicago It’s hard to imagine ”

The immensity and complexity of the task is one reason some people may resist the call to win the cities. But it’s also the reason others run to the challenge

Elephant 2: Conversions

As the numbers have dropped, Southern Baptists have moved away from publically counting baptisms as a measure of our fruitfulness While Kelley acknowledged there have been misuses of the system in the past, he said our churches must return to a focus on fruitfulness Specifically, we need to see conversions as a measure of “what God is doing in our churches ”

“Many of our churches have the Sunday school attendance posted somewhere, and last week’s offering,” Kelley said, “but I have been in very few churches that have in a public place how many people they have baptized –and even fewer that have a public goal of how many they want to baptize ”

He offered three measures of fruitfulness: beyond conversions, churches should measure ministry to the community “Most churches do not have a muscle set for ministry to the community,” he pointed out, but it is community ministry that opens doors for evangelism

And churches should measure church planting, their own participation in the reproductive process that brings healthy new congregations into existence, with members fueled by the salvations of their lost family and friends

Elephant 3: Discipleship

If the cities pull at us with their great numbers and great needs, they also are creating deserts in rural areas where small churches and small towns struggle even as their children leave for jobs elsewhere Dakota Baptists identified isolation as a growing problem among their pastors and churches on the plains

In the next part, we examine what it means for our churches to “work from the margins,” and how churches are developing new networks to meet their needs Look for this series, “Challenge in the Midwest” periodically throughout 2014

Pray through the news

Pray

in the Midwest?”

Ask the Lord to bless those servants with revived faith, renewed hope and zealous love for God and their neighbors

Christian lives is, so that we have evangelism that will impact our society ”

While the rhetoric in our high-point decades was about evangelism (“A million more in ’54!”), the real genius of the period, Kelley contends, was in our disciple-making mechanisms: Sunday school and training union These methods focused on making new believers into disciples, who then led more people to Christ

But, he said following extensive study, “Every methodology has a shelf life, and as the methodology wore out its shelf life, we did not replace it Our discipleship processes have been dismantled, not intentionally, but by attrition Our discipleship has become a patchwork that is reinvented every year

It’s a series of things, not a cohesive strategy ”

In the last 20 years, Kelley said there has been a “megashift” in SBC life from the priority of discipleship to the priority of worship One result is undereducated people who call themselves Christian, but whose lifestyles are little different from unbelievers

“When I grew up, we still had a sense of being a stranger is a strange land We were counter-culture I’m not calling for a return to the sixties I am saying we have to find for today what a distinctly Christian lifestyle looks like and teach our people what living distinctly

One of our needed conversations is how we will lead our congregations to spiritual maturity in this new era Elephant 4: Fighting

Finally, Kelley pointed to a significant shift he has witnessed from the seminary campus: “Today’s seminary students are not interested in going into existing churches, because they are scared They have seen the results and heard the horror stories of church fights,” Kelley said

Yet, that’s where the need is, in existing churches that are plateaued or declining “If a pastor comes to bring growth, there will be conflict We need to have conversations about how to have conflict ”

Kelley said leaders need to help their churches process conflict in ways that bring positive change and do not harm the Body of Christ “Not all church fights are the result of failure on the part of the pastor, or of having ungodly people in the pews It is the result of change Leading change creates conflict,” Kelley said

It also turns declining churches – and denominations

on behalf of those who serve, that they will begin to ask the question, “Lord, how can we pray more biblically and effectively for a grand and glorious move of God

New Faces

Josh Laxton is the new pastor at Western Oaks Baptist Church in Springfield A native of Tennessee, Laxton is a graduate of Union University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is currently working on a PhD in North American Missiology He and his wife, Joannie, have three children

Recognized

Mt Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Buncombe awarded former pastor James Shipley with the title of pastor emeritus last month Shipley led Mt Zion for 28 years until he retired in July Jerry Jackson began his ministry as Mt. Zion’s pastor last fall.

Ministry Positions

Logan Street Baptist Church in Mt Vernon is seeking a senior pastor For more information, contact Jim Hanger at (618) 204-6865, or send resumes or questions to the search committee at lsbcpastorsearch@ yahoo com or 601 S 21st St , Mt Vernon, IL 62864

The Illinois Baptist State Association is seeking resumes from individuals interested in a leadership position with Streator Baptist Camp Candidates should possess some skills in facility maintenance, calendaring and employee supervision Promotion or camp programming skills are a plus Send resumes to Melissa Phillips, Illinois Baptist State Association, P O Box 19247, Springfield, IL 62794-9247 or to Melissa Phillips@IBSA org For more information, call (217) 391-3104

Send news for Around Our State to MeredithFlynn@IBSA org

in the Zone

•

Zone 7: Matthew Horst has left his post as secretary of Kaskaskia Baptist Association to attend Southern Illinois University in Carbondale “I will always cherish my time at Kaskaskia Baptist and these friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime,” Horst wrote in the association’s newsletter “Thanks to all of you that have made me feel welcome and forgiven me for my spelling errors ”

All zones: Motorcycle riders of all experience levels are welcome on the Rally to Ridgecrest ride this spring The adventure starts May 22, and the group will return to Springfield May 26 Contact Cliff Woodman at cliffwoodman@mac com, (618) 946-5720 or for more information go to www IBSA org/Motorcycle

PEOPLE AND CHURCHES

She saw a need

10-year-old’s story helps Disaster Relief team

S h o r e w o o d | The newest piece of equipment in Three Rivers Association’s disaster relief trailer came from an unlikely source: 10-year-old Lily Eddington

The fifth grader wanted to help the association purchase a new, bigger chainsaw for the team to use after disasters like the November tornadoes that affected many communities across the state She wrote a story that has garnered almost $2,000 in donations, enough to purchase the new chainsaw, another smaller saw, and other needed safety equipment

Lily has the inside track to knowing about such a specific need – her grandfather is Dan Eddington, Three Rivers’ director of missions “She knew through my father that they needed help raising money for that,” said Lily’s dad, Matt “And she came up with the idea of writing a story, and he took the idea and kind of ran with it. And it worked out really well.”

Her grandfather helped Lily publish the story in booklet form, with her own illustrations The story centers on a family trapped in their home after a tornado Sisters Megan and Brianna take shelter in the basement with their parents (plus their cat and hamster), but a large tree keeps them trapped inside after the storm passes

“Then they heard a truck pull up,” Lily wrote “On the side of the trailer they saw the words, ‘Three Rivers Baptist Association Disaster Relief ’

“Suddenly they heard, ‘Come on guys, we need to get this tree off the house ’”

Ken Cummins could easily be the model for Lily’s fictional rescuer As a leader of Three Rivers’ DR team, Cummins goes wherever the chainsaw team is needed He and Lily picked out the new Stihl chainsaw in December. The equipment will help the team do chainsaw jobs they couldn’t have completed before, he said

“We really needed a larger saw on board,” Cummins said In Washington, Ill , in November, “We came across quite a few [trees] down there

Current BFI bonds

The Baptist Foundation of Illinois has three bond issues now open for individual or institutional investors:

• 2014A ($500,000): Closes Feb 15, or when fully subscribed

• 2014B ($396,000): Closes Feb 28, or when fully subscribed BFI bonds are sold in $1,000 increments and support Illinois Baptist church capital improvement and/or construction loans Current BFI bonds have a 3% coupon paid semi-annually For more information, go to www.baptistfoundationil.org.

that we weren’t able to do as easily as we should have because we didn’t have the right saw ”

Lily is already working on her next story to help Disaster Relief, this time to help the association’s mudout team Her grandfather reported she’s also

working on a story to raise funds for a mission trip to Slovakia, where she will help teach conversational English to kids her age

Read Lily’s story at www 3rivers baptist org

Scholarship reviewers needed in March

BFI is in need of volunteers to review applications for the 20142015 Baptist Foundation of Illinois scholarships The selection process will take place Saturday, March 22, from 8:30 a m to 4 p m at the IBSA Building in Springfield Interested individuals should contact Sheila Odle at the Foundation office, (217) 391-3116 or by e-mail to SheilaOdle@IBSA.org.

Churches exceed Lottie Moon Offering goals

Thank

YELLOW HATS – Lily Eddington and Three Rivers Disaster Relief leader Ken Cummins picked out a new chainsaw after Lily wrote a story (see illustrations below) that raised almost $2,000 in donations for Disaster Relief

MAs a house church pastor in Iran, Ara Torosian faced four years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his government “They tried to kill my spirit,” said Torosian, who gave up a profitable job in 2009 to be a refugee in the U S The next year, he planted Armenian Fellowship Church of Burbank, Calif , which may be the country’s first Armenian-language Southern Baptist church

“I know that there are freedoms here – freedom to talk, freedom of

TCanadians easily dismiss Christianity –especially in Quebec

The history of mistrust is woven deep within the fabric of Québécois culture

a culture that’s decidedly Catholic and increasingly secular

W E E K O F P R A Y E R F O R

N O R T H A M E R I C A N M I

MARCH 2-9, 2014

Ministries rooted in the Gospel are focus of 2014 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering

Scott Blanchard is familiar with all the public perceptions of his city: Metro Detroit is dying The church here can’t survive – much less thrive

But at Lakepointe Church in Macomb, Mich , just outside Detroit, Blanchard has seen a different story take root The church has grown to more than 200 in attendance on most weekends, and has seen 52 people baptized They’ve even started the process of planting another church

Blanchard has successfully planted and grown a church in one

religion,” he said “I want to take this opportunity – each sacred moment – to preach the Gospel ” Pray for our new refugees to overcome the challenges they face through faith in Jesus Help our church be a family to them

TPatrick Coats leads Kingdom Covenant Baptist Church (photo at left) in Homestead, Fla , a Miami suburb The church, started as a Bible study group in a movie theater

“If you go to a city, you go as a missionary,” Coats said “The church grows out of your missional living It’s not about making the right moves or reading the right books It’s disciple making and obedience ”

Pray for my family (Archalena, Patrick, Joy and Faith) and spiritual growth on our journey as church planting missionaries

of the toughest-to-reach metro areas in North America, despite being 80% deaf His speech impediment actually helps him when communicating the Gospel, he says, because church attendees have to listen carefully to get everything It has also provided a variety of outreach connections with families impacted by disability

“I think God uses me to inspire people to serve Him,” Blanchard says “If God can use me, He can use anyone ”

Pray that we will see more lives transformed by the Gospel

WGraffiti 2 Community Ministries is a lifeline for many kids in Mott Haven, a neighborhood in the South Bronx Andrew Mann and a full-time staff host daily afterschool programs, weekly fellowship meals and Bible studies, life skill classes, mentoring programs, and weekly Sunday services

“We work hard to empower the families we serve as a whole,” Mann says That’s really God’s mission for our ministry ”

Pray for Graffiti 2 Church as we take initial steps to plant a church in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx

FSundays are busy for church planter Jose

Nater As the leader of three Spanish-language church plants in two states (Maryland and Delaware), he travels every week to each church for Bible classes and worship services He also has a full-time “day job” at a local property management company For many, it all might be too much, but for Nater, it’s a calling

Church planter Lucas Aube is working against the stereotypes through ministry to college students and at Encounter Church in Lennoxville, Quebec “The barriers seem to be coming down,” Aube says “They’re blown away that Christians are there in a way that has no strings attached ” Pray that as we lose leaders due to the natural transient ature of student ministry, we would quip and send ew ones to serve this capacity

“I have a family, a job and three congregations to pastor – it’s a full plate,” he says “But I know God is the one who has filled my plate with this work, who called me to these communities and these people And He is the one who sustains me through it ”

Pray for wisdom and unity as we grow in numbers

It takes intentionality to mobilize enough missionaries to support Southern Baptists’ efforts to impact lostness in North America

Developing the next generation of missionaries is crucial

NAMB’s farm system provides a way to identify people who sense God’s call to ministry, and an opportunity for them to get hands-on experience and training with practiced church planters and pastors

Pray for young missionaries in NAMB’s farm system, and for those helping to train them for future ministry

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering

Who are the people in your own backyard who need to hear the Gospel and be discipled?

Ask God to lead you to opportunities to share Jesus with your family, friends and neighbors Pray for boldness, winsomeness, and reliance on the Holy Spirit

TEAM TALK – Church planter Scott Blanchard coaches Upward Basketball through Lakepointe Church in suburban Detroit, which he started three years ago

FIRST SERVICE - Jose Nater (left) prays during services at First Hispanic Baptist Church of Cambridge, Md The church is the first of three he leads on Sundays

Staying current

Q: We have had tornadoes and disasters and tragic accidents recently I feel like I s h o u l d p r e a c h a b o u t t h e s e t h i n g s , b u t how can I interrupt my preaching schedule and still feel fully prepared?

A: Preparing a series or planning out a year-long schedule of preaching through the Bible is commendable, but you should not be bound by that approach Pastors need to not only know the Scriptures, but also their people, their community, and what’s going on in the world

Oftentimes, earth-shattering events like 9/11, a declaration of war, the recent passage of the gay marriage bill in Illinois, or the Supreme Court’s ruling on late-term abortions cause church members to want biblical answers A wise pastor might need to set aside a series or planned preaching structure and address those types of issues in order to equip his members with a biblical approach and theological answers for everyday discussions In some cases, the issue might be

something internal in the church that needs to be addressed to avoid misinformation or misconceptions

A good shepherd might plan to feed his sheep alfalfa, but then discover a hay field or clover patch He can take advantage of what is available A good pastor might learn from the shepherd and do the same thing when a specific situation presents itself!

Make new friends…

Q: When the church called me, they said t h e y w a n t e d t o g r o w B u t n o w t h a t w e h a v e n e w p e o p l e c o m i n g t o c h u r c h , I ’ m f e e l i n g r e s i s t a n c e H o w c a n I h e l p o u r members welcome this new group?

A: I think you’ll discover that only those who feel threatened that they might lose their position, power, or prestige actually oppose church growth Remember, healthy organisms grow, and you must make a choice – keep a few disgruntled people happy or obediently follow the Great Commission of our Savior

Don’t let the vocal few rob you of the joy, excitement and God-honoring glory of watching your church grow and seeing your community affected by the good news of salvation! I once had a pastor who said it this way:

10 blogs for leaders

Eric Geiger (ericgeiger.com) | Thoughtful discussion geared toward younger pastors, from the co-author of “Simple Church”

Carey Nieuwhof (careynieuwhof com)

Recent post: “Top 10 habits of leaders who effectively guard their hearts”

Flourish (flourish.me) | Encouragement for and by ministry wives

Jon Acuff (acuff.me) | The “Stuff Christians Like” author gives advice on career and productivity

Russell Moore (russellmoore com) | Ethics Q&A’s, plus a podcast on country music Going Beyond (goingbeyond com/blog) Devotional posts from teacher and speaker

Priscilla Shirer

Get in, get out, or get run over, but our vision and mission is to move forward with Christ We’d love to have you join us in that journey, but if that’s not what you are looking for, perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere!

Pat Pajak has pastored churches of all sizes across Illinois He presently leads IBSA’s Church Strengthening team Send your coaching questions for Pat to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA org

Forward Progress (michaelkelley ministries com) | Posts on news, culture, family, ministry and spiritual growth

Kingdom People (trevinwax com) | Features include the daily “Worth a Look” list of links and e-book bargains, and a “Know Your Southern Baptists” series

Living Proof (blog lproof org) | From prolific Bible study author Beth Moore and her staff

Alvin Reid (alvinreid com) | Southeastern Seminary’s Reid writes on leadership, evangelism and student ministry

Feb. 21: Youth Ministry Worker Connection in Cheddars East Springfield; 6-8 p m An opportunity for student ministry workers to network and share best practices RSVP by noon Feb 17 to JennaNickelson@IBSA org

Feb. 22; March 1, 29: VBS Clinics at IBSA Building on Feb 22, FBC Herrin on March 1 and Pleasant Hill, Mt Vernon on March 29 Free training event for pastors, directors and leaders Starts 8:15 a m , concludes at noon CathyWaters@IBSA org, (217) 391-3124

March 1: Worship Technology Conference at the IBSA Building in Springfield Training in video, audio-visual, and other elements of technical worship DebbieMuller@IBSA org, (217) 391-3126

March 2-9: Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Week of Prayer for North American Missions. See page 9

March 7-8: Ministers’ Wives’ Retreat at Vale Community Church, Bloomington A time of renewal and fellowship for wives of pastors, vocational ministry staff, state and associational staff, missionaries and retired ministers Cost is $45 per person; contact Alice Davis at alidavis@mchsi.com or (217) 649-1699

March 11, 18, 25: Children’s Evangelism Conference at FBC Herrin on March 11, IBSA Building on March 18 (corrected date), and Broadview

Missionary on March 25 Training for parents and children’s workers on how to share the Gospel with children (217) 391-3127, JennaNickelson@IBSA org

March 15: Children’s Ministry Day in Chicago, Granite City, Carbondale, Mt Vernon, Springfield, Bourbonnais, Peoria, Decatur and Bridgeport $15 per person; register online at www IBSA org/Children

March 27-29: Biblical Preaching Conference at Lake Sallateeska, Pinckneyville An extended retreat for pastors/lay speakers featuring teaching from a seminary-level preaching professor (217) 391-3127, JennaNickelson@IBSA org

March 28-29: Disaster Relief Training at Living Faith, Sherman Courses offered: Disaster Relief 101, Chainsaw, Food Preparation, Mudout, Childcare, DR Chaplaincy, Assessment, and Shower Trailer $30 for new trainees, $10 for renewals Register by March 14: (217) 391-3137, LindaDarden@IBSA org

March 29: Hispanic Worship Leaders’ Retreat at Armitage, Chicago Training on the importance of worship, the place for culture in worship, musical style, and reaching first- and secondgeneration Hispanics Also includes breakouts for keyboardists, guitar players and vocalists To register for this free event, e-mailDebbieMuller @IBSA org

DAVE Says Financial advice from Dave Ramsey

Be squirrelly

Q: My husband works construction, so we barely scrape by during the winter months Should we build an emergency fund for the slow times?

A: I think that’s a great idea Although, I’d probably call it something other than an emergency fund How about a squirrel fund? Squirrels need to have nuts saved up for winter, and in your case you’d be setting money aside during the summer to get you through the slow winter months

You may think I’m playing games with the name, but really I’m not This sort of saving isn’t for emergencies It’s a budget issue, because you’re planning and setting aside cash leading up to the down time you know is coming Keep your emergency fund of three to six months of expenses separate from this, and take a careful look at what he made this winter and how much that left you short each month

Remember, we’re not talking about some random amount of money here It’s an exact amount that you can budget for accordingly Teachers can do the same thing if they’re not paid 12 months a year It’s a simple matter of planning ahead for the down time, and

setting aside enough during the other nine months to see you through!

Protect your emergency fund

Q: What do you think about the idea of putting your emergency fund into bonds?

A: I think that’s a really bad idea, and here’s why Bond values and prices go down as long-term interest rates rise Right now, long-term interest rates – a good example would be mortgage rates

are ticking up They’ve moved up a quarter of a percent recently So, as this happens, the value of bonds goes down If these interest rates spiked, you could lose half your emergency fund

Never, ever put your emergency fund into things where risk and volatility are factors An emergency fund isn’t an investment It’s there to help protect things that are investments and your life. Keep it in something safe and simple, like a money market account where there’s no penalty for early withdrawal

We’re not looking to make money with an emergency fund It’s insurance Just let it sit there, safe and sound, until it’s needed

For more financial advice from Dave Ramsey, go to www IBSA org

Culture clashes

Joni un-nominated

The Oscar nomination for “Alone Yet Not Alone” was a surprise from the beginning The song is from a faith-themed film of the same name that made less than $150,000 at the box office And it was listed alongside powerhouses like “Frozen” and “Despicable Me 2 ” And Bono

But what raised the eyebrows of Hollywood insiders thrilled many Christians, glad to see the song recognized because of its singer: quadriplegic author, artist and author Joni Eareckson Tada

The Academy rescinded the nomination after it ruled one of the songwriters had improperly omoted “Alone Yet Not Alone” toward its unlikely Oscar nod Amid the conroversy, Tada responded on er “Joni and Friends” webte.

“I am grateful for the attention the nomination brought to this worthy song and the inspirational film behind it The decision by the Academy to rescind the nomination may well bring even further attention, and I only hope it helps to further extend the message and impact of the song

“Regarding the reasons for the nomination being rescinded, it is not my place to speculate as I have no insights into the workings of the entertainment industry If it were for reasons connected with the faithbased message of this film, we shouldn’t be surprised that Hollywood shuns Christ and His message He was shunned by weightier adversaries than those in the field of entertainment ”

Grant’s Grammy stand

Most people could have just turned off their TV’s But for Natalie Grant, the only way to avoid un-

helpful content at the Grammy Awards was to leave

“We left the Grammy’s early,” the Christian singer tweeted that Sunday night “I’ve many thoughts, most of which are probably better left inside my head But I’ll say this: I’ve never been more honored to sing about Jesus and for Jesus And I’ve never been more sure of the path I’ve chosen ”

The Grammy telecast featured the envelope-pushing performances many have come to expect from recent pop culture But many of the social media comments for and against Grant’s early exit focused on the wedding ceremony for 34 couples, including several same-sex pairs.

She took to Facebook the next day to clarify: “I NEVER said I left during any particular performance I only said I left early,” Grant posted “What I DID say is this: I am honored to be a part of the Christian music community I’ve had many people throughout my career ask why I never tried to go into mainstream music and last night was a beautiful reminder that I love singing about Jesus and FOR Jesus ”

Olympic trial

“I know it’s been by prayer (friends, family and mine) and by my faith that I have been able to work through the last weeks with a positive attitude and a smile on my face, and seeing that the trials I’ve been though in the last 4 years are shaping and equipping me for what the Lord will use of me in the future for His service

“But that hasn’t stopped myself from having sad and/or lonely days though, I have come to embrace these moments, learning how to turn to the Lord for complete comfort as my Savior ” – Speedskater and Wheaton College student Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr , on not making the 2014 U S Olympic team

Potluck Blogger

Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients

6 large flour tortillas, cut in half

1 lb ground hamburger

8 oz cream cheese, cut in cubes

1 ½ to 2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 c Pace picante sauce

1 T cumin, divided

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can enchilad

To prepare: Brown and drain hamburger Add pican liquid is gone Add ½ T cumin and cream cheese Stir and cook until cream cheese is melted

Line 9x13 baking dish with four half tortillas Add half of the beef mixture, and sprinkle about ½ c cheese on top Repeat all three layers: tortillas, beef, cheese Add a third layer of tortillas Combine remaining cumin, Rotel and enchilada sauce in small bowl Pour on top and sprinkle with remaining ½ c cheese Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes Serve immediately with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and cheese

@ the Crossroads

@ the Crossroads

Where ministry meets real life

The Coffee Experience

Gourmet, dark roast, or something stronger?

My church recently changed the kind of coffee we serve on Sundays We also changed the appearance of how the coffee is served Before we made these changes, we served coffee out of those giant percolator vats that produced something between tar and mud People would shuffle through a line, grab a Styrofoam place among a circle o ple in a wide empty sp

Now people come ou to a series of coffee s self-serve air pots an variety of small tables and seating options

Bare walls have been replaced with artwork Fluorescent lights have been replaced with track light ing Bulletin boards ha been replaced with a monitor And here’s w ticed: nothing has real

It’s not about the coffee

Let’s say there is a church that values close relationship among all members That value is part of the DNA that shapes how a church behaves A church that serves its coffee after the worship service because people value the time they are le to informally stay and interact with each other

But another church serves coffee on the way in the door before worship begins People bring their coffee into the service with them And when the service is over, folks mostly walk straight out to their cars and leave Maybe this is a church where people value relationships n the context of small groups, where the elationship is about doing something nd so the coffee station features clip ards with sign-up sheets and postcards h information about different gatherings opportunities

What does your church’s coffee experisay about the church’s DNA?

A call to in-authenticity

We live in an age that yearns for authenticity, in our leaders, in ourselves No more so than in worship, where we expect our pastor to be uber-authentic The signs of pastoral authenticity today are not hard to list: blue jeans and open shirt, preaching with a plexiglass lectern or none at all, giving off an “I’m just one of you” air while sharing the misadventures of kids who say the darnedest things

Mostly we expect ourselves to be authentic, and we blush at anything that hints we’re not

The biblical assumption is that we are called to act like we really are in Christ We’re not holy in actions now, but we need to make an effort to act holy So far so good What

POSTCARDS

Clip

most of us don’t recognize is this: to act like we’re holy when we’re not yet holy is to be inauthentic It is to act better than we really are

Or more simply: It is to put on an act Like Tom Branson donning dinner attire at Downton Abbey And yet that’s precisely what the New Testament calls us to do

“You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:22-24)

We’re not going to fool anyone, of course, least of all those to whom we are closest They might even find us

Excerpted from a b og by Pastor Tom VanderPloeg

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compiled by Eric Reed

If’sand but’s

Missionaries: Benjamin & LaNell Bedford

Planting: Iglesia Bautista de Evanston

Focusing On: Hispanic population

Growth Stage: Reaching and contacting Hispanics in the community

Pray: That God would open Hispanic homes to study His Word

a bit irritating and accuse us of trying to be “holier than thou ”

To which we can respond, “Nope, just trying to be holier than me.”

85%

of senior pastors of Protestant churches say every church should strive for racial diversity say their church has more than one predominant racial or ethnic group of Americans say every church should strive for racial diversity.

But 78% But

of Americans say they would be most comfortable visiting a church where multiple ethnicities are well represented

51%

We’re #19!

• Harrisburg/Mt Vernon broke into the top twenty at number 19

• The Quad Cities region came in at 44

• Central Illinois, from Springfield to Champaign, ranked 60

• And Chicago was one notch behind Los Angeles at 74 The least Bible-minded cities were on the East and West Coasts, with the exception of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which came in at 96

– American Bible Society

Pray for unreached people

Location: Alton, Madison County

Target: More than 69% of the population has not been reached with the Gospel

Characteristics: Located 15 miles north of St Louis, Alton is home to more than 12,000 households

Pray: Pray for a church partner that would help plant a church in this area

Budget Goal: $507,692

Received to date 1/31/14: $480,801

Received to date in 2013: $610,022 COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

– Mark Galli, excerpt from Christianity Today online

Keeping up with the Granthams: Downton Abbey’s chauffeur-turned-aristocrat Tom Branson is uncomfortable in his new duds Christians should be too

Four metro areas in Illinois made the list of “most Bible-minded cities” in the U S Chattanooga, Tennessee, was number one on the list, as might be expected, followed by a lot more Southern strongholds