February 26, 2018 Illinois Baptist

International

Missions

Platt to leave IMB

Board begins search as president plans return to pastorate; response from Illinois

Richmond, Va. | International Mission Board President David Platt announced his desire to leave as head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s largest mission-sending agency, after a term of almost four years and a tumultuous period of cutting spending and reducing missions staff to balance an outsized budget. Platt will return to local church leadership.

“I am more passionate today than I have ever been about getting the gospel to the nations, and I want to spend what little time I have left on this earth with urgency toward that end,” Platt said in a news release. “This passion is what drove me to become IMB president, and I have sought to honor him and you in this role over the last four years.”

As Illinois turns 200 in 2018, IBSA is seeking to engage at least 200 churches in each of these challenges. Is your church one of them?

As

February 12

Goal: 200 Total

Read more about these challenges and register your church for one or more at IBSA.org/Pioneering, or contact IBSA’s John Carruthers at (217) 391-3110 or JohnCarruthers@IBSA.org.

BICENTENNIAL MOMENT

Happy 200th Birthday, Illinois!

Celebrating our state and Baptist work across two centuries

While a few Catholics constituted the religious community at the trading post that was St. Louis in the late 1700s, Baptists were busy on the Illinois side of the river. This stern looking fellow is the son of James Lemen, a committed abolitionist who started a Baptist meeting in his home.

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 2/16/18 $840,381

Budget Goal: $848,077

Received to date in 2017: $681,897

2018 Goal: $6.3 Million

The Illinois Baptist staff

Editor - Eric Reed

Managing Editor - Meredith Flynn

Graphic Designer - Kris Kell

Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner

Multimedia Journalist - Andrew Woodrow

Administrative Assistant - Leah Honnen

The general telephone number for IBSA is (217) 786-2600. For questions about subscriptions, articles, or upcoming events, contact the Illinois Baptist at (217) 391-3119 or IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org

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

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

NATE ADAMS

Leadership developers

Idon’t recall aspiring to be a leader. I do have childhood memories of realizing that I was one of the fastest on the playground, or that I got better grades than my friends. But the moments when I realized that I might be able to lead were different. Almost always, those moments involved the recognition and encouragement of someone else.

Mr. Showers asked me to consider joining my high school’s student council. Mr. Hsieh encouraged me to apply to be a resident advisor in the college dorm. My parents and then Pastor Oliver assured me that I could lead youth ministry on a church staff.

I would not have considered myself ready for any of those challenges. I believed in their value, and I respected those who were already leading in those ways. But in each case, it wasn’t until someone told me I was ready, and told me they believed in me, and gave me an opportunity, that I was willing to try leading in those areas.

It’s a pattern that I now see looking back over my career and ministry too. Keith told me I was ready to be a manager. Roy told me I was ready to be a director and then a vice president. Tim told me that I could help lead a new church plant.

Each of those leadership encouragers in my life were also leadership developers. They not only told me I could do it and gave me an opportunity. They also came alongside me to show me how to lead in those areas, and to support me, both as I grew, and when I failed.

In most cases, they were able to stay nearby until I didn’t need their help anymore. By then, they often had moved on to something else, because my development as a leader actually enabled their own development and opportunities.

In fact, as I look back, not many of my leadership developers had my development as their primary goal. In almost all cases, they were people who had some larger goal, some important job to get done, some mission about which they were passionate. It was their passion to advance that mission that led them to enlist help. And along the way, they discovered that additional leaders are the best kind of help for a mission.

Every healthy church needs leadership developers. In fact, churches only stay healthy and have opportunities to grow when they intentionally develop and enable new leaders. It always involves some risk, and it always requires patience with mistakes. It always demands that current leaders be willing to let go, even in areas where they are leading effectively, because there is always something else that needs to be done.

The “something else that needs to be done” is so important, too, because leaders are not just needed in each local church, but also in the state, national, and international mission fields of that church. One pastor I know has a “preaching school” within his church, where he develops pastors to help other churches in the area. Another pastor I know is intentionally developing church planters and campus pastors so that their church’s witness can expand to other communities.

If you are in any way a leader in your church, or in other settings, you too can probably list the leadership developers in your life, those who encouraged you and gave you opportunities. They are probably among the most respected people of your life. Let me encourage you, in your church setting in particular, to be one of those leadership developers. New leaders are desperately needed to advance the gospel, both in your church, and the mission fields of the world.

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

Churches only stay healthy when they intentionally develop and enable new leaders.

In September, Platt took on a part-time role as teaching pastor at McLean Bible Church, a large D.C.-area congregation that recently joined the SBC. Formerly lead pastor of a Birmingham, Ala., megachurch, Platt cited his love for the local church and for preaching as key in his decision.

Age 34 at the time he was elected to head the Convention’s international missions force, Platt soon found IMB had more missionaries on the field than it could support. In previous administrations, the IMB had overcome the shortfall by using reserve funds to make up the difference, including the sale of properties and facilities on the mission field. But beginning in 2015, IMB trustees and staff realized an organizational reset was necessary to put the Board on stable footing for the future. Under Platt’s leadership, IMB trustees adopted a balanced budget in 2016 following a six-year period in which the board’s expenses exceeded its revenue by some $210 million.

Platt led a reduction in force to curb spending that included eliminating some departments at the Richmond headquarters and encouraging early retirement and voluntary resignations of career missionaries. Ultimately, 1,132 missions personnel left IMB, putting the force at under 4,000 for the first time since 1993.

As of Dec. 31, 2017, the IMB reported 3,562 overseas missionaries, according to SBC.net.

“I feel David Platt was the person God put in as the president of the IMB at a very hard time,” said Jeff Deasy, now IBSA’s associate executive director of the Church Cooperation Team. “My wife and I took the volunteer retirement incentive, and God has

blessed us since returning to the USA.” The Deasys served in Brazil and Kenya for more than 20 years.

“The IMB was suffering and needed a change to get it back on the train tracks of reaching people of the world,” Deasy said.

“In David’s short time with the IMB, he has listened to God’s leadership and the IMB is back on track.”

SBC President Steve Gaines, who is completing his second one-year term, praised Platt for his passion for missions. “You can’t have anyone more passionate than Dr. Platt.”

Platt plans to stay onboard until a successor is named. Gaines said he hopes “we get someone who prays and hears from the Lord” and can “bring as much harmony as possible” to the position. He encouraged Southern Baptists to pray that God will lead the search committee to the person he has in mind to lead the IMB.

Former SBC First Vice President Doug Munton, pastor of First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, agrees.

“The IMB president is, I believe, the most important role in our convention. I’m praying we will be unified in our purpose of reaching the world for Christ.”

Platt’s departure after only four years may cause ripples among missions personnel on the field, warns Deasy. “So many changes can lead to discouragement,” he said. “Please pray for the missionaries on the field as they face the changes that will come with another change of leadership.”

Munton is optimistic. “Perhaps God will use this transition to usher in the greatest missionary mobilization we have ever known.”

Pastors’ Conference: Preachers announced

Eleven preachers will fill the pulpit during the 2018 Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference June 10-11 in Dallas, the event’s president, H.B. Charles, announced this month. Speakers include former SBC Presidents Jack Graham and James Merritt, SBC presidential nominee J.D. Greear, and Chicago pastor Charlie Dates.

“We are living in critical times,” said Charles, pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. “To reach this culture and generation for Christ, we must live faithful lives, preach faithful messages, and lead faithful congregations. Each message will be a call to faithfulness.”

Charles also announced Frank Pomeroy, whose church was targeted last year in the deadliest church shooting in U.S. history, will be in Dallas to share his story of trusting God through tragedy.

– From hbcharlesjr.com

Church offers comfort after Florida attack

Coral Springs, Fla. | Four days after a gunman killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the church home of several of the victims gathered for worship.

“Something powerful happens when we don’t know why something occurred but we worship anyway,” said Abe Matos, student pastor at Church by the Glades in Coral Springs. Matos estimates that hundreds of Stoneman Douglas students attend the church. Five members of his congregation were either injured or killed in the Feb. 14 attack.

In the coming days, as students continue to process the shooting and the losses they’ve suffered, Matos wants students to know that Church by the Glades is a safe place for them to gather with classmates and friends to mourn and support each other. He hopes students will see it as a part of their personal healing.

“If that’s the only coping mechanism we give them— that when something bad happens, you run to God’s house—we have equipped them for a lifetime.”

– From Baptist Press

From the front: platt’s tenure marked by change

FOR THE NATIONS – David Platt (in yellow shirt), as president of the International Mission Board (IMB) and earlier as a pastor, regularly preached in overseas settings. Platt announced in February his intention to step down as leader of the missions organization, but to remain a missions champion in the local church. IMB photo CHARLES

– Eric Reed, with additional reporting from Baptist Press

culture watch

Gracious in defeat

Snowboarder Kelly Clark finished fourth in the halfpipe at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. But the three-time Olympic medalist, including gold in 2002, is happy to leave a legacy for others in her sport.

“If your dream only involves you, it’s too small of a dream,” said Clark, whose journey to faith started years ago when she met a Christian snowboarder at a competition. “I don’t want to get done snowboarding and just have a good string of competition results, medals, accomplishments. I want to look at a culture that’s better because I was a part of it.”

Printer heads to court

A Kentucky business owner is facing a legal challenge over his refusal to print T-shirts for a gay pride festival. “All we are asking for is that the government not force us to promote messages against our convictions,” said Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands On Originals apparel company in Lexington. “Everyone should have that freedom.”

In 2014, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission charged Adamson with violating the city’s fairness ordinance for refusing to print the shirts. The case eventually made it to the Kentucky Supreme Court, where it is currently in the briefing stages.

Offline for Lent

Social networking topped the list of what people are giving up for Lent this year, according to a list generated from posts on Twitter. Since Stephen Smith of OpenBible. info created the Twitter Lent Tracker in 2009, social media has made at least one appearance in the top five every year. Filling out this year’s top five: Twitter, alcohol, chocolate, and swearing.

A study released last year by LifeWay Research found only 24% of Americans typically observe Lent. Fasting from a favorite food or beverage was the most common way to observe the season.

– Baptist Press, Christianity Today

reporter’s notebook

SBC rematch: We’ve been here before

Yes, it is déjà vu all over again. A young, Reformed pastor with a solid following faces an older evangelist in an election that will determine the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. If this scenario seems familiar, that’s because it is.

The announcements by J.D. Greear and Ken Hemphill that they will both run for president of the SBC sets up a kind of repeat of the 2016 election. In that one, young-and-Reformed Greear represented the potential for a generational handoff and a firming up of Calvinist theology within the convention. But after a near tie that promised to be divisive, Greear withdrew from the election before a third balloting, giving the seat to Steve Gaines.

At issue: Will a rematch this time around be divisive? Comments by Gaines point to doubtful; comments by Richard Land say otherwise.

At 56, Gaines stood in contrast to the 42-year-old Greear for several reasons. In terms of age alone, Gaines may have been characterized as a spokesman for Baby Boomers, while Greear clearly had the ear of his generation, X. As successor to Adrian Rogers, Gaines led Memphis-area megachurch Bellevue to increase Cooperative Program giving and was known for his traditional views on evangelism and salvation. In a three-man race, with New Orleans pastor David Crosby covering much of the same ground as Gaines, North Carolina’s Greear performed well, but not well enough to avoid a run-off. Greear surely earned the respect of many of the older crowd when he deferred to Gaines. The emotional moments on the convention platform in St. Louis were marked by tears and hugs.

“The Convention essentially said, ‘See you in two years,’” one Illinois Baptist reporter summarized, and so we will. Greear announced his intent to run a second time on January 30, now that Gaines is finishing his term in office. Two days later, Hemphill announced his intent to be nominated for the presidency.

At 69, Hemphill is of Gaines’ generation, albeit a decade older. As a leader in the area of church growth at the Home Mission Board (precursor to the North American Mission Board), former president of Southwestern

Nomination speeches

People have asked why I am nominating J.D. Greear as our next SB President. He baptized over 600 people last year, gave almost 4 million dollars to SB causes, has 300 members on the mission field, 242 with the IMB. Planted 42 churches. If that’s Calvinism may God raise up more.

– Ken Whitten, pastor, Idlewild Baptist Church, on Twitter

Seminary, pastor, and evangelist, Hemphill swims in the same stream theologically as Gaines. (In his announcement, Hemphill said if elected he will continue Gaines’ emphasis on revival and evangelism.) And Hemphill has been a strong supporter of the Cooperative Program. The church where he is currently a member gives 10% of its undesignated receipts to missions through CP, in contrast to the 4% given by Greear’s church, The Summit. (The church gives substantially more than 4% to a number of mission causes under the banner “Great Commission giving,” press releases and news reports point out.)

As he exits the stage, Gaines told Baptist state newspaper editors meeting in Galveston last week that he will essentially stay out of the politics of this race. Gaines said he would handle the election as “fairly and neutral” as possible. “I pray it won’t be contentious. I believe God will give us good leadership in the days to come.”

His comments came after Richard Land, former president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, framed the election as pitting “the John Calvin wing” against “the Billy Graham wing,” in Land’s words. “This is about the gospel and whether or not the gospel is for everyone, not just the elect,” Land, 71, told OneNewsNow. Land publically endorsed Hemphill. Now we wait to see who else will take sides, and there may be plenty willing to queue up. Remember the controversial rap video in which many wellknown SBC leaders endorsed Greear in 2016.

So, what we have now appears to be a rematch—in terms of generation, theology, and mission giving through CP. But beyond age and soteriology, there’s the matter of ascendency. Greear’s star is on the rise, while election at this stage in Hemphill’s life would cap a 50-year ministry career. And there’s a possible Platt after-effect. Of the same agegroup and ideology as Greear, David Platt’s resignation as president of the International Mission Board after four years could create a vacuum and a need for a voice like his. Or it might make older messengers at the Dallas Convention nervous about tapping another young man they might perceive as a “whippersnapper.”

With the election in June, it promises to be an intriguing three months.

– Eric Reed

Dr. Hemphill’s passion for the local church, for personal evangelism, and for intentional and careful cultural engagement is a model for all of us. His desire for discipleship is exemplary, as is his love for cooperative missions. I am grateful for his willingness to extend his lifelong service to us in this way.

– Gene C. Fant, Jr., president, North Greenville University

GREEAR HEMPHILL

ADAMSON

MISSION

Who is Annie Armstrong?

Find out more about the Baptist missions pioneer at anniearmstrong.com, and access these resources:

Videos about each of the missionaries and ministries featured in this year’s Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, including how City of Joy Fellowship is reaching young people in East St. Louis

Sermon ideas and mission study plans for children, youth, and adults

Downloadable posters, ads, bookmarks, and more to help promote the Offering in your church

‘The Lord hasn’t forgotten this city’

Former East St. Louis resident returns to plant a new church

Editor’s note: Kempton and Caryn Turner are two of the missionaries featured in the 2018 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Week of Prayer for North American Missions. The annual offering, collected in many IBSA churches this spring, supports missionaries appointed by the North American Mission Board.

East St. Louis | Kempton Turner grew up on the same streets where he now serves as a church planting missionary and pastor.

“Because I was raised here, I’ve got a real heart for the people,” says Turner (pictured above left, with youth director Zach Chike). He launched City of Joy Fellowship in East St. Louis in September 2016. “It’s a small city. It’s a dangerous, poor place, 85% fatherlessness. The houses, the buildings, and the roads show the desperate place that East St. Louis is in. The people know struggle.”

In East St. Louis, buildings sit abandoned. The public library, the McDonald’s Turner visited as a child, family-owned restaurants—all closed now. Though the decline in population started more than 100 years ago with an infamous race riot, recent years have seen the numbers dwindle from

around 60,000 to 26,000.

“Jobs and police officers have left this city,” says Turner. “Downtown is kind of like a ghost town, but it’s ripe for the gospel. The Lord hasn’t forgotten this city.”

Faith on the rise

It is 6 a.m. and a group of men from City of Joy Fellowship are up before the sun, worshiping with an acoustic guitar. Says Turner, “As the psalmist looked around at the tragic condition of the people in his city, it appeared as though God was unaware, inactive, or asleep. So, he prays, ‘Arise, O Lord.’

“Likewise, we cry out in one way or another every Wednesday morning.”

The prayers ring out over a people facing poverty, gang violence, environmental contamination, and continued decline. Turner, his wife, Caryn, and their five children believe that change is possible. They are working side by side with other believers to show their neighbors that love is real and hope is alive.

Recognizing that teenagers here are in need of community and a safe place to gather, Turner and the team at City of Joy

FIXER UPPERS – A group of students at City of Joy Fellowship Church prays over their city of East St. Louis. The church, launched in 2016, is investing in the community by renovating homes and working to restore local businesses.

April 10-12, 2018

Conference

St. Louis, Missouri

Bethel Baptist Church, 7775 Collinsville Road Troy, Illinois 62294

Revitalization is a church-wide journey, seeking an urgent, intentional, corporate, and individual spiritual renewal process. It involves acknowledgment of the church’s current condition, evaluation of its processes and systems, an openness to risk, a receptivity to adjustments, and scriptural foundation.

Illinois Leadership Summit

Illinois Leadership Summit: Chicagoland Chicagoland

For more information or to sign up, e-mail RichCochran@IBSA.org or call (217) 391-3131.

March 23-24

Broadview Missionary Baptist Church, Broadview

Featured speaker is Daniel Im, director of church multiplication at LifeWay Christian Resources and author of “No Silver Bullets: 5 small shifts that will transform your ministry.” Breakout sessions will feature top leadership practitioners from IBSA and Chicagoland Baptist churches.

This conference is designed for those pastors, staff, and lay leaders who hope for an effective and productive ministry where they serve.

Keynote speakers:

Gary L. McIntosh President of the Church Growth Network

Tom Cheyney Founder of RENOVATE National Church

Cost: $75 for pre-registered • $100 day of the event Register online at Revitalizeheartland.com

Continued from page 5

host a youth night on Tuesdays where they train young people how to serve others and hold down a job. The church also goes to the places where youth already gather during the week—schools and community centers—to establish consistency. Their desire is to show teens that they care and are invested in their well-being and future.

Turner names a long list of men and women who have moved to the area to help with the youth: Matt and Hannah, who moved their young family from Missouri; Staricia, who came from Indiana to work in the school system; Lydia, a nurse who has a heart for young people; Joel, a skilled basketball player and coach who uses the sport to connect with the youth; and Zach, who started a Bible study for the youth in his home that has already outgrown the space. The list goes on and on.

“These precious believers are a picture of Jesus, coming out of comfortable suburbs, moving into the heart of a 99.9% African-American city with danger, poverty, and fatherlessness,” Turner says. “They’re moving because Jesus is sending them as a reflection of his heart for this city, and God is blessing their efforts. It’s amazing.”

Building the future

Home renovation is another practical way City of Joy is connecting with their community. Hammers and nails, primer and paint—these are the tools that are allowing believers to build a relationship with people who live near the church.

“All we need is a way to start a conversation,” says Turner. He is training the members to intersect with nonbelievers, meet needs, and share their personal stories of redemption.

Dubbed R3, the outreach ministry is focused on community development, house restoration,

March 23-24, 2018 • IBSA.org/Women

business restoration, and employment. The goal is to work corner by corner and house by house throughout the city until each square foot has been covered in both repairs and improvements, as well as prayer.

In their business revitalization program, they work on providing local businesses with the resources to launch or relaunch. They also strive to connect young men and women from the youth program with job opportunities in these local businesses as a way to benefit the local economy and foster a sense of community.

As more people come to know Christ, City of Joy is celebrating more baptisms. And it all started with a very special one that healed a broken relationship from the past. Turner says, “The first baptism at the church was my birth mother who did not raise me. Praise the Lord!”

Indeed, the church is appropriately named. With prayers, planning, and consistent efforts, they are working toward bringing that same kind of joy into every home in East St. Louis. They want people to not only remember this place but to invest in it.

“Some of the neediest places in America are in the inner city,” Turner says. “We’re excited to join the momentum of what God is already doing in this city with so much potential. Acts 8:8—that’s our hope and prayer for East St. Louis: that the Lord will fill the city with joy.”

Turner explains that they are praying for the Lord of the Harvest to send more laborers. The vision for change is great—and so is the need for ministry partners.

“Psalm 127 says, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it,’” Turner noted. “And so, the Lord is the builder. The church is not about bricks and mortar and boards. He

redeems his people and puts them in front of others in houses, on street corners, in Sunday school classes and in large- and small-group gatherings. The Lord builds his people through the Word. And our vision is that the Word of God would so transform East St. Louis that multitudes of souls are saved and established in faith, families are restored, children can have a mom and dad in their house again, prevailing cultural brokenness— like drug addiction and gang violence—would be healed, and churches would be started near and far. “Our house renovation ministry is just a small echo of the thunderclap of spiritual renovation that we see God doing,” Turner said, “one soul, one house, one block at a time in my hometown.”

– North American Mission Board

CALLED BACK HOME – Kempton Turner baptizes a man at City of Joy Fellowship, the church he started with a goal of seeing East St. Louis transformed by the gospel.

IBSA Building, Springfield

IN FOCUS

Graham in Illinois

The world’s evangelist is much like a native son.

BY THE ILLINOIS BAPTIST TEAM

Graham graduated from college in Illinois.

Graham met and married his wife in Illinois.

Graham pastored two churches in Illinois.

Graham held his first evangelistic events in Illinois.

Graham founded an influential Christian magazine and ultimately a publishing giant that still operates today from its headquarters in Illinois.

Graham inspired a museum and evangelism center that still educates and inspires church leaders in Illinois—and beyond.

Many people have many reasons to be grateful for—and feel close to—Billy Graham. But at his passing, we are especially aware of his early ministry in Illinois and the lasting legacy of a lifetime as America’s pastor and the world’s evangelist.

Graham at Wheaton

On the campus of Wheaton College, the administration building sits on a hill, a stone fort with a tower and great buttresses. Across the street and in a slight valley is a red brick building, colonial style with white columns and several sets of large doors. As challenging and foreboding as the hilltop castle is, this one is easy, accessible, and inviting. It is the Billy Graham Center, part museum and part advocacy center for the evangelistic movement encouraged by its namesake. Some would say the fortress represents the perception and perhaps ethos of conservative Christian faith prior to the ministry of Billy Graham, while the gracious building at the bottom demonstrates evangelism since Graham’s formative contributions.

At Graham’s death, eight months shy of his 100th birthday, we can trace important years Southern Baptists’ most famous member spent in Illinois.

The story begins on a golf course in Florida, where young Billy Graham has been invited to serve as caddy for two visitors with Illinois connections. The men were interested in 21-year-old Graham after hearing him

P. 8

Worth the trip

The Billy Graham Center on the campus of Wheaton College encourages evangelism studies. The building also houses a museum about Graham’s life and Crusade ministry. It hosts traveling exhibits by Christian artists. Open TuesdaySaturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

In remembrance

“An epic era of evangelical history has come to an end. Billy Graham was not only a titanic figure in evangelicalism, but in world history and perhaps represents the last of a kind.”

“He is the nearest thing to a true prophet that Christians have had in the past century. He was a man of integrity, simplicity, love and evangelistic fervency.”

“He was never ashamed to confront a brave new world with the old-time Gospel.”

“Thank you, Mr. Graham….My father’s message of racial reconciliation was well received because your intolerance for discrimination had already begun to challenge the national consciousness. Your integrity, commitment and faithfulness to Jesus has had an impact that has ricocheted through the generations and touched many lives—across the world....and in my family.

“Billy Graham’s ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ and his matchless voice changed the lives of millions. We mourn his passing but I know with absolute certainty that today he heard those words, ‘well done good and faithful servant.’ Thank you, Billy Graham.”

– U.S. Vice President Mike Pence

“There shall never be another person like him. And yet I know that if he were here, he would continue to remind us that we are all to proclaim God’s love in a world that is lost and drowning in sin.”

preach. He was a student at Florida Bible Institute, but the men wanted him to attend the school where they served as board members, and they offered to pay his first year’s tuition—at Wheaton College.

The young preacher accepted.

At Wheaton, Graham laid a solid foundation for his biblical, salvation–oriented preaching. It was in the town of Wheaton he got a regular invitation to preach, at the Wheaton Gospel Tabernacle.

And it was in Wheaton he found the most important earthly asset to his ministry, his wife, Ruth. The daughter of missionaries to China, Billy called her a “slender, hazel-eyed starlet” after their first meeting. Later, he would call her “determined.” It was a quality they would both need in an itinerant evangelism ministry.

Billy and Ruth graduated from Wheaton College in June 1943. They married in August, and in September he began serving as pastor in Illinois.

Graham as pastor

As it is told today, Graham’s first congregation recognized quickly their young pastor was no ordinary preacher. His style was big and fiery, and perhaps oversized for the small sanctuary at The Village Church, now called Western Springs Baptist Church. The church in the Chicago suburbs seated about 100 in the basement. In the middle of World War II, the congregation had been able to finish only the lower level, which Ruth likened to a bomb shelter.

After a radio appearance on the Moody Bible Institute’s late-night program, the church was packed, and Graham began receiving more invitations to preach. The deacons had agreed to Graham’s title as pastor/evangelist, but the frequency of his engagements caused some discord among them.

And preaching throughout the Midwest, by Graham’s account, made him restless with the pastorate. After a year, a near call into Army chaplaincy, and a bout with the mumps that changed their plans, Graham resigned the pulpit of the Western Springs church and began traveling full-time with Youth for Christ to preach the gospel.

Graham the soul-winner

Billy Graham’s first evangelistic events were in Chicagoland, while he was serving as a pastor. He was the first

speaker at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, holding a Youth for Christ rally in 1944. What eventually became the crusade phenomenon included great gatherings in Wheaton in 1959, Chicago in 1962 and 1971, and St. Louis in 1953, 1973, and 1999.

At a Milwaukee Billy Graham Crusade in 1979, Barb Troeger walked the aisle to make public her decision to follow Christ. The walk, she remembers, took a while.

“I told my mom, ‘I need to go forward,’” said Troeger, an event coordinator for IBSA’s Church Resources Team. Her mom, she remembers, looked at her like she was crazy. “It was going to be hours getting out of there, and we were with a group.”

Her mom relented, and Troeger joined the crowds in the aisles moving toward the stage at County Stadium, home of the city’s Major League Baseball team. That night started her journey as a Christian.

Since then, “I’ve always had a special place in my heart” for Graham and his ministry, Troeger said. On a visit to Wheaton College’s museum about Graham, she looked up statistics from the Crusade where she was saved. And at The Cove retreat center, Troeger saw what she calls “his mountains”—the Blue Ridge peaks shared by The Cove and Graham’s nearby North Carolina home.

The Milwaukee Crusade itself wasn’t flashy, she said, certainly not by today’s standards. George Beverly Shea sang hymns accompanied by piano. Graham preached a long message, but a clear one.

“That was probably the first time it had been presented so clearly,” Troeger said, “that God’s looking for you to make a decision.”

Troeger’s story is a common one. For Barb, and millions of others, the buses, as Graham promised, did indeed wait while they took the most important journey of their lives down the aisle and into the counseling area where they prayed, received a booklet about salvation, and made a connection with a local believer and church.

Follow-up by local churches was always a vital part of Crusade ministry. Graham told pastors in Chicago in 1962, “The Crusade is alike a grenade that opens a hole in the line—the church has to move in and hold the position.”

An Illinois Baptist article from the time shows that Graham had exhorted pastors before coming back to Chicago. “You have the reputation of more division than

– R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

– Steve Gaines, Southern Baptist Convention President, pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tenn.

– Russell Moore, president, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

– Priscilla Shirer, author, teacher, daughter of Pastor Tony Evans

– Ed Stetzer, Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and executive director of the Billy Graham Center

Continued from page 7

any city in the United States. This was one reason that we were reluctant to come here,” Graham said at a pastors’ breakfast. “But I believe that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you have been brought together…This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Let’s not interfere with it.”

In that Chicago Crusade, 1,200 churches cooperated to organize and follow up. In 19 days of meetings, 16,451 “inquirers” had responded to the invitation. In all, 703,000 people attended the Crusade. Graham told the pastors to continue preaching evangelistic sermons for the next six months.

An Illinois Baptist report of the 1999 St. Louis Crusade is typical of Graham’s mass evangelism. Churches on the Illinois side of the Mississippi were fully invested in the event. A member of Eastview Baptist Church in Belleville said at the time, “Illinois often stakes a claim to St. Louis just as much as Missouri.” She volunteered as security at the Crusade.

Darlene Westbrook from First Baptist Church of Fairview Heights served as a counselor for those who came forward to share a decision. “We counseled at the Billy Graham Crusade in Oklahoma City in the fifties,” she said. “We are still using

mainline Protestant churches. He feared its spread. Graham’s response was to draw together the finest conservative Christian thinkers of his day, and utilize the most effective communications methods of his day, to bring solidity to the evangelical movement that would outlast any one preacher, proponent, or educational center.

The result was Christianity Today, a magazine of evangelical thought, mailed at its inception to all the pastors in the nation, “fortnightly” (every two weeks). While most people are more familiar with Graham’s innovations on radio (the Hour of Decision) and television (a weekly series, then later on worldwide broadcasts of his Crusades), it is the magazine that gave the movement feet to stand on and legs to propel it forward.

That publishing group, which is today a multimedia ministry of multiple magazines and websites, is headquartered in Carol Stream, Illinois.

With its founding in 1956, Graham spent the next 30 years personally involved in the direction of Christianity Today, according to Harold Myra, who served as CEO and publisher from 1976 to 2005. “With his tremendous sixth sense about people and communications, he has recruited edi-

Graham on canvas

“I took the original photograph while Dr. Graham was on a book tour for his autobiography, Just as I Am. He was being interviewed by David Frost in West Palm Beach in 1997,” said Jim Whitmer. “My wife, Mary, used that photograph as the basis of a digital painting.”

Whitmer is a photographer living and working in Wheaton. “I was blessed to know the Grahams for many years. I first photographed him in 1965. I was a freshman at Wheaton College and he was on campus for an event. Then in 1972, I photographed Explo ’72, an evangelistic conference in Dallas where Billy Graham was speaking on behalf of Bill Bright, founder of Crusade for Christ. Later I photographed other Graham events, and served as a time as crusade photographer for his son, Franklin, and his daughter, Anne, and with his wife, Ruth. It was a privilege and a blessing.”

things we learned at that Crusade. This is our chance to give back.”

Graham’s first Crusade in St. Louis in 1953 was held in Kiel Auditorium. It lasted a month, and drew 12,000 nightly. At the last Crusade in 1999, a total of 200,000 people attended in five services, and 12,820 decisions were reported.

Between 1947 and 2005, he conducted 417 crusades in 185 countries. He preached to more than 100 million in person, and more than 3 million people are believed to have responded to his invitations to salvation.

Graham as world influencer

The friend of presidents and monarchs told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch when he was 80, “I am not a professor. I am not a theologian. I’m a simple proclaimer.”

That “simplicity” is perhaps what made him endearing and accessible and believable. But, while he was an advocate of a simple faith in Jesus Christ, Graham had a great role in giving evangelical theology and the Evangelical movement a solid and intellectual foundation that it had not had before the mid-1950s.

In his Crusades, the preacher espoused a passionate, even fiery theology like the fundamental movement that preceded him, but personally he embodied a warm and gracious spirit that came to typify “Billy Graham-style evangelical.” It was smart, but loving.

In the early 1950s, Graham was seeing the effects of liberalism on the theology and practice of the

tors and trustees and communicated regularly with CT’s leadership as the organization grew from one magazine to a broad communications ministry,” Myra said. “CT continues to resonate with his original vision.”

From Illinois to the world, Graham’s influence continues.

Graham at the end

The world’s most famous evangelist, next to Paul perhaps, once said he wasn’t expecting a big reception when he got to heaven. “I am expecting just to get to heaven by God’s grace and his mercy, because I am a sinner. I have broken his laws. I’ve sinned against him. I deserve judgment. I am going (to heaven) because God is a God of grace and love and mercy. I pray the prayer: God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

That was in an interview 20 years ago. More recently, since the passing of his beloved Ruth in 2007, Graham has lived quietly at his mountain cabin in Montreat, North Carolina, not far from his childhood home.

With failing hearing and sight, Graham has grown almost silent in recent years. “It’s as though he’s said everything he wants to say,” reported his daughter, Anne, in mid-February. But what he said—proclaiming salvation in Jesus Christ and the centrality of the gospel in our lives and in the world—goes on uninterrupted.

3 personal glimpses

By NATE ADAMS

Ihad the privilege of meeting Billy Graham three times in my life. Each of those encounters gave me a slightly different perspective on both the man and the far-reaching scope of his ministry and influence.

I first met Dr. Graham while a college student at Judson University, where one of his sons was also a student. The chapel was buzzing that morning with news that Billy Graham was present, and I sat down eager to hear the famous evangelist. Instead, we heard the regularly scheduled chapel speaker, and learned that Dr. Graham was there as a parent and fellow worshiper that morning. I had a brief moment to shake his hand after chapel. But the memory I walked away with was of his humility, and that he didn’t need to be in the limelight.

The second time I met Dr. Graham was in the mid-1980’s, when he visited the offices of Christianity Today Inc., where I worked as a mid-level manager. Dr. Graham founded our flagship magazine in 1956, and it had become the primary voice for evangelical Christianity, and a thoughtful alternative to the more liberal Christian Century. Throughout my 17 years at Christianity Today, we would occasionally discuss whether anyone could personify and hold together the many strands of evangelicalism as Dr. Graham did. The memory I walked away with from those years was that this evangelist, best known for declaring the simple gospel message, also founded worldwide ministries that articulated and defended conservative, evangelical Christianity, even in leading academic and theological circles.

The final time I met Dr. Graham personally was in 1999, when the North American Mission Board and its missionary to the United Nations hosted a dinner for ambassadors and diplomats in New York City. Though the setting was by no means an evangelistic crusade, I listened as Dr. Graham masterfully, disarmingly, and yet directly delivered the gospel message in an after-dinner speech to some of the world’s most influential men and women. I walked away thinking, “That gracious, winsome man uses every opportunity he has to share the gospel.”

In those brief, personal, glimpses, I saw a humble, gracious man, a father and husband who didn’t “need” the spotlight, but who leveraged every opportunity to spread the gospel, both widely around the world and deeply into the most academic and theological circles. I hope that meeting him personally those few, brief times gives me the right to now miss him as personally as I do.

– Reported by the Illinois Baptist team, with additional info from Just As I Am (Zondervan, 2007), Chicago Tribune, Christian Post, Christianity Today, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Photo credits: Cover, Getty Images; pp. 7-8, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; p. 9, Jim and Mary Whitmer

Higher Education: An Illinois Baptist Special Section

Making the right call

How do I choose a school? Is seminary the right choice for me? Once I get there, what factors will contribute to my success as a student?

These are questions prospective students of all ages are asking. And for those who choose a Christian institution, spiritual growth at school is another key question as they map out their educational future.

In this special section, Pastor Mark Warnock, formerly of Illinois, shares insights on picking a seminary. (The Southern Baptist Convention has six, but there are a few other popular choices among Baptist pastors, and an increasing number of alternatives for theological education). He also offers wisdom for how to avoid a common seminary pitfall.

On page 12, administrators from Christian colleges share advice with prospective students and their parents on preparing for life on campus.

Choosing a school is no small decision

Seminary will be a significant investment of your life. It will take years, it will cost tens of thousands of dollars, and it will be a challenge. Give careful thought as you make your choice.

The first truth to remember is that seminary is not an end in itself. It is a means to prepare you for ministry. So, from the beginning, ask yourself: What kind of ministry will I be doing? Even if you’re not entirely certain, your plans for future ministry will influence which school might be the best choice for you.

Here are several factors to consider:

Denomination. Do you belong to a particular denomination? If you’re committed to serve a particular arm of the church, start with their seminaries. If you aren’t tied to a particular denomination, or will be working in parachurch movements, you have more options.

Doctrine. Seminaries vary in their doctrine, so know your school’s confessional position before you go. Theological education provides a credential for your resume that will label you as being one of “their kind” of students. Of course, it is possible to be a liberal student at a conservative school, or vice versa, but if you want to establish conservative credentials, for instance, going to a liberal school will probably work against you.

Faculty. The quality of instruction at a seminary is directly linked to the quality of the faculty. Some schools are loaded with well-known, published scholars. Others have credentialed but unknown professors. Is there a scholar you absolutely want to study with? Keep in mind that reputation is not an entirely reliable guide. A professor whose academic work is highly respected may be crummy in the classroom. Some of the most able teachers might be people you’ve never heard of.

Culture. Every school has its own culture and emphasis. What are the schools you’re considering known for? Academic theology? Apologetics? Missions and evangelism? Social engagement?

Location. One downside of residential seminaries is that often you must move to a new city and leave the region where you intend to serve upon graduation. This separation can last for years, which disconnects you from the local culture, ministry network, and established family relationships where you currently live. Always give careful consideration to local options before you move across the country.

Cost. This consideration is critically important because vocational ministry does not pay very well on average. Student loans can become a seri-

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ous financial millstone around your neck. Many prospective students already have significant debt from their undergraduate work.

It’s not easy to pin down the total cost for a theological education, but we found the average tuition for a Master of Divinity from a reputable, accredited, evangelical seminary in 2017 was around $50,000. Keep in mind, this figure is for tuition only—it does not include books, fees, or other expenses.

Some denominational seminaries offer large discounts to students from their denomination, as much as 50% or more, which is a significant advantage. (Matriculation fees in Southern Baptist seminaries are subsidized by Cooperative Program gifts and extensive endowments.)

A few seminaries with large endowments even offer tuition-free seminary. Before you rush to apply, however, consider other factors, like the doctrine and culture of the school. In terms of your final ministry goal, a free Master of Divinity from a seminary outside your confession might prove to be a major obstacle to your future employment in the church. Also, some “free seminary” programs are not accredited. They may not meet the same academic standards or be recognized as a legitimate credential. Investigate carefully before enrolling.

Special programs. Some seminaries may offer special concentrations not available in other places: urban ministry, cross-cultural missions, women’s ministry, and leadership. Again, think about your future ministry as you evaluate the availability of these programs.

Availability of jobs while in school. An institution in a small town may not provide the kind of employment you need to support yourself as easily as other locations. Ask if your seminary has any special relationships with local employers.

Online learning or distance options. Nearly every school has these now. Some have regional satellite locations where you can attend class without moving, or offer modular courses where you only go to campus for one- or twoweek intensives. Online classes can be a good choice, if you have the kind of discipline necessary to study where you are. Some students do better in the physical environment of school.

Online education can also move with you from town to town. If you have a job that requires travel, or are doing ministry already in a remote location, online learning might be a good choice.

Alternatives to seminary. Look for local churches that have residency programs for pastors or church planters. While these options aren’t plentiful, increasing numbers of school are partnering with churches to provide credit for church-based ministry training. These programs sometimes cost significantly less than residential seminaries as well.

Pray. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, ESV). God knows your future far better than you. Ask him. Like a good shepherd, you can expect that he will guide you right.

This article is excerpted from “The Complete Seminary Survival Guide” (2017) by Mark Warnock. After 17 years of ministry in Illinois, he now pastors and trains church planters for the Family Church network in West Palm Beach, Fla. He earned an M.Div from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Find him at seminarysurvivalguide.com, or on Twitter @markwarnock.

College Prep 101

Ready your student for life on campus

First-year college students are on a steep learning curve, says Dana Steward of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo.

“They’re adjusting to new academic expectations. They’re adjusting to a new physical environment. A lot of them have maybe never shared a room before. They’re not eating mom’s cooking. And on top of that, they’re adjusting socially.”

Because all that change can be overwhelming, many colleges and universities have programs in place to help ease the transition from high school to higher education. Administrators also shared tips for preparing students for college before they get to campus. Their advice ranged from the practical—time management and making new friends, for example—to the spiritual, like how to encourage a Christ-centered worldview.

On your own

Time management is often the biggest challenge for new students, said Steward, director of SBU’s University Success Center. Parents can help students prepare for the responsibility of managing their time by creating opportunities for them to practice. Help them learn to keep up with their obligations without being reminded, she said. And encourage them to learn a system—using a planner, calendar, or an app on their phone—to schedule major projects and assignments, and to design a plan to tackle those things.

Steward said students often get to college not ever having failed. If parents or grandparents or caregivers can create spaces where it’s safe for students to fail, and then learn from their mistakes, they’ll be better prepared for life on campus.

At SBU, all first-year students take a seminar class designed to orient them to campus and to college life, including study skills and time management. They also take a class on how to think critically.

Socially, college is a time of transitions, and parents can help prepare students for those ahead of time too, Steward said. “I think some students come to college with the expectation that they’re going to find their best friend within three weeks,” she said. If that doesn’t happen, disappointment can lead to homesickness. Steward advised parents to remind their students that making friends takes time.

Life together

As students grow in their ability to manage their time and build relationships, many are also diving deeper into the faith they’ve been developing since childhood. At Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., students are encouraged to build on that faith, and invite people into the process as they determine who God is leading them to be.

“It’s natural—this is the time for them to recognize, ‘This is what I was raised in, and this is who I’m becoming,’” said Scott Samuelson, Trinity’s director of leadership and formation. “When it goes well is often when it happens alongside someone else,” he said, whether it be a mentor, staff member, older student, or small group.

At Trinity, students at 11 a.m. on Mondays for residence hall floor-based Bible studies led by upperclassmen or graduate students. These “Life Together Groups” are designed to help students build relationships while studying God’s Word—a foundation that Samuelson said can overflow to other facets of campus life.

“Once I know I belong, I feel like I have courage for the other stuff.”

Before they get to school, students can benefit from conversations with their parents about the church and faith tradition they’ve grown up in, Samuelson said. Acknowledge that they’re going to encounter different expressions of faith, he said, but also that God’s going to honor the foundation that has been laid.

“The more students come to college with a familiarity with the faith they’ve been raised in,” Samuelson said, “the better equipped they are to engage differences.”

Looking forward

College years are formative for the student, but also for the church, said Mark Weinstein of Cedarville University.

“Many students enter college with a need to develop confidence in the truth claims of Scripture and to develop their identity in Christ as they seek to interact with the world,” said Weinstein, executive director of public relations at the Ohio university. “The foundation of a Christ-centered view of the world is often challenged at many universities, yet is essential for the discipleship of Christian college students and the future of the church.”

At Cedarville, academic life is designed for every student to earn a minor in Bible, with classes focused on Scripture and theology. In addition, Weinstein said, “Our scholarship pursues Jesus Christ as the axis of all truth and seeks to orient every academic discipline around him.”

Outside the classroom, he said, students engage in Christian community through chapel services, mentoring, and opportunities to be involved in missions and service.

“The college years are a strategic stewardship to set the trajectory of future church leaders,” Weinstein said. “Therefore, every experience is directed toward loving God and loving others.”

– Meredith Flynn

Seminary’s biggest challenge

People in my home church in Florida cautioned me: “Don’t let seminary ruin you.” I knew what they meant. Stories abounded of young men who went to seminary fired up to change the world for Jesus, and returned cold and lifeless, all their zeal dissolved in the acid of theological debates and parsing of verbs. They got immense knowledge and lost spiritual vibrancy.

In an academic environment, it’s easy to make the assumption that knowledge is what qualifies you for ministry. It’s not. What qualifies you for ministry is the life and calling of God in you. It is the power of the Holy Spirit who has brought you from death to life.

Trinity offers more than 70 programs of study, providing an education that is grounded in scripture with real world experience. Since we’re located just 25 miles north of Chicago, you’ll have the opportunity to live, learn, and serve where you can engage with the world and shape your community.

tiu.edu/ilbap

2065 Half Day Road Village of Bannockburn Deerfield, Illinois 60015

800.822.3225

The way I think of it now is that knowledge fuels our love for God and others, which then propels our obedience to God’s commands. Obedience then produces a kind of experiential knowledge, which further fuels our love and propels us to greater obedience.

So as you’re studying diligently in seminary, let your increasing knowledge fuel an increasing love of God and his people. Here are some suggestions:

1. Maintain a devotional time with God. No matter what time pressures come to bear, make this a non-negotiable of your day.

2. Don’t be a spiritual Olympian. Time with God every day doesn’t have to be super long or super profound. If you’re reading devotionally and praying daily for 10 minutes, that’s better than nothing at all. In an ideal world, you’d have the liberty to spend more like 30-60 minutes with God every day, but we don’t live in an ideal world. Don’t think that simple and brief moments with God are inferior.

3. Pray over assignments. Jesus’ example shows us that time alone with God is important. However, Jesus carried his connection with God into every moment of ministry. Take time to pray before reading and study sessions. Invite the Lord’s presence into everything you’re doing.

4. Find a spiritual mentor. Anyone with a walk with God you respect can be a mentor of sorts, even if you only have one conversation or meet for coffee when you can squeeze it in. Conversation about the Lord and your soul with people outside of the seminary context can be especially helpful.

5. Make times for personal spiritual retreats. In between semesters, take a day or two to hike into the woods, or find a secret place to renew your intimacy with God apart from textbooks and exams.

Find purpose in your church’s true identity

After serving in ministry for 18 years, I recognize the enormous temptation to look like another pastor or church. When we see the “success” another local church is experiencing, we want it for our church as well. But to copy another church ignores factors like location, budget, and volunteers. What’s most important is that you do you!

Here are three steps to owning your identity as a church:

1. Know who you are. Churches can be faithful to the message of the gospel while using different methods. Jesus said that true worshippers are those who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). This has nothing to do with what musical style or small group approach you use, but it’s easy to put greater focus on these methods than on our message of Christ.

Every church has strengths. Let me say that again…every church has strengths! Don’t become so consumed with where you want to improve, that you fail to celebrate your staff or volunteers who are laboring effectively.

Perhaps your church is doing a great job engaging and discipling kids, caring for widows, or helping families with the most basic of needs. Communities would be better off if churches worked to their strengths instead of trying to assimilate the strengths of the church down the street.

Knowing who you are also means you know your weaknesses. Perhaps your nursery area is in need of major overhaul. Before you start plugging leaks, ask yourself this question: How long has this been broken? If it hasn’t worked for five years, you can take five months to get the right partners and procedures in place to make a turnaround. Our oncebroken nursery is now a safe and inviting area of our church, and a place I applaud our leaders often. It wasn’t a quick turnaround, but it was an honest and effective one. Take a breath and make a plan.

2. Know where you are. There is great variety among our nearly 1,000 IBSA churches. Rockford, Springfield, and Marion share a state, but all have different cultures.

For example, our community has a large number of unchurched, former Catholics, and people who’ve never heard of

Know who you are. Own it. Celebrate it. Improve it.

Southern Baptists. As a result, I take time to clarify elements of the worship service more than I did while serving in Arkansas. These explanations aren’t for the regulars, but to engage the newcomers. I’m also more deliberate in bringing Scripture to the screen during a sermon, knowing there are many here with little experience or knowledge to navigate the Bible quickly.

Be sure also to own your area.

Our church is First Baptist of Machesney Park, meaning Machesney Park is our starting point. Like many churches, we draw from several neighboring towns, but our first priority is at our own front door. We work to not just be “of” Machesney Park, but “for” Machesney Park.

While I’d like to see our impact stretch out even more into the neighboring communities of our First family, knowing who and

where we are is our first step for message impact.

3. Know where you’re going. Knowing who and where you are allows slight adjustments as you work to strengthen current ministry efforts. But you should also be asking long-term adjustment questions: Where are we going? What is the future impact we want to have as a church?

When we asked ourselves those questions, our answer was clear: young adult ministry.

Like many churches I’ve been around, we had a gap between our youth ministry and regular adult ministries. So, two years ago I began praying and talking with our leadership council about how we could have an impact among college-aged/young adults. This was a vital step to ensure our growing youth ministry could funnel our graduates into a clear next step for their discipleship in our church.

God has since brought a group of young adults into the life of our church who have connected well with our youth group grads. We’ve still got room for improvement, but taking the time to plan, instead of just reacting to a need, is setting our church up to serve the next generation.

To summarize: Be sure you know who you are. Own it. Celebrate it. Improve it.

Be sure you know where you are. Get involved. Make connections. Be a neighbor.

Be sure you know where you are going. What future ministry goal could your church set?

Heath Tibbetts is pastor of First Baptist Church, Machesney Park.

“Ordering one study guide not only saves money, but also keeps our entire small group on the same page.”

devotional

Godly priorities

Read: Ephesians 5:25, ESV

Paul’s admonition for husbands has special significance for those God has called to lead the church. Ephesians 5:25 is a crucial verse in the life of a pastor; how we understand this passage and apply it to our lives sets a standard for the churches we pastor, and for the people watching from outside our congregations.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

For many pastors, the church quickly becomes the center of their lives. They get called to a church and in an attempt to “give God their all,” the work of the church soon becomes first priority in their lives. Because of this, the pastor’s wife often loses her position as first priority of her husband’s life and becomes second to the church.

ADRON ROBINSON

Brothers, this is not God’s will for your ministry or your marriage. God comes first, then your marriage, then the ministry.

While most of us would say that we don’t put the church before our wives, we should ask ourselves two questions: Do I often cancel or reschedule plans with my wife in order to attend church events? Have I made time with my wife and family a priority in my ministry?

The strength of a pastor’s ministry is connected to the stability of his marriage. We must always remember that the church has a husband and his name is Jesus Christ. The church doesn’t need a second husband, and the pastor doesn’t need another wife.

PRAYER PROMPT: Father, forgive us for letting our priorities get out of order. May we love you with all our heart, soul, and mind; help us pastors love our wives like you love your church, and give ourselves up for her. May we never sacrifice our marriage and family on the altar of ministry. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Adron Robinson is pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and president of the Illinois Baptist State Association.

Pat’s Playbook

Weighing the numbers

QIs it really OK for a church to set a goal for baptisms? Isn’t that a work of the Holy Spirit?

AIt’s been said over and over, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time!” One way to prioritize evangelism is to set a goal for how many baptisms you would like to see in a year. That will give you an opportunity to measure how well you are doing in reaching your community for Christ.

PAT PAJAK

Obviously, the Holy Spirit must bring conviction to those who hear the Word and the Heavenly Father will draw them to salvation by grace through faith. But our Lord gave the Great Commission and instructed us as believers to make disciples and baptize them in his name (Matthew 28:19-20).

Setting a baptismal goal reminds the church that every member’s responsibility is to share the good news of the gospel and trust God to bless the witnessing effort.

More than a party

QWe have festivals and events, but not much witnessing. Is evangelism old school?

AAbsolutely NOT! Three things must happen in order for evangelism to take place:

1. Unsaved people must be present,

2. The gospel must be presented,

3. An invitation to respond must be given.

Far too many church events never include all three of these requirements.

The next time a church event is being planned, ask how you plan to invite lost friends, how will the gospel be shared, and how will you offer a response time. By doing so, you will start to intentionally make church events evangelistic opportunities.

Pat Pajak is IBSA’s associate executive director for evangelism. Send questions for Pat to Illinois Baptist@IBSA.org.

Strategic prayer

Training unlocks intercessory skills

NeTworkiNg

Find more information on ministry positions at IBSA.org/connect

Send NetworkiNg items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org

Carol Stream | More than 50 pray-ers gathered in January to stretch their understanding of the discipline of prayer, and to learn some new skills they can put into practice in their personal prayer lives and their churches.

The Chicago Metro Baptist Association held its fourth-annual prayer conference at Crossroads Community Church in Carol Stream. Claude King, a discipleship specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources, took the participants through a Prayer Boot Camp based on “ACTS”— adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

The training taught prayer skills, said Phil Miglioratti, which are sometimes overlooked in the life of a Christian. “With prayer, it seems everyone says you just bow your head, close your eyes, and pray. And I think sometimes that’s what keeps prayer at the remedial level,” said Miglioratti, IBSA’s prayer ministries consultant. He added that the boot camp helped sharpen some skills some churches may

not know they have for prayer.

The day-long seminar also included many times of actual prayer, something that’s important to event organizer Cheryl Dorsey. “I don’t like prayer seminars where—and sometimes I’m even guilty of it—you don’t get to pray,” said Dorsey, the Chicago Association’s prayer coordinator and a pastor’s wife from Beacon Hill Missionary Baptist Church. At the boot camp, she said, “People felt like they were engaged in prayer for most of the day.”

– Meredith Flynn

Here’s the church…

First Baptist Church, Sesser is seeking a full-time or bi-vocational pastor. We desire candidates with evidence of diligent work, a heart for the community, seeking God’s will, friendliness, and doctrinal integrity consistent with historic Baptist beliefs. Formal education welcomed, but not more important than the qualities listed above. Send resumes, including calling and testimony, to: First Baptist Church, Box 503, Sesser, IL, 62884 or sesserfbc105@yahoo.com.

First Baptist Church, Effingham is seeking a full-time student pastor This person will work primarily with youth (grades 7-12), but will also have responsibilities with grade school students and college-age young adults. A Bachelor’s degree is required. Theological education and experience are a plus, but not required. Inquiries or resumes may be sent to: Search Committee, First Baptist Church, 213 W. Fayette, Effingham, IL 62401 or fbceffrm@ consolidated.net.

First Baptist Church, Dupo is seeking a part-time youth minister. Send resumes to fbcdup@htc.net with the subject line: Youth Minister Search Committee.

Winstanley Baptist Church in Fairview Heights seeks a transitional (interim) pastor to preach in two Sunday morning worship services, lead weekly prayer meetings/Bible study, and work with ministerial staff, church council, deacons, and other committees to help guide this transitional period until a new pastor is called. E-mail resumes to search@winbap.org. Direct questions to Search Committee Chair Jim Bryant, (618) 830-5527.

Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services is seeking a fulltime (four days per week) husband and wife relief houseparent couple for two boys’ cottages. Send resumes to Melinda Bratcher at 949 County Road 1300 North, Carmi, IL, 62821, or call (618) 382-4164, ext. 111.

LEARN BY EXPERIENCE – Prayer Boot Camp participants in Carol Stream practice the skills taught by LifeWay’s Claude King (photo below).

HERE’S THE STEEPLE – Pastor Terry Walters and Celebration Community Church in Pana had a vision to install a steeple and wire it to digitally ring church bells. A donation from outside the church family made it possible by Christmas, Walters said.

EVENTS

VBS Clinics

What: Learn about LIfeWay’s 2018 “Game On!” curriculum

• March 3: FBC Carterville

• March 17: Pleasant Hill, Mt. Vernon

• April 7: Broadview Missionary Baptist

• April 21: Northside, Dixon

When: Registration begins at 8 a.m., clinics are 8:30-noon Register: IBSA.org/Kids

Disaster Relief Training

What: Chaplaincy class begins Friday at 1 p.m.; Basic Training courses begin Friday evening; specialty classes offered Saturday. Pre-registration is recommended.

• March 2-3: Tabernacle, Decatur

• April 20-21: Crosswinds, Plainfield Register: IBSA.org/DR

March 10

Children’s Missions Day

What: Hands-on missions projects for kids in grades 1-6

Where: Multiple locations Register: IBSA.org/Kids

March 23-24

Refresh: IBSA Ministers’ Wives Retreat

What: Weekend of fellowship and encouragement, featuring Kandi Gallaty, an author, speaker, and pastor’s wife Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Register: IBSA.org/Women

March 23-24

Illinois Leadership Summit: Chicagoland

What: Training featuring NAMB’s Daniel Im and breakouts with top leadership practitioners from IBSA and Chicagoland Baptist churches

Where: Broadview Missionary Baptist Info: RichCochran@IBSA.org

April 5-6

Chaplaincy Training

What: Training in C.I.S.M. (Critical Incident Stress Management)

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Register: IBSA.org/DR

April 8

One GRAND Sunday

What: One day, one goal: 1,000 baptisms in IBSA churches Register: IBSA.org/Evangelism

April 10-12

Revitalize: Hope for the Heartland

What: Equipping leaders to bring renewal and revival to their churches

Where: Bethel Baptist Church, Troy Register: revitalizeheartland.com

April 14

Illinois Student Ministry Conference

What: Leadership training for everyone serving in student ministry, from volunteers to senior pastors Register: IBSA.org/Students

April 27-28

Priority Women’s Conference

What: The women’s event of the year! Enjoy a time of spiritual renewal, fellowship, and training.

Where: Decatur Conference Center and Hotel Register: IBSA.org/Priority

dave says

QMy grandmother passed away a week ago. She was 98, and I know both she and my grandfather had pre-paid for their funerals in 2004. However, there were outstanding costs of $1,500 with the funeral services we had to pay out of pocket, because she had outlived the insurance policy attached to the pre-payment plan. I know you say it’s always better to pre-plan, not pre-pay, for a funeral. Can you refresh my understanding of this?

ALet’s use a round figure, and say the cost of a funeral is $10,000. What would $10,000 grow to 25 years from now if it were invested in a good mutual fund? Now, juxtapose that number with the increase in the cost of a funeral over that time. The average inflation rate of consumer-purchased items is around 4%. So, the cost of funerals, on average, has risen about 4% a year. By comparison, you could’ve invested that money, and it would’ve grown at 10% or 12% in a good mutual fund.

Now understand, I’m not knocking folks who are in the funeral business. But lots of businesses that provide these services realize more margin in selling pre-paid policies than they do in caskets. In other words, they don’t make as much money selling the casket as they do selling a pre-paid policy on the casket.

Do you understand my reasoning? If we knew the exact date she pre-paid, and how much she pre-paid, that figure invested in a good mutual fund would be a whole lot more than the cost of a reasonable funeral. It’s the same principle behind the reason I advise folks to not pre-pay college, or just about anything else, that’s likely far into the future. The money you could’ve made on the investment is a lot more than the value of pre-paying. Pre-planning, on the other hand, is a great idea for many things—including funerals.

Quit job for school?

QMy wife and I have $72,000 in debt from student loans and a car loan. We’re trying to pay off our debt using the debt snowball system, and we each make about $45,000 a year. She’s a teacher, and she’s planning on going back to school for her master’s degree, but she’s thinking about quitting her job to do this. She’ll be able to make more money with the additional education, and she would only be unemployed for two years. The degree program will cost us $2,000 out of pocket per semester for two years. Does this sound like a good idea?

AThere’s no reason for your wife to quit her job to make this happen. Lots of people— especially teachers—hold down their jobs and go back to school to further their education. I’m not sure trying to make it on one income when you’re that deep in debt is a good idea.

Whatever you do, don’t borrow more money to make this happen. Cash flow it, or don’t do it. We’re talking about $8,000 total, and you’ve got $72,000 in debt hanging over your heads already. My advice would be to wait until you’ve got the other debt knocked out, then save up and pay cash for school. You could slow down your debt snowball, and use some of that to pay for school, but I’d hate to see you lose the momentum you have when it comes to getting out of debt.

The choice is yours, but don’t tack on anymore student loan debt. I know her income will go up with a master’s degree, so from that standpoint it’s a good thing to do. But if you do a good thing a dumb way, it ends up being dumb!

Will

I’m truly sorry for your loss. God bless you all. Let’s

DAVE RAMSEY

Pre-planning, explained

Financial advisor Dave Ramsey is a prolific author and radio host.

Exegete the culture Understanding the world where we live and serve

Church needed here...

Location: East Side (Chicago)

Focus: Latino population

Characteristics: East Side is on the far south side of Chicago, between the Calumet River and the Illinois-Indiana state line. The community is 77.5% Hispanic, and skews young.

Prayer needs: Pray for an Hispanic Southern Baptist congregation that can reach out to both Spanish- and English-speaking people Pray for local and outside partners to support this new start.

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists

“More than any other generation before them, Gen Z does not assert a religious identity.”

Defining ‘Generation Z’

They are the young people coming of age right now, and the focus of a comprehensive Barna study. Gen Z, defined by Barna as people born between 1999 and 2015, is the first “post-Christian generation,” according to the researchers.

59 %

of young people still active in church today had a close personal friend who was an adult at their church, compared to 31% of those who dropped out.

Having an adult church friend in their high school years doubled the likelihood that Millennials stayed in church. Their key connection, surprisingly, was not with other teens, a pastor, or church staff, but with their parents’ peers.

– from Making Space for Millennials (Barna Group)

Make it everybody’s business

“What if your church’s ministry leaders sat down together and drew out a timeline from preschooler to adult. What goals would you identify as markers of spiritual health within those ranges? Whatever goals you identify, aligning all ministries around spiritual benchmarks gives churches a clear path to discipleship.”

Jack Lucas, IBSA’s director of next generation ministries, in Resource magazine. See the Spring issue at Resource.IBSA.org.

‘Beyond ourselves’ Trip reinforces gospel’s power

In a mountain village in the Dominican Republic, a team of mission volunteers from Illinois stood by a lean-to café and shared the gospel. They were scheduled to be renovating a building that will house a new church. But a dispute over the building had left it padlocked that day. So the team improvised, holding an outdoor worship service where people came to Christ.

“The gospel is relevant, whether you’re in Albion, Ill., or Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, or some other country,” said Illinois pastor Nathaniel Trowbridge. He’d held that belief before his trip to the Dominican Republic—his first time out of the country. But seven days in the DR solidified the conviction, he said, “that the gospel is relevant, and that it is the power of God for salvation.”

Trowbridge, pastor of Samaria Missionary Baptist Church in Albion, was in the DR as part of a partnership between his association, Greater Wabash, and Ramon Ortiz, a local pastor and church planter. The February trip also included volunteers from other Illinois Baptist churches.

The padlocked building was in the village of Clavijo, where Ortiz is planning to start a new congregation. Once their plans changed, the group, which included Greater Wabash Director of Missions Brent Cloyd, went to each house in the village, sharing the gospel and praying for people. They also visited a private school to deliver backpacks sent by Greater Wabash churches. The association collected 150 backpacks for schoolchildren in the DR.

Before the team left, Cloyd, who also visited the DR last year, explained the purpose of engaging in missions.

“It challenges our thinking. It gives us a greater awareness of the world. It helps us to think beyond ourselves,” he wrote in the Greater Wabash associational newsletter.

“My experience has been that going on missions [trips] has drawn me closer to Christ and given me fresh zeal to live for Christ and be a servant of Christ. I hope and pray and believe that it will have done that for everyone who has gone on this mission trip.”

– IBSA Church Planting Team

– Barna Research

– Barna, Feb. 2018

NEW FRIENDS – Felicia Clark (left) of World Deliverance Christian Center in Hillside was among the Illinois volunteers who visited the Dominican Republic in February.