March 4, 2019 Illinois Baptist

Illinois Baptist

Burden of accountability

Ordination

Nate Adams P. 2

‘Bold’ steps urged to prevent sexual abuse

BY MEREDITH FLYNN

Nashville, Tenn. | One week after newspapers revealed hundreds of cases of sexual abuse by Southern Baptist ministers and volunteers, Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear said churches that have turned a blind eye to abuse have no place in the denomination.

“We must take bold and decisive steps to send an unequivocal message: Churches that have a wanton disregard for sexual abuse and for caring for the survivors are not in good fellowship with this convention,” said Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, during a Feb. 18 address before the SBC Executive Committee.

Greear’s speech was scheduled prior to a multi-part report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News detailing sexual

abuse perpetuated by Southern Baptist ministers, staff, and volunteers over the past 20 years. The newspapers found around 380 SBC leaders have been credibly accused of sex crimes since 1998, and about 220 of those were convicted or received deferred prosecutions in plea deals.

Report advocates disfellowship of churches that ignore abuse GREEAR

Meeting the day after Greear’s address, the Executive Committee recommended the SBC’s bylaws be changed to define a cooperating church as one that “has not been determined by the Executive Committee to have evidenced indifference in addressing sexual abuse that targets minors and other vulnerable persons and in caring for persons who have suffered because of sexual abuse.”

Indifference, Baptist Press reported, could be evidenced by

several circumstances according to the amendment, including employing a convicted sex offender or willfully disregarding compliance

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with mandatory reporting laws. In order for the amendment to pass, messengers must approve it by a two-thirds majority at the 2019 and 2020 SBC annual meetings.

During his report in Nashville, Greear named 10 Southern Baptist P. 4

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists

Their pews are half-full

“There is a sharp contrast between how many pastors think their churches are going to grow and how few are actually growing,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Logically, how do you put that together? What’s going to change at the church for that to happen? Pastors are saying, ‘If we reach the next generation, we can do this.’”

Pastors are optimistic about church growth over the next five years, despite moderate gains in the recent past:

NATE ADAMS

The purposes of ordination

This past month our family gathered at Calvary Baptist Church in Elgin for my middle son Noah’s ordination into pastoral ministry. It was my privilege to deliver the “charge to the candidate,” something I felt I had been doing to Noah all his life, first as a boy, then as a teenager and young man, but now specifically as a Baptist minister of the gospel.

37%

36% 27%

Weekly worship attendance at their church in the last 5 years (according to Protestant pastors) Increased Decreased Stayed the same 79 79% 5% 16% Weekly worship attendance at their church in the next 5 years Will increase Will decrease Will stay the same

– LifeWay Research, Feb. 2019

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 2/22/19

$864,365

Budget Goal: $834,615

Received to date in 2018: $840,381

2019 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.

Calvary is my mom’s home church, and the location of my father’s funeral service almost 13 years ago. I wore one of Dad’s ties into the pulpit that evening, and gave another to Noah, reminding him that he represents a third generation of ministry in our family. I’ve known some of the church members there at Calvary for more than 40 years, and I watched gratefully as some of them, and then some of their children, came down front to lay hands on Noah and to pray for him. Needless to say, it was a very special evening.

The week after Noah’s ordination, I received an e-mail survey from an associational missions strategist in Kentucky who is doing research on pastoral ordination in Southern Baptist churches. The introduction to the survey stated that it was being precipitated by a “significant discussion concerning SBC ordination practices,” stemming from a recent report in the Houston Chronicle regarding sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches, some by ordained pastors. (Additional reporting on that article and its ramifications can be found in this issue of the Illinois Baptist.)

The survey asked each participant to reflect on his own ordination experience, and whether it included certain elements. While I had to reflect back more than 25 years, I quickly recognized in the survey’s questions many elements that my ordination process included, but some that it did not.

For example, my ordination council consisted of ordained men from multiple churches, and they asked me questions about the Bible, and about The Baptist Faith and Message, and about my views on specific doctrines. They asked questions about my experience in ministry, though most of them had observed that first-hand for years, and about my wife’s commitment to ministry.

I do not, however, recall any questions or conversation about sexual purity, past or present. I do not recall questions or conversation examining potentially personal or selfish motivations or expectations for ministry. The survey helped me think about the benefits of including those elements in an ordination process.

Perhaps most thought-provoking to me was the survey’s question asking whether members of my ordination council had ever followed up with me to see how I was doing in ministry. My dad was on my ordination council, so I did have that follow-through and accountability. Others were friends and acquaintances for years to come. But there was no formal follow-up, and I had to admit it sounded nice to get an occasional call from someone on my ordination council, checking in on me and helping rekindle and sustain my call to ministry.

Sadly, since that wonderful, affirming, inspirational time of my ordination, I have come in contact with pastors who have fallen into sexual sin, financial impropriety, deceit or greed that was destructive to their church, child abuse, and even one who underwent operations to change his sexual identity.

So as we ordained my son this past week, I was reminded that ordination is not only a time of great celebration for the church, and affirmation of God’s calling on someone’s life. It is also a time of careful examination, scrutiny, and ongoing accountability, not just for the benefit of the ordaining church, but for the long-term good and protection of all the churches in that man’s future.

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

It calls for celebration, yes, but also ongoing accountability.

Broader Illinois abortion bill filed

Called ‘more extreme than New York’

Springfield | It may have an innocuous sounding name—The Reproductive Health Act—but pro-life advocates say House Bill 2495 is far from it.

Ralph Rivera, legislative chairman of Illinois Right to Life Action, said, “It’s massive. It takes away the rights of the unborn. The bill will end all restrictions, all limitations to abortions throughout all nine months of pregnancy. No exceptions, literally any reason, no reason. It’s the most extreme law, more extreme than New York’s.”

Last month, the state of New York approved the nation’s most liberal abortion legislation to date, allowing termination through all nine months of a pregnancy.

Illinois Right to Life Action said HB 2495 (SB 1942 in the Senate) would:

• Create a fundamental right to abortion with no restrictions for any reasons throughout nine months of pregnancy

• Allow non-physicians to do surgical abortions

• Mandate all private health insurance plans to cover abortions without any restrictions, co-pays, or cost-sharing of any kind. This would mean “two, three, four abortions a year, no barriers to sex-selective abortions…abortion for birth control if you will,” Rivera said. No exemptions are included for churches or other religious institutions.

• Repeal the Abortion Performance Refusal Act (745 ILCS 30/1)

• Change the term “pregnant woman” to “pregnant individual”

Another bill, HB 2467 (Senate Bill 1594), would repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, which currently requires doctors to notify an adult family member of a patient under 18 prior to an abortion.

“The status of these bills right now is that they are all waiting to be sent to committees for hearings,” said Rivera. “There is time to reach out to legislators and urge them to vote no on these bills.”

17 times more abortions since HB 40

WICS-TV in Springfield filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting the number of taxpayer-funded abortions carried out

since House Bill 40 became effective last year. The law provides taxpayer-subsidized abortions for women covered by Medicaid and state employee insurance.

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services reported the state reimbursed abortion providers for 1,561 abortions from January to June of 2018. The state reported 84 such procedures from that same time period in 2017. The 2018 total represents a 1,758% increase, with patients ranging in age from 12-45.

Homeschool bill tabled

Alton Rep. Monica Bristow introduced HB 3560 Feb. 15, which would authorize Child Protective Services to investigate homes of homeschooling families “to ensure there is no suspected child abuse or neglect in the home.”

News of the bill spread quickly among the homeschooling community and its supporters on social media; the bill was tabled Feb. 21.

– WICS-TV, Illinois Review

‘Pro-life’ gains ground

A new Marist Poll found Americans have made a sudden shift toward the prolife position, following reports of New York’s new full-term abortion law. The survey taken Feb. 12-17 found the shift to be largest among Democrats and people under 45.

“Current proposals that promote lateterm abortion have reset the landscape and language on abortion in a pronounced—and very measurable—way,” said Marist Poll director Barbara Carvalho. Americans are now as likely to identify as pro-life as pro-choice—47% each. Last month, the numbers were 55% pro-choice to 38% pro-life.

The poll found 34% of Democrats now identify as pro-life, up from 20% last month. And younger Americans are evenly divided, with 47% pro-life and 48% pro-choice. Last month, 28% identified as pro-life and 65% as pro-choice. – PR Newswire

SWBTS head named

Greenway moves from Southern

Fort Worth | Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) unanimously elected Adam Greenway as the institution’s ninth president during a special called meeting Feb. 26-27.

Greenway, 41, currently serves as dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry at Southern Seminary. He has served denominational leadership roles, including board positions with Kentucky Baptist Convention and LifeWay, vice chairman of the Evangelism Task Force, and is current chairman of the SBC Committee on Order of Business.

Greenway fills the post left by Paige Patterson, who was moved to emeritus status last year and later terminated over contro versial comments about women and allegations that he mishandled claims of sexual assault by a student while Patterson was president of Southeastern Seminary, before he assumed the same role at Southwestern.

Danny Roberts, chairman of the search committee, called Greenway “a man of impeccable character who demonstrates kindness and humility in his dealings with others, a leader who surrounds himself with talented people and allows them to work within their giftedness, a bridge builder in the Southern Baptist Convention, and a true scholar with a heart for missions and evangelism.”

Greenway met his wife, Carla, while both were students at SWBTS. They have two children. “I believe the best days of Southwestern Seminary are ahead of us,” he said, “and I am committed to training and sending out the next generation of God-called men and women for gospel service around the world.”

EC nominee expected

The search committee for the SBC Executive Committee has “identified God’s candidate for such a time as this” and will announce the nominee “very soon,” search committee vice chairman Adron Robinson reported Feb. 19. Robinson is pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and IBSA President.

EC chairman Mike Stone called criticism the search committee received “unfortunate,” noting a letter asking whether minority candidates were interviewed.

“Every” candidate submitted “has been seriously considered, for every submission is a sacred trust from Southern Baptists,” Stone said. “Your committee has been both unanimous and unified at every single turn.”

If the candidate agrees, the EC will vote in a special called meeting.

capitol watch

SBC leadership

GREENWAY

10 calls to action

SBC President J.D. Greear shared 10 steps to increased awareness and prevention of sexual abuse during his report to the denomination’s Executive Committee Feb. 18. The calls to action, based on the initial findings of a study group Greear appointed to advise him on issues related to sexual abuse, were urged for all levels of Southern Baptist leadership—from local churches to the national SBC.

1. Enter a season of sorrow and repentance, culminating with a time of prayer and lament on the subject of abuse during the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention this June.

2. Train leaders and churches to care for abuse survivors. Greear announced the development of a free, 12-lesson resource titled “Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused.”

3. Align seminaries, Baptist state conventions, and local association leaders around ways to prevent abuse and care for survivors. Each group was asked to sign on to a separate Statement of Principles. (See what state conventions are asked to address in the sidebar on page 5.)

4. For churches, associations, state conventions, and SBC entities, review policies and procedures related to abuse, confirming they are current and correcting weaknesses.

5. To the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, consider requiring background checks, at a minimum, for all SBC standing committees and trustee appointments.

6. Reexamine ordination processes for pastors and deacons.

7. To state conventions and LifeWay Christian Resources, work together to identify additional questions on abuse that can be added to the Annual Church Profile.

8. In addition to a time of prayer and repentance, Southern Baptists will address abuse at the SBC annual meeting in June through a report from the study committee, additional resources, and an event on “Sexual Abuse and the Southern Baptist Convention” co-hosted with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

9. Continue to evaluate the development of a database of Southern Baptist offenders (see main story).

10. Amend SBC governing documents to address the definition of a cooperating church, clarifying that churches that have demonstrated a disregard for sexual abuse and caring for survivors are not in good fellowship with the convention.

From the front: Baptists confront sex abuse

Continued from page 1

churches mentioned in the papers’ investigation and asked the Executive Committee’s bylaws workgroup to determine whether the churches meet the standards of having a faith and practice which closely identifies with the SBC’s adopted statement of faith as outlined in the SBC Constitution. The workgroup responded Feb. 23, reporting three of the churches warrant further inquiry, six do not, and one is not a Southern Baptist congregation.

The group said their next step is to send letters of inquiry to the churches where additional inquiry is warranted.

Time to mourn Executive Committee meetings usually offer a chance to catch up with friends for the committee’s 80-some members, said Sharon Carty of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville. With Adron Robinson, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills, Carty represents Illinois on the Executive Committee.

The group’s February meeting was different, Carty said. There was a sense of uneasiness in the room, and an urgency. “Let’s get going so we can get things moving,” she said, describing the atmosphere. “We’ve got to make it right.”

In their first plenary session, the committee heard the initial recommendations of a study group tasked with advising Greear on sexual abuse and misconduct in the denomination. He appointed the group shortly after his election last summer, as the SBC struggled to respond to several high-profile allegations of abuse and alleged cover-ups, and as the American culture was considering similar allegations against well-known figures as part of the #metoo movement.

During his report to the Executive Committee, Greear called for a season of prayer, lament, and repentance, echoing what he

told Baptist newspaper editors just days after the Chronicle report was published.

“I do not believe you can in any way push this aside as an agenda-driven thing put out by the secular media to try to destroy us,” Greear said of the investigation. Now is not the time for sermonizing, virtue-signaling, or posturing, he said, but a time to recognize the problem and demonstrate humility.

“The safety of victims is more important than the reputation of Southern Baptists,” Greear said.

IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams said he is grateful Baptist leaders have responded with grief, repentance, and resolve to battle the evil of sexual abuse. “Even in contexts where the reported offenses have been relatively few,” Adams said, “the attitude has been that even one offense is too many, and that churches must be continually trained and equipped to safeguard their members and guests, and especially vulnerable children.”

All 41 Baptist state conventions were also asked to commit to a Statement of Principles on Abuse, affirming their care for abuse survivors, and how they will equip and support leaders and churches as they engage the issue of abuse (see sidebar on page 5). The SBC’s six seminaries and the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders signed on to similar statements.

“Churches of all sizes, but especially small churches, rely on their state conventions and local associations to provide training and resources in areas ranging from teacher training to tax preparation,” Adams said. “Safety is now emerging as a new, acutely needed category of training, that can include hiring practices, background checks, volunteer training, facilities security, reporting processes, victim recovery and care, and more.

We all want our churches to be safe and welcoming environments for children and vulnerable adults. IBSA continues to encourage churches in a variety of safeguards. Here are a few: Study and establish effective policies for security and childcare, including check-in and check-out procedures.

Background check all workers, including fingerprinting, check of the FBI database, and examination of the Sex Offender Registry maintained by the Illinois State Police. Train all leaders and workers in safety procedures and how to spot possible predators. Develop strategy for ministry to help victims of all kinds of abuse.

Check your church’s legal documents using the services of Alliance Defending Freedom, which offers a half-price membership for IBSA churches of $125.

IBSA offers training sessions several times throughout the year. Training Nights are available at the request of local associations, and there are online resources at IBSA.org/Protect. For assistance, contact MarkEmerson@IBSA.org or JackLucas@IBSA.org.

‘Protecting the church is like a war on wolves’

“Clearly we need to look for ways to invest more in training, and to use technology to make resources more readily available to all churches,” Adams said.

Training churches to respond to abuse and care for survivors was a key theme of Greear’s report, one that Adams said will find a receptive audience among Baptist leaders.

“Pastors and leaders must be serious, sacrificial shepherds who guard their flocks, just as Jesus described himself. I believe these recent reports of abuse are serving to heighten the awareness and resolve of church leaders, and that good shepherds everywhere are now declaring a new level of warfare on wolves.”

‘Ongoing vigilance’

Carty said it was clear from the Executive Committee’s meeting that the convention’s response to sexual abuse is “a work in progress.” Greear himself has reiterated that the Sexual Abuse Presidential Study Group isn’t a task force, because their task “will require constant learning, continual introspection, and ongoing vigilance.” The group of pastors, counselors, and victims’ advocates includes Rachael Denhollander, an attorney who was the first woman to accuse former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual assault.

One question they’re evaluating is an old issue that resurfaced following the newspapers’ investigation: Should the SBC have a database of offenders so that those who abuse are less readily able to move from church to church?

The database could be a solution to a question raised by media reports and by Greear’s study group: How could offenders move from one SBC church to another without the accusations of offense, or in some cases their convictions and prison time, being reported to or known by the next church?

As part of their investigation, the Texas newspapers created a website with photos of more than 200 convicted felons. Three were from Illinois:

• Danny O. Hill, pastor, convicted in 2005 of criminal sexual assault

• Leslie M. Mason, pastor, convicted in 2003 of criminal sexual assault

• Jeffrey D. Strait, deacon, convicted in 2014 of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated criminal sexual assault

The Chronicle report specifically mentioned the charges against Mason, and the case’s connection to the Illinois Baptist Then-editor Michael Leathers told the Chronicle his decision to publish the charges against Mason angered some readers and Baptist leaders, including then-interim Executive Director Glenn Akins. Leathers said he resigned after IBSA leaders told him he might be fired and lose his severance pay.

Adams responded to questions posed by WORLD magazine about Illinois’ part in the Chronicle report.

“This matter took place more than 16 years ago and long precedes my service with IBSA, so I have no first-hand knowledge of what may have been said between these two men (Leathers and Akins),” Adams said. “I can say that our organization takes claims

and especially admissions and convictions of sexual abuse very seriously, and continually seeks to train and resource churches on creating safe environments and preventing opportunities for abuse, and also to care for past victims of abuse.”

In 2008, as part of a study on sexual abuse, the SBC Executive Committee declined to pursue development of a database of Southern Baptist offenders. As reasons for their decision, they cited the difficulty of making it an effective resource, and the SBC’s lack of authority to require local churches to report instances of alleged abuse to their local association, state convention, or the national SBC. Baptist churches are still autonomous, making their own decisions.

But autonomy as a governing doctrine has come into question with the Chronicle report’s revelations.

“Baptist state conventions and associations operate alongside churches with influence and cooperation, not authority,” Adams said. “However there is increasing discussion about urging voluntary groups of churches like associations and state conventions to formally disaffiliate from churches that demonstrate disregard or recklessness in dealing with abuse.

Amending the Constitution

In addition to the amendment on sexual abuse, the Executive Committee also approved wording deeming churches that have affirmed racial discrimination to be not in friendly cooperation with the SBC. Messengers will likely address both amendments at the SBC annual meeting this summer.

“This somewhat rare action has historically been used in cases of significant theological difference, but I think more and more groups may now use it to separate themselves from churches that show disregard for the evil of abuse in their midst.”

If many SBC leaders on national and state levels agree with Greear’s study group that the possibility of withdrawing fellowship from offending churches is a viable means of requiring compliance, operating a database of offenders, much like the sex offenders registry maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice in partnership with state governments, is another matter.

“The subject of a database is complicated and will take time to evaluate,” Greear said in Nashville, acknowledging that the group is listening to a wide range of survivors, advocates, and experts on the options. He didn’t announce plans for a database during his report, but said the omission “does not mean that we are not doing everything we can to evaluate it as an option.”

“Brothers and sisters, it is time for change,” Greear said. “The world is watching. People are waiting. And God is going to hold us accountable for how we respond to this moment.”

– Additional reporting by Baptist Press

Principles for state conventions

At their March 26 meeting, the IBSA Board will consider this document proposed in the Sexual Abuse Presidential Advisory Study:

Statement of Principles

The state conventions in cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention are committed to partnering with the Sexual Abuse Presidential Study Group to equip churches and ministries in our respective states to engage the issue of abuse with compassion and care. Our desire is for the churches and ministries in our states to become safe for survivors and safe from abuse. We also want our state conventions to be a model for compassionate care. To this end, our state conventions collectively commit to continue and expand our existing efforts and to the following shared statement of principles:

• Our state conventions will continue to address sexual abuse issues - We will educate affiliate churches and ministries in our state to understand abuse by:

• Raising awareness - We will raise awareness about the issue of abuse through state convention outlets and events, including a commitment to address abuse at our 2019 annual meetings

• Sharing resources - We will share resources about the issue of abuse to the churches and ministries we serve

• Partnering with the study group - We will partner with the Sexual Abuse Presidential Study Group to develop and seek ways to support its efforts and initiatives

• Our state conventions will care for abuse survivors - We will equip churches and ministries in our state to care well for abuse survivors by:

• Encouraging resource development - We encourage the effort of the Sexual Abuse Presidential Study Group to develop the resource Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused

• Providing staff training - We will provide training to our state convention staff on how to provide highly effective resourcing in caring for survivors of abuse

• Promoting church training - We will promote training on how to care for survivors of abuse to the churches and ministries we serve

• Our state conventions will continue to prepare for abuse prevention - We will support churches and ministries in our state to prepare to prevent abuse by:

• Enhancing prevention practices - We will encourage churches and ministries to enhance their abuse prevention policies and practices

• Providing staff training - We will provide training to our state convention staff on abuse prevention

• Promoting church training - We will promote training on abuse prevention to the churches and ministries we serve

Ultimately, it’s a local church decision

“It’s just the Wild West out there right now,” a colleague declared of the Twitterverse, as Baptists registered their opinions on new reports of sexual abuse and the failure of Southern Baptists to stop perpetrators’ movement among churches. Then the Internet mostly applauded the recommendations by SBC President J.D. Greear’s study committee to address sexual abuse in our churches. Then when the Executive Committee reported that the actions of only three of ten churches cited by the Houston Chronicle merited further investigation, the blogosphere blew up again. “A free for all!” my colleague said.

That’s to be expected. Emotions are running high, and there has been a lot of use of crisis language. But beyond that, on any ordinary day, Baptists are a people who expect their voices to be heard.

Please hear me say this: Action must be taken to prevent sexual abuse in the future, to deal with those credibly accused, to assure they do not have places of leadership in SBC churches, and to minister to those who have been harmed by abuse or the threat of abuse.

That said, let me also say, we also have to handle faithfully our historic Baptist doctrines.

We may find in the discussion leading to the SBC annual meeting in June that nothing in Southern Baptist life is a done deal until it is accepted and implemented at the grassroots level.

A seminary professor of mine told this story of a convention in a large southern state: The receptionist was instructed to answer the phone, “Baptist Headquarters.”

“Hmmph,” she soon heard, followed by a long pause. “This is Pastor Smith calling from First Baptist Church. This is Baptist headquarters.”

The next time the pastor called, the phone was answered, “Hello. Baptist Building.”

The professor’s point sticks: The local church is Baptist headquarters. That’s what it means to be a Baptist. We are not a hierarchi-

‘Bold approach’

cal denomination, and we don’t operate from the top down. We are the un-denomination. Early leaders even refused for the SBC to be called a denomination, thus they chose the term “convention” to describe this voluntary association of local churches. And, thus, the word “autonomy” becomes important.

In the recent reporting, a few writers described autonomy as a shield some leaders hid behind to avoid dealing with the critical issue of prevention. Maybe autonomy was an easy response to difficult situations in the past, as leaders were accustomed to churches making their own decisions on most matters of policy. And, to be sure, autonomy of the local church must not be an excuse for keeping our eyes closed to evil in our midst. But the foundational Baptist doctrine of autonomy cannot be dismissed.

In the Houston Chronicle’s reporting, around 380 people in Southern Baptist churches were credibly accused and about 220 were convicted of sexual abuse or received plea deals. Of those, 35 found new places of service in other Southern Baptist churches. For our denomination to effectively stop offenders from becoming repeat offenders in new settings, local churches will have to do the hard work of policing and training and fingerprinting and screening volunteer workers and ministry candidates. That is first a local action that must be done first in local churches. Without full participation of local churches, we won’t have a solution to the problem, even if we do create national policies and databases.

One reporter described Pope Francis’s call to his own church, in light of their abuse crisis, not to “simple condemnation but to concrete and effective measures.” As we offer and endorse solutions, we should remember that Baptists accomplish more by cooperation than declaration. In Southern Baptist life, it’s not the language of crisis that compels us or draws us, but the invitation to responsible cooperation.

– Eric Reed

sound off

‘Grievous error’

Dave Miller, Iowa pastor and blooger at SBC Voices, Feb. 19, after Greer presented his group’s findings to the Executive Committee:

“We are not used to this kind of bold and forceful leadership in response to charges of sexual abuse in the SBC….The kind of leadership he showed last night has been all too rare in the SBC. We have seen image management that led to defensiveness and coverups. We have seen denial and deflection, blaming the victims, and fingerpointing. But what we saw last night was something new, and this old guy says it is about time for this new approach.”

Beth Moore, a Southern Baptist Bible teacher living in Houston, tweeted Feb. 26 after the Executive Committee cleared six of ten churches listed by J.D. Greear’s study group as improperly handling sex abuse charges involving their staff or volunteers:

“With the most measured words I know how to use, I wish to calmly and simply say that it is a most grievous error to know better and not do better. I know this from the Scriptures. I know this from personal experience. God will not be mocked. We are held responsible for knowledge.”

Methodists reject gay marriage, clergy

United Methodists voted to keep the denomination’s bans on same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy during a meeting of the church’s General Conference in St. Louis last month. The nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination has been divided over LGBT issues for years, and decisions made in St. Louis could result in some leaving the denomination, Christianity Today reported.

“Our differences are irreconcilable,” said Keith Boyette of the conservative, evangelical Methodist group Wesleyan Covenant Association. “Divisions within the UMC have led to missional paralysis and largely prevented the church from fulfilling its mission.”

Harvest fires MacDonald

James MacDonald, pastor of megachurch Harvest Bible Chapel, was fired in February after a Chicago radio host aired recordings of him allegedly using crude language and insulting journalists who have written about him. MacDonald previously had faced allegations of financial mismanagement and poor leadership, and since his firing has been accused of sexual misconduct by a former worship leader at the church.

During a message at the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2015, MacDonald announced Harvest would begin cooperating with the SBC. They contributed to the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget in 2015, but the Executive Committee has no record of contributions since then. Harvest does not cooperate with IBSA.

La. College leaves council

Louisiana College, a Southern Baptist university, announced in January its withdrawal from the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The Pineville, La., school’s decision was based on the CCCU board of directors’ support for “Fairness for All” legislation that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of federally-protected classes.

“Sometimes the answer to such matters is to agree to disagree,” Louisiana College President Rick Brewer wrote in a letter to the CCCU. “But the import and impact of the ‘Fairness for All’ initiative calls for Louisiana College to respectfully disagree with the CCCU’s stance.”

– Christianity Today, Baptist Press (2)

Get breaking news in The Briefing online, posted every Tuesday at www.ib2news.org.

MISSION

A month for baptisms

The countdown is on for spring evangelism emphasis

Springfield | March signals a new season, and in many IBSA churches, a new opportunity to focus on evangelism leading up to Easter.

Last year, One GRAND Sunday resulted in more than 650 baptisms during the Easter season. This year, IBSA’s Pat Pajak is asking churches to celebrate One GRAND Month in April, preceded by 30 days of prayer for people who don’t know Christ.

“Eight out of 10 unsaved people say they are open to a gospel conversation,” said Pajak, associate executive director for evangelism. “And research tells us that four out of five will come to an Easter service if someone will invite them.”

Pajak is urging Illinois Baptists to spend March praying for one person who doesn’t

the responsibility of witnessing and left it to be done by others,” Pajak said.

“Who’s Your One?” employs what Pajak has called an “each one reach one” strategy. “It can be done anywhere, anytime, with anyone,” he said. “The idea is listening and looking for the right opportunity to turn an everyday conversation into a gospel presentation.”

At WhosYourOne.com, pastors and church members can access free resources, including a guide to 30 days of prayer for people who need to hear the gospel.

For April, Pajak suggested a week by week schedule to maximize Easter impact:

April 7: Invite church members to write the name of one person they plan to invite to an Easter service on a 3x5 card (passed out with the bulletins). At the end of the service, invite the entire church to come forward and place their cards on the altar and join together in a time of corporate prayer—asking the Lord to move the people on the cards to respond to an Easter invitation. Leave the cards. The pastor or staff can gather them and pray for the people for the remainder of that week.

April 14: Write out a personal invitation and include an Easter service promo flyer or card. Mail it to the person you’ve been praying for and planning to invite. If you are going to provide a ride or an after-church meal, tell them in the invitation and ask for an RSVP.

April 21: Get ready for a great Easter Sunday! If the person you invited doesn’t have a Bible, surprise them with one as a gift and perhaps deliver it on Saturday, so they will be able to bring it to church with them on Easter Sunday.

BURDEN BEARERS – Disaster Relief childcare volunteers travel with resources for kids, including toys like this stuffed bear designed to offer comfort amid crisis.

‘Calming influence’

DR volunteers serve after shooting

Aurora | Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers ministered to families and first responders in the wake of a Feb. 15 shooting at a suburban manufacturing plant.

Gary Martin, 45, killed five people at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora and wounded five officers before he was killed in a shootout with police. Three days later, the plant was opened to family members who lost loved ones in the mass shooting. Responding to a call from the Red Cross, IBDR sent a team of volunteer chaplains and childcare workers to help at a family resource center set up to care for survivors.

Over three days, 10 IBDR volunteers from northern and southern Illinois served in Aurora. Part of the team went to Aurora to care for children while their parents filled out paperwork and talked to officials. But they didn’t see a single child during their three days at the resource center. Instead, grieving families and weary officers were drawn to the area where they had set up toys and rocking chairs.

“I just needed to get away for a few minutes,” Jan Kragness heard from agents responding to the shooting. “Is it OK?”

know Christ, and to begin thinking about how to invite them to an Easter service. The singular prayer emphasis is part of “Who’s Your One?” an emphasis across the Southern Baptist Convention urging every Christian to share the gospel with one person this year.

“While almost every believer knows that the Great Commission instructs us to make disciples, and we are willing to obey the teachings and instructions found in God’s Word, far too many Christians have forsaken

April 28: If the person you invited made a decision to follow the Lord, encourage them to be baptized along with others on the Sunday following Easter (churches can also consider offering baptism all four Sundays in April). Make it a real celebration! Invite them out to lunch after the service and let them know you are available to walk with them in their new faith. Be sure to help them get enrolled in a Sunday school class or small group.

For more information about One GRAND Month, go to IBSA.org/Evangelism.

The volunteers offered them a chair, a listening ear, and in many cases, the resources they brought for kids. Even though they didn’t work with children in Aurora, the books they brought to help kids deal with grief were taken by law enforcement agents who wanted them for their own families.

Over and over again, the volunteers heard they were a “calming influence,” said Kragness, a Disaster Relief chaplain from Williamson Association. Their childcare room “seemed like a safe place to be.”

In March, Disaster Relief will offer “Assisting Individuals in Crisis,” a course designed to help chaplains and pastors provide effective spiritual and psychological care in times of loss, disaster, emergency, and trauma. The March 14-15 course is $50 per participant.

Three regional Disaster Relief training sessions are also scheduled for 2019, plus two additional March sessions in Chicagoland. Register at IBSA.org/DR.

A TIME TO PRAY – Churches across Illinois and the SBC will focus this spring on praying for people who don’t know Christ. Last year, IBSA churches (including Staunton’s Net Community Church, seen in this file photo) baptized more than 650 people during a statewide emphasis.

Nashville, Tenn. | Zak McCullar brightened the Executive Committee’s February meeting with his presentation in favor of a Children’s Ministry Day across the Southern Baptist Convention. McCullar, who made a motion supporting the idea during last summer’s SBC annual meeting, spoke to the EC during their final session Feb. 19.

The pastor’s son from Alabama said a Children’s Ministry Day on the SBC calendar would be a way to thank children’s ministry workers, celebrate how kids are sharing the gospel, and inspire them to do more.

“I would like them to know,” he told Baptist Press, “you’re never too young to be an evangelist.”

McCullar was in Dallas with his family for the annual meeting last summer when he noticed the SBC calendar didn’t include a Children’s Ministry Day. His parents helped him research how to file a motion, and he took it from there.

“He got in line and I just bit my fingernails,” said his father, Scott. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. But he did fantastic. But it was all him....We just let him do it.” The motion was referred to the Executive Committee, which is why the McCullar family traveled to Nashville in February.

The committee voted to recommend to 2019 SBC messengers in Birmingham, Ala., the addition of Children’s Ministry Day to the SBC calendar annually on the third Sunday in July through 2023.

“No one will convince me that wasn’t God’s plan,” said Sharon Carty, who represents Illinois on the committee. Prior to McCullar’s presentation, the meeting was focused on a study team’s initial plans to prevent sexual abuse in SBC churches and care for survivors. Carty paraphrased committee chair Mike Stone’s closing remarks:

“Exactly what we’re talking about is standing before us today, and we’ve got to protect them.”

– With additional reporting by Baptist Press

Study: Pastors’ views on immigration

Majority say church has responsibility to care for immigrants, even if they’re here illegally

Nashville, Tenn. | As U.S. lawmakers continue to debate the best approach to illegal immigration, most Protestant pastors say the solution should be multifaceted, according to a study by LifeWay Research.

Researchers surveyed 1,000 Protestant pastors Jan. 14-30 on their views on illegal immigration and how the church should view those in the country illegally. A large majority—80%— say the government has the responsibility to stop illegal immigration.

Meanwhile, 70% of pastors say they are in favor of an immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those who are currently in the country illegally, and 76% say Christians have a responsibility to assist immigrants even if they are in the country illegally.

“Lawmakers have left many of the bigger immigration questions unresolved often voicing ‘either-or’ positions,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Pastors don’t seem as conflicted desiring improvement in both border security and a path to citizenship for those here illegally.”

Competing concerns

While 80% of pastors today say the government has the responsibility to stop illegal immigration, that’s down from 87% in a 2014 LifeWay Research survey.

“Among these questions, stopping illegal immigration registers the strongest sentiment from pastors,” McConnell said. “But support for this is now more in line with caring for immigrants already in the country and establishing a path to citizenship.”

More pastors today favor immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship for immigrants currently in the country ille-

gally. Since 2014, the percentage of pastors who favor a path to citizenship has grown 12 percentage points from 58% to 70% today. The percentage who disagreed was cut in half—34% to 17%.

“For immigrants in the country illegally, there are no real options for redemption,” McConnell noted. “That doesn’t sit well with pastors—the majority of whom were ready for lawmakers to offer a means of making restitution and gaining legal status years ago.”

Support for immigrants

Compared to 2014, a similar number of pastors say Christians have a responsibility to assist immigrants even if they are here illegally—76% today and 79% then.

• Evangelical pastors are more likely to disagree than mainline pastors (16% to 10%).

• Pastors 65 and older are least likely to agree (67%).

• Those in the Northeast (85%) are more likely to agree than those in the South (74%) or Midwest (74%).

• Holiness (88%) and Presbyterian or Reformed (87%) are more likely to agree than Lutherans (74%), Church of Christ pastors (73%), Baptists (70%), or Pentecostals (66%).

Nearly 3-in-10 pastors say their church is currently helping immigrants (29%), while 70% say they are not.

“Pastors place just as much responsibility on their congregations as they do legislators,” McConnell said. “More than twice as many pastors say Christians should help immigrants than say their church is personally involved assisting local immigrant neighbors today.”

– From Baptist Press

CARTY

SO MOVED – Zak McCullar, now 10, presented a motion at the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention to add Children’s Ministry Day to the SBC calendar. The Executive Committee voted last month to recommend the addition at this year’s annual meeting.

‘Never too young’ 10-year-old recommends SBC Children’s Ministry Day

– LifeWay Research

IN FOCUS

Mindbenders

At this annual summit, leaders address the puzzle of revitalization

BY KAYLA RINKER

Springfield | With its historical architecture and pristine interior design, Mark Clifton’s church was so lovely that for years its tagline was “Wornall Road Baptist Church: The church beautiful.”

“And it is very beautiful. It could be on the cover of a Hallmark card; I don’t deny that,” said Clifton, senior director of replanting at the North American Mission Board (NAMB). “But somewhere along the way the mission became maintaining it, instead of its true purpose. It was beautiful, but it was empty.”

Clifton was the keynote speaker for the 2019 Illinois Baptist Leadership Summit, held Jan. 22-23 in Springfield. Nearly 250 Illinois Baptist leaders and presenters gathered to “Reimagine” their ministries and gain a fresh perspective and vision for their churches going forward. Clifton (below) spoke from his 30-plus years of experience in both church planting and in pastoring a dying church that had dwindled to less than 20 mostly elderly members.

Coming soon

The Summer 2019 issue of Resource magazine is a deep dive into the concepts explored at the Illinois Leadership Summit. To subscribe to IBSA’s magazine for church leaders, e-mail Communications@IBSA.org.

Like many Southern Baptist churches, Wornall Road needed revitalizing. But the concept can be hard to define, said IBSA’s Mark Emerson, because the term is used to describe a variety of different strategies.

Emerson said IBSA defines revitalization as when a church that is stagnant or dying seeks to enter a process to learn new strategies to replace current ones, in hopes that the new methods spur new growth.

If that kind of revitalization doesn’t happen in time, the next step could be replanting, when current leaders step aside so new leaders can restart the church in an existing building. Or, the church could decide to turn their assets over to an organization like the Baptist Foundation of Illinois, to be used for other Kingdom work.

Continued from page 9

“One Sunday I left there frustrated and ready to walk away,” Clifton said of his time at his Kansas City church. “I came to the end of myself and then I heard a clear message: ‘What about a dying church brings glory to God?’ What about a dying church says, ‘Our God is great and his gospel is powerful?’ When a church dies, it’s not just the church that’s at stake. His name is at stake.”

While that statement might seem to put pressure on pastors and leaders of aging congregations everywhere, Clifton said the good news—the gospel, actually—says otherwise. Christ died for his church. His church. Clifton referenced Revelation 1: “I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me.

When I turned I saw seven lampstands, and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man…” (Rev. 1:12-13a).

“The lampstands are the churches,” Clifton said. “Jesus is among every church. He’s not looking down on them; he’s among them. You do not have to pick it up and carry it on your shoulders.

“Don’t focus on what you don’t have, which in my case was 580 empty seats and nothing but an MP3 player for worship. Instead, focus on what you do have. The risen Lord is with your church. Church revitalization doesn’t begin with you or me or NAMB, it begins with the risen Lord.”

What does it take?

Clifton began to focus his ministry on the spiritual growth of his existing congregation instead of their numerical growth. And God breathed new life into the church, he said. Members began to shift from making decisions based on personal preferences, toward making decisions based on serving the neighborhood. They became a beautiful church.

“No, it’s not as comfortable singing worship songs that you don’t know,” Clifton said. “But hey, if you hear a 27-year-old singing a song about Jesus you aren’t familiar with, and they are singing it with their whole heart and you can’t worship God in that—you’ve got a real problem.”

While revitalizing the church is not about doing whatever is necessary to fill seats every Sunday, Clifton said it is about making disciples. It’s about making disciples of people who have attended

faithfully for decades, and it’s about making disciples of new people who are still deciding if church is relevant in their lives.

In a breakout session at the summit, he shared nine steps to a revitalized church, starting with a commitment to glorify God in everything and find joy in the gospel alone. Then, he said, pray without ceasing. There is spiritual warfare happening in a church being reborn or revitalized, Clifton said.

“Joy is found in the risen Lord and, just as John sees Jesus in all his resurrected power and glory (Rev. 1), we are going to be glorified,” he said. “At Wornall’s worst—even as I was preaching and feeling like a failure—if that trumpet had sounded, we would have had a glorified church; a perfect bride ready to meet her groom.

“Don’t let Satan rob you of that joy. Those are his saints. God is under no obligation nor will he likely resource your plans for his church, but he will

spare nothing from heaven to resource his plans for his church. He can raise a dead church.”

The remaining steps are practical ideas for pastors of revitalizing churches:

• Love and shepherd remaining members; don’t be more concerned and in love with the church you wish you had than with the church you have now.

• Serve the church’s unique community, never valuing your needs over the needs of the unreached.

• Use resources generously. How can the church building be repurposed and redeemed to serve the community?

• Simplify the strategy. Don’t value the process more than the outcome.

• Intentionally develop young men. Churches that die never passed meaningful leadership to the next generation. The goal is to get young men to connect and make them disciples, and then teach them to make disciples.

• Celebrate the legacy often. A church that transforms from dying to thriving is like a living sermon in its community. Celebrate that.

Clifton’s Wornall Road Baptist Church is a church revitalization success story. The church grew from 18 people when Clifton arrived, to about 120 when he left. It’s a thriving, multi-generational, neighborhood church. But it took revitalization to get there.

Currently, Clifton said, more than 900 Southern Baptist churches close each year and 65-75% of SBC churches are considered plateaued.

“Churches often begin the process too late,” Emerson said. “We recommend that church leaders study their growth trends and seek help when they discover that they are no longer growing and reaching people. IBSA can help churches assess their need and readiness for revitalization.”

For more information, contact IBSA’s Church Resources Team at (217) 391-3136.

Kayla Rinker is a freelance writer and pastor’s wife in Missouri.

THE DRAWING BOARD – Jonathan Davis, pastor of Delta Church in Springfield, serves as scribe during brainstorming at one of 36 breakout sessions offered at the Illinois Leadership Summit.

COLLECTIVE LEARNING – Large-group sessions, called “collectives,” focused on revitalization and community engagement.

Summit breakouts highlight challenges, opportunities for leaders

5 changes that change leaders

From 2015 to 2018, God led Scott Nichols, senior pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Carol Stream, through a season of change. First, his wife, Vicki, was diagnosed with cancer. The year was filled with surgery and chemotherapy appointments, as well as a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences that had them looking forward to 2016.

But the next year brought more change, this time in ministry. Eventually, more than a quarter of the congregation left the church (some were sent out to do other ministries; some were not).

Though none of the changes during this season were easy, God was still at work both in the pastor’s personal walk and ministry. At the Illinois Leadership Summit, Nichols shared what the Lord taught him in a breakout session titled “Transformed: 5 ways God grows church leaders.”

Nichols shared five truths about change: It reminds the leader of their insufficiency, keeps the leader fresh, reinforces the value of teamwork, transforms the leader personally, and provides an opportunity to learn through challenges and setbacks.

“God taught me that Crossroads would not have been positioned for our upcoming season of ministry growth if we had not endured those two years of change and transition,” Nichols said. “Discomfort can also be called opportunity.”

Dysfunction: Call it what it is

Whether he verbally assaults the pastor at a church business meeting or she arranges secret meetings with members around her kitchen table, dysfunctional church leaders lurk inside every unhealthy church.

“We went to their house to let them know their reputation was on the line and we needed to get together as a group and walk through where the misunderstanding occurred,” said Bob Bickford, a St. Louis pastor and church replanting specialist for the North American Mission Board.

“They refused to do that. And as we were walking away the wife said to me, ‘We were a lot better off before you got here.’ It was at that point I knew God was work-

ing to heal the church from the incredible dysfunction that had been going on.”

In his ILS breakout session, “Dealing with dysfunctional leaders in your church,” Bickford said the early church confronted problems directly and sought solutions. They didn’t shy away from calling dysfunction what it was.

“The challenge for our churches, particularly the 900 or so who are closing each year, is that we don’t have many pastors or deacon chairs or associational missionaries who are willing to do what I’ve described,” Bickford said. “Tolerating misbehavior keeps us from the mission. It’s worth risking your salary to protect God’s church.”

Go online for more from the Summit

What works for chicken can work for churches

IBSA’s Mark Emerson applies principles from a popular fast food chain to church life and leadership.

Mind the knowledge gap

While in London on a mission trip, Carmen Halsey noticed signs cautioning riders on the city’s underground rail system to “mind the gap.” The warning to step carefully from the platform to the subway has implications for leaders too, said IBSA’s director of women’s ministry and church missions.

In leadership, the gap is the space between knowing what you know, and what you don’t.

“You’re not acting smart by saying there’s not a gap there,” said Halsey during her ILS breakout, “Fact: You can lead in the present if you mind the gap.”

“We’re living in a constantly changing world. There’s always

going to be a gap for a leader.”

Halsey suggested four ways leaders can manage the gap:

1. Seek God and be confident in your calling.

2. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” and “I’m going to find us an answer.”

3. Admit mistakes and take responsibility for them.

4. Learn what level of honesty is required.

“Be a leader with integrity,” Halsey said, “but not everything gets shared on every stage. Know your audience; think beyond the moment; tell them what they need to know. Understand what you need to say when you need to say it.”

Planning vision from the inside out

Frank Lloyd Wright designed one of his most famous buildings—Fallingwater—to blend seamlessly with its environment. The Pennsylvania home, built from materials found onsite, is suspended over a waterfall that existed long before the architect ever tackled the project.

Churches would do well to follow the Fallingwater method, said Cliff Woodman (right) in his session, “Beyond Sunday: Creating a better vision for your church.” The pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville said that many churches use a “copy and paste” method, borrowing from other churches what’s working well in their context.

Instead, he advised, consider what’s going on in your church’s community and culture, and implement a vision that fits that context. And keep your eye on the ultimate prize: transformation.

“Your church congregation should be more than just attenders. They should be different than when they first started coming to church,” Woodman said.

“Just as a school grows their students, the church should also grow its attenders. You shouldn’t be satisfied with a 10-year Christian who is still, spiritually, two years old. Ask yourself: What steps need to be taken to grow the disciples?”

5 barriers to engaging volunteers

Church consultant Jeff Gonzales shares tips for maximizing a church’s volunteer potential.

Systematic leadership: Leading through process, not just personality

IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams outlines how pastors can use processes in vision casting, goal setting, budgeting, and leadership structure to achieve lasting ministry results.

Let’s rent some kangaroos— How to become THAT church

Rayden Hollis, pastor of Red Hill Church in Edwardsville, shares how kangaroos built a connection between his church and their community.

NICHOLS

BICKFORD

HALSEY

Hearing the Word in a new way

Growing Christians often make commitments to read the Word of God more faithfully each day. Some of that reading is done by reading the “whole of the Word” through a systematic read-the-Bible-through plan. Another way to read the Bible is in “small bites,” using a devotional booklet or app like Our Daily Bread.

Both reading plans are good and balanced. They give us daily exposure to the inspiration and instruction from God’s holy Word.

May I suggest another, less common way to read the Bible? When was the last time you read God’s Word aloud? We know the Bible itself instructs us to “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” (1 Tim. 4:13). Worshippers know the value of the public reading of the Bible in responsive readings and liturgies. But the value of using our voices in Biblereading goes well beyond merely enhancing our participation in corporate worship.

By reading Scripture aloud, I have experienced a deeper blessing personally and corporately for some years now. Privately, I have made a practice of reading my weekly message and Sunday school lessons out loud. At first, I was embarrassed to have anyone hearing me read to myself.

I would review the selected text for the week in hushed tones and whispers so as not to invite questions from family members at home or staff members at church.

I soon got over being selfconscious, because I have found a specific benefit to reading the Bible with my voice: I “hear” truths that I miss when I only read a passage silently.

At first, I was surprised by these insights and mistakenly thought that maybe I was just being too careless in hurriedly reviewing the text. However, as I continued this exercise, I saw something deeper in the practice. It was as if God was speaking to me at another level...audibly.

Now, in truth, I have never had God speak to me through his mighty, audible voice, like he must have spoken when the world was created or when he would speak to the prophets of old. But, as I read the Bible to myself, audibly, I hear him “speaking” in new ways. Words that I would

have just passed over before come to life with meaning I would not have “heard” in my silent reading. This was both refreshing and insightful as I began to practice reading aloud God’s Word during my private study.

With growing curiosity, I read online about the practice of reading the Bible out loud. There has been considerable research conducted on communal reading.

Dr. Brian J. Wright, an author, popular speaker, and blogger who serves as an adjunct professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, has written extensively on how the practice of communal reading dates back to the first century. Dr. Wright says that Justin Martyr, an early church leader, instructed believers during that period to engage in the communal reading of the apostle’s memoirs and prophetic writings on the Lord’s Day.

History tells us the Torah was passed down audibly from generation to generation, preserving Jewish traditions and teachings. Even Scripture itself speaks to the power of hearing the Word of God aloud:

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

I started practicing communal reading during my Wednesday night Bible studies at our church a couple of years back. Our regular attenders seemed to readily take to the exercise and enjoyed it. In recent months, I have been leading our auditorium Sunday school class in the same practice. Not everyone chooses to participate, but those that do have sat up straighter and spoken out louder with more authority and respect as they have joined in the reading. I am now convinced more than ever that this simple engagement through communal reading of the Word is blessing both study groups. It involves us and inspires us to hear the Bible passage read with our own voices.

I encourage you to make a renewed commitment to read the Bible aloud and try to involve your friends in this practice as well. This refreshing approach to the Word will bless your personal worship and study and enrich your disciple-making ministries. I am convinced that as you read the Word aloud you will discover hidden truths and insights you haven’t “heard” before.

Mike Keppler pastored Springfield Southern Baptist Church for 26 years before retiring in 2018. You can read his blog at mjkministries.com.

Divine disobedience

Read: Acts 4:13-22

What do you do when obeying the Word of God means disobeying human governments and authorities? That is the question Peter and John faced. When commanded by the Sanhedrin, the religious and cultural leaders of their day, to disobey the Word of God, they responded with divine disobedience. “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20 ESV).

Like Peter and John, the church is called to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, to stand up and speak truth to a culture that seeks to quiet the voice of God and impede the Kingdom of God. We must follow in the countercultural footsteps of Jesus and transform our culture for the glory of God.

When the world commands us to keep quiet, we are to stand on the Word of God and be a witness to a watching world.

This divine disobedience is not a 21stcentury idea or a first-century idea. It is part of the character and calling of the children of God. When the Hebrew midwives defied Pharaoh’s order to abort the Hebrew babies, that was divine disobedience. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol and were tossed into the fiery furnace, that was divine disobedience.

There are recent examples. When Harriet Tubman launched the Underground Railroad to free slaves, that was divine disobedience. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, that was divine disobedience.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Throughout history, the people of God have practiced divine disobedience, because we are called to obey the laws of God, even if it means disobeying the laws of man.

Prayer Prompt: Father God, you have called the church to be your witness to the world. Give us holy boldness to stand on your Word, when the world tries to pressure us into disobedience. Help us Father to fight against abortion, racism, injustice, and every evil of this culture by living out the gospel to a dying world that needs the good news of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Doug’s first sermon after attending the Clergy Health Symposium

Adron Robinson pastors Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and is president of IBSA.

An ancient practice is changing our Bible study groups for the better.

March 9: Children’s Missions Day

Ministry Milestones

Pastor Leonard Pinney retired in December after 58 years of pastoral ministry. Ordained in 1961 at Pocahontas Baptist Church, he went on to serve churches around the state, including Emmanuel Baptist in Roodhouse, the church he pastored from 2011 until his retirement.

Pinney is quick to say that his wife, Marie, was his greatest companion. She passed away in 2015 after 58 years of marriage. Pinney has one stepson, Russell.

The pastor studied at Brookes Bible Institute in St. Louis, Hannibal LaGrange University in Hannibal,

Remembrance service for Fred Winters

First Baptist Church in Maryville will remember and celebrate the life and ministry of Pastor Fred Winters at a service March 8 at 7 p.m.

Winters was killed March 8, 2009, when a gunman entered the church’s worship service and fired several gunshots at the pastor. Winters

WINTERS

led the church for 22 years, during which First Baptist grew from an average Sunday attendance of 35 to more than 1,200. Today, the church is led by Senior Pastor Tom Hufty. For more information about the remembrance service, contact Lora Fuller at lfuller@fbmaryville.org.

Find

Whitelaw Avenue Baptist Church in Wood River seeks a pastor to lead the congregation to function as a New Testament church according to The Baptist Faith and Message (2000). For more information, contact Brad Gaines at (618) 531-6634 or bradgaines@ charter.net.

Sterling Baptist Church in Fairview Heights seeks a bivocational pastor fluent in English and Spanish. Send resume to Senior Pastor David Gray at 9204 Bunkum Rd., Fairview Heights, IL 62208 or 1pastordave@att.net.

Ordained

Pastor Noah Adams (pictured at center with his family) was ordained to ministry Feb. 17 at Calvary Baptist Church in Elgin. Adams is Calvary’s teaching and vision pastor, and also the middle son of IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams and his wife, Beth. Noah, a graduate of Judson University, served as the church’s volunteer youth leader for three years before officially joining the staff in 2013. He and his wife, Alyssa, live in Bartlett.

Mo., and SIU School of Medicine. Along with pastoring Southern Baptist churches, he worked jobs in factories and served 17 years as a hospital chaplain in Springfield and Jacksonville.

Welcome

Joshua Denham is the new associate pastor of youth and worship at West Gate Baptist Church in Trenton. He has served in various churches since 2007, including hosting a home Bible study in Trenton since 2014. He and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters, Lydia and Isabella.

for Ministers’ Wives WEEKEND

March 22-23

IBSA.org/Refresh

&PRO-LIFE RALLY LOBBY DAY

March 20th, 2019

Please join us in Springfield

People will be asked to urge their lawmakers to oppose HB 2495, which allows abortions for any reason throughout all 9 months; and HB 2467, which repeals the Parental Notification of Abortion Act.

Planned Parenthood, Personal PAC and the ACLU will stop at nothing to achieve their body-and soul-destroying goals. We must do everything in our power to block the passage of these bills!

Church groups should organize on their own. Parking is on the south and west of the Capitol. To reserve bus space on Monroe St. between College & 2nd, contact Mark Seger with the City of Springfield, 217-789-2255.

Please know your lawmaker’s name and Springfield office address before coming. Bring quarters to feed the street parking meter. Large signs are not permitted above the first floor. Wear buttons and pro-life clothing. For additional information, call 708-781-9328.

illinoisfamily.org

PREP TEAM – Volunteers Robin Kicklighter (left) and Patti McMurray helped IBSA’s Tammy Ratsch (right) pack 900 Children’s Missions Day T-shirts to send to ministry sites across the state. The annual missions emphasis is March 9; register at IBSA.org/CMD.

dave says

VBS Clinics

March 16: FBC Woodlawn, March 30: Northside, Dixon

April 6: Broadview Missionary

What: Training, ideas, and inspiration for 2019 Vacation Bible School Register: IBSA.org/Kids

March 9

Children’s Missions Day

What: Hands-on mission projects make missions come alive for kids in grades 1-6

Where: Multiple locations Register: IBSA.org/Kids

March 11-12

Preach 2019

What: Teaching for pastors and church leaders from Pastors Fred Luter, Eddie Bumpers, and more

Where: Meadow Heights, Collinsville Register: preachconference.com

March 14-15

Crisis Intervention and Stress Management Training

What: Training for chaplains in how to provide effective spiritual and psychological care in times of loss, disaster, emergency, trauma, and crisis

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

Disaster Relief Training

What: Training designed for new and experienced volunteers

March 18: DR 101, Broadview

Missionary Baptist

March 30: Chainsaw and Flood Recovery, Broadview Missionary Baptist

April 12-13: Training weekend, Emmanuel Baptist, Carlinville

May 3-4: Training weekend, FBC

Manteno Register: IBSA.org/DR

March 22-23

Refresh Ministers’ Wives’ Retreat

What: Weekend of fellowship and encouragement, featuring Mary Selzer, an award-winning author, Bible teacher, minister’s wife, and professional coach

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Cost: $20 local (no hotel); $67 shared room, $114 private room Register: IBSA.org/Refresh

March 26

Training Night

What: Quality, free training in women’s and men’s ministry, worship, students, outreach, exegeting your community, leadership development, Sunday school, security, and social media

Where: Tremont Baptist Church; 6-9 p.m. Register: IBSA.org/TrainingNight

April 7

Cooperative Program

Sunday Resources: IBSA.org/CP

April 7-28

One GRAND Month

What: State-wide emphasis on evangelism and baptisms

Info: IBSA.org/Evangelism

April 13

Illinois Student Ministry Conference

What: Student ministry-focused training for everyone from volunteers to senior pastors

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield; registration begins at 8 a.m., conference is 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: $25 per person Register: IBSA.org/Students

Annual Women’s Conference

April 26-27 • Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield

Enjoy a time of spiritual renewal and fellowship at the women’s event of the year! Increase you awareness of ministry and missions opportunities and training resources. Cost is $30 per person.

Zero percent interest?

QI know you’re against financing purchases. However, is it okay to finance things like furniture at zero percent interest?

AWe just finished an extensive study of more than 10,000 millionaires. Not a single one of these folks said they became rich by borrowing money to buy things at zero percent interest. Since none of those millionaires gave credit for their wealth to zero percent interest financing, and since we know banks charge interest on loans, how is it you think these people are loaning money at “zero percent interest?”

Is it possible the pricing of the item has the interest rate built into it? I think the chances of that are pretty high. If not that, companies offering this kind of financing have very accurate and highly researched data that tells them the vast majority of people who take out zero-percent loans don’t pay off the loans in the specified period of time. Do you know what happens if you don’t live up to the terms of those contracts? It becomes a regular loan, and they back charge you for the interest.

So, on average you’re paying for it all. I don’t know why you’d want to play with snakes. They bite, and some of them can kill you. Avoid debt like the plague. It destroys your most powerful wealth-building tool— your income.

Explaining the envelopes

QI’ve listened to you for a little while, but I was wondering about the envelope system you recommend. How does it work?

ADon’t let the word “system” intimidate you. It’s just grandma’s old-fashioned, common sense way of budgeting money.

Back in the day, many people were paid in cash at their jobs. Then, they would take the money home and divide it up into different envelopes. The envelopes held cash for different categories in their budgets—food, clothes, rent, and other bills and such. When a particular envelope was empty they stopped buying that item, because the money budgeted for that category was gone. If you wanted a dress, but the clothing envelope was empty, you didn’t buy a dress that month.

It’s just a simple cash system that, combined with doing a written monthly budget, will help keep you from overspending!

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

Illinois Leadership Summit (Chicagoland)

March 15-16 Brainard Ave. Baptist Church, Countryside

Breakout sessions will feature top leadership practitioners from IBSA and Chicagoland Baptist churches

To register or for more information go to IBSA.org/Summit

DAVE RAMSEY

Jonathan Hayashi Pastor and author Troy, Mo.

J.J. Washington Pastor and revitalizer Atlanta, Ga.

Understanding the world where we live and serve

Church needed here...

Location: Hegewisch

Focus: Hispanic residents, who make up just over half of the neighborhood’s total population

Characteristics: Hegewisch is on Chicago’s far south side and one of the city’s 77 official community areas. The Latino population is a mix of Mexican and Mexican-American people.

Prayer needs: Pray for a new Hispanic congregation that will be able to connect with both Mexican communities. Pray for partners to support this mission project.

4 missional pathways

There’s still time to plan a summer mission trip or project. IBSA’s Director of Missions Mobilization Dwayne Doyle recommends starting with one of these paths:

Pathway #1

Pre-planned projects

IBSA handles planning and logistics, while the church is responsible for recruiting its members and their spiritual preparation. There are projects such as Children’s Missions Day (March 9 in 13 CMD locations), Missions Spectacular (Summer), and Illinois Changers (at both Baptist camps, September 27-29).

Pathway #2

join

a team

Before planning your own church’s mission trip for the first time, why not join an IBSA-led trip? IBSA has trips for students and adults to a variety of places, including Chicago, London, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and South Asia. Get started with a minimum of two participants.

Pathway #3

Mobilize individuals

This option asks the local church to commission and encourage one person who wants to serve on a mission team. Pray for their preparation, send them with an IBSA team of people from other churches, and celebrate them when they come home.

Pathway #4

Adopt a project

Work with IBSA to identify a missions partner and send a team to help. IBSA will coach your church through planning, training, and implementation.

Contact DwayneDoyle@IBSA.org or CarmenHalsey@IBSA.org

And see more online at IBSA.org/Missions.

Religious landscape Islam grows

Illinois has more than the national average

It’s still a relatively small number, but across the U.S., population are adherents to Islam, while in Illinois, the number is 2.8%.

That’s 359,294 of our almost 13 million residents.

Islam is the second largest religion statewide, observes Huffington Post, and also in Chicago, the suburbs, Springfield, and East. St. Louis. But there are areas in Illinois that have other religions in the second spot: Buddhism in at least two counties, and six counties have Judaism as the number two religion.

Spring springs soon!

Now is the time to prepare your community garden! Scout a patch of land in a needy part of town or near an apartment complex. Get permission to plant, then go for it! Plant flowers to enjoy throughout the spring and summer, then plant vegetables to distribute for free when harvest comes! Be sure to make this an evangelistic outreach to community gardeners.

Plan a children’s outreach once those flowers are blooming. Or enlist kids to plant bulbs in cups decorated with Scripture verses. Deliver them to seniors for their windowsills.

Psalm 92:13 – [The righteous] are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.

Pat’s Playbook

Risking the church’s reputation

QOne of our members is posting negative comments about the church on her web page and on ours. How can we stop her?

AAs uncomfortable as this sounds, you are going to have to invite her in for a sitdown meeting, explain that her negative comments are damaging the reputation of the church, and ask her to stop immediately. While Scripture addresses taking a brother or sister to court for financial gain

(I Cor. 6:1-7), the church has a responsibility to protect itself from slander. Let her know if it continues, you will have no other alternative but to remove her from membership and institute legal proceedings. Remember: Whatever has already been posted cannot be removed. However, you can contact her social media site and alert them to posts you consider libelous or harmful.

What do I tell unhappy worshipers

QOur church had two services with different worship styles. Now we’re down to one service again, and we merged the styles. No one is happy. Do you have a solution?

AMusical worship styles can be a blessing or a curse, until the membership understands that music is simply a way for attenders to express their love, worship, and thanksgiving to God. It is almost impossible to please everyone with whatever worship style a church offers. Some will want it slower, others will want it faster, some like organ music, others prefer guitars and drums. A blended variety that exalts Christ, helps bring the saved into an attitude of worship, and speaks to the heart of the unsaved is the best a church can strive to offer.

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

– IBSA Church Planting Team

PAT PAJAK