November 18, 2019 Illinois Baptist

Fewer identify as Christian Across all ages, regions

The Nation | Nearly two-thirds of Americans still call themselves Christians, but the number has decreased 12 percentage points over the last decade, according to a Pew Forum report on the country’s religious landscape. And while the number of both Protestants and Catholics decreased, those unaffiliated with a religion grew as a share of the population—up from 12% in 2009 to 17% now.

The rapid decline is cause for concern, said two Baptist leaders with ties to the Midwest, and a call for churches to renew their commitment to God’s mission to reach all people with the gospel.

“The increasingly secularization of America troubles me greatly, both as an American and as a Christian,” said Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. “While, of course, my first concern is for the Lord’s church, as a citizen I’m troubled by our nation’s spiritual trajectory.

“Studies indicating moral and spiritual decline should awaken the church to the urgency of its gospel mission, and I’m praying it will do just that.”

According to Pew, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down P. 6

The Illinois Baptist staff

Editor - Eric Reed

Managing Editor - Meredith Flynn

Graphic Designer - Kris Kell

Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner

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

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NATE ADAMS

Our next mountains

I

t’s a long drive back to Illinois from the mountains of Colorado. When our family, or one of my mountain-climbing sons and I make that drive, we are often physically exhausted from the past week of hiking. Yet our homebound conversation always includes one key topic—what are the next mountains we will climb? That conversation always includes assessment—what happened on these last mountains, and what did we learn? It requires selfevaluation—how did each of us do, and do we need different preparation, or different equipment, or a different approach next time? And that leads to planning—what mountains are still before us, and what will it take to conquer them?

Church needed here...

Location: Sauganash

Focus: Young families

Characteristics: Since its development in the 1920s, Sauganash has been home to many Irish and German families. Now, a variety of people are drawn to this quiet community of mostly single-family homes.

Prayer needs: A new church in Sauganash needs a leader with highly effective relational skills to network in the community. Pray that God would call families to invest their lives in this picturesque community to start a new church.

– IBSA Church Planting Team

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots

Illinois Baptists

Fond memories

Most pastors and missionaries of retirement age report positive feelings toward the church or mission field they served:

Understanding 79% 59% 53% 48% 48% 43% 16% 16% 8% 2% 1% 1%

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 11/08/19 $5,190,402

Budget Goal: $5,246,154

Received to date in 2018: $4,896,597

2019 Goal: $6.3 Million

As an association of churches here in Illinois, what are our next mountains? Given where we’ve been, and what we have learned, what are the next challenges we must get ready to face? Those are the questions that were running through my mind as I prepared my report to the messengers at the IBSA Annual Meeting in Marion November 6-7. Let me summarize how I answered them.

To begin with, certain priorities that have always been paramount continue to deserve our attention. Missions, evangelism, church planting, leader training and development, all based on sound doctrine, have long been the foundational reasons we cooperate as Baptist churches. These are the “front range” mountains that we must continue to climb. And climbing them together is so much easier and so much more effective than seeking to climb them alone.

But two new mountains are emerging on the horizon.

First, there is the mountain of protecting religious freedom. Some of our nation’s most aggressive and egregious legislation is now being advanced here in Illinois, in areas such as abortion, LGBTQ indoctrination, co-ed bathrooms and locker rooms, and other affronts to biblical morality. Churches are under increasing risk of becoming victims of that legislation, or even targets of litigation if they don’t comply.

While this is not an arena that we as IBSA enter eagerly, we now find it necessary to help provide churches with preventative legal assistance, through our partnership with Alliance Defending Freedom. With just a few clicks on the IBSA website, any IBSA church can now arrange to have its key governing and policy documents reviewed, and to have recommendations for religious freedom protections provided, all by a qualified Christian attorney.

IBSA is also now partnering with religious freedom organizations such as the Thomas More Society and the Mauck & Baker law firm, to appeal for exemptions from the “Reproductive Health Act” for churches and religious organizations, and to challenge religious discrimination by Illinois cities that do not allow churches or church plants to purchase property in certain zones where other institutions can.

The second mountain we find before us, at least with a new urgency, is the mountain of church revitalization. While IBSA has long provided resources and events in the area of church health, declining nationwide and statewide trends in church attendance, Bible study participation, and baptisms beckon us to do more.

So with new staff, strategy, and resources budgeted for 2020, IBSA will be offering churches a heightened level of consultation and options in the area of revitalization. We will be advocating for “perpetual revitalization,” meaning that all churches, even growing or stable churches, can benefit from honest assessment, adjustments, and revisioning. But we are especially eager to offer a more intentional revitalization strategy to churches that find themselves “stuck” or in decline.

Of course, these new mountains won’t be easy. None of them are. But I’m glad we as Illinois Baptists are climbing them together.

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

Religious freedom and church revitalization are top priorities on the horizon.

Court blocks abortion ban

Baptists join protest at clinic opening

Metro East abortion facility no longer a secret

Fairview Heights | As the new 18,000-squarefoot Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights opened in October, operators announced up to 24 abortions could be performed a day in the facility. It could become the largest provider in the Midwest, and make Illinois an abortion destination. As many at 11,000 clients per year are expected.

Pro-life advocates stood on a grassy slope outside the black metal fence of the clinic adjacent to St. Clair Square Mall as abortion advocates inside cut the ribbon. Protestors held signs that read “Planned Parenthood hurts women,” “Shut them down,” “Jesus forgives and heals,” and “Pray to end abortion.” Some sang “Amazing Grace” while others prayed quietly. The pro-life groups represented were mostly Catholic, but included a mix of Baptists, Disciples of Christ, Lutherans, and others.

“I really call out for our fellow Baptists to become active because if it wasn’t for our Catholic brothers and sisters, I do not believe there would be a life-affirming battle going on,” Missouri Baptist Bonnie Lee said. Become “feet on the front lines,” she urged. Lee has frequently been on scene outside a nearby clinic, offering information to women who enter the clinic to terminate a pregnancy, “letting them know someone cares, letting them know there are other alternatives.”

Julie Dalechek, a member of First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, Ill., was joined by her husband Tom (photo above). They were there “to be the salt and light to our community,” she said.

“This is a horrible evil taking root in our town,” Dalechek said. “These people are telling (our daughters) there are no alternatives when they get caught in an unplanned pregnancy.” Dalechek, who is a registered nurse, cited medical as well as spiritual con-

Follow the latest Illinois Baptist news

cerns. “One out of every 10 clients will have uterine infections, one out of every 20 will have retained baby parts in the womb.”

Illinois has the least restrictive abortion laws in the nation, and according to the Guttmacher Institute, 40 facilities performing abortions. Gov. J.B. Pritzker wasn’t present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but he tweeted his support for Planned Parenthood. “I’m proud that you’re growing in our state,” Pritzker said.

Meanwhile, a Missouri court wrapped up a four-day hearing Oct. 31 on whether to reissue a license to perform abortions to the last remaining Planned Parenthood clinic in that state. A ruling on the St. Louis clinic’s case is not expected until Feb. 2020.

Another privately-owned abortion clinic in Granite City is located 10 miles from the new Fairview Heights facility. Clinic staff reported 58% of the abortions performed there through August 2019 were on Missouri women, with 38% on women from Illinois. “Sadly, we’re seeing them move on from St. Louis to Illinois,” pro-life advocate Lee concluded.

Planned Parenthood’s rehabbing of the building as an abortion clinic was done secretly until a month before its opening.

– Lisa Misner in Fairview Heights

The nation’s most restrictive abortion law was defeated in an Alabama court in October. Judge Myron Thompson granted a preliminary injunction against the law signed last spring by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (above). The law only allows abortion to prevent a serious health risk to the mother. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood Federation of America brought the suit against Alabama on behalf abortion providers in the state.

In a statement released Oct. 29, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall called the decision “not unexpected.”

“As we have stated before, the State’s objective is to advance our case to the U.S. Supreme Court where we intend to submit evidence that supports our argument that Roe and Casey were wrongly decided and that the Constitution does not prohibit states from protecting unborn children from abortion.”

Biden denied communion

Former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe Biden was denied communion at a Catholic church due to his views on abortion, said Rev. Robert Morey, a priest at Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, S.C.

“Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other, and the Church,” Morey told a local news outlet Oct. 28. “Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.”

Biden recently objected to a proposed South Carolina law that would prohibit abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

– The Christian Post

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

Photo from Twitter

Longtime pastor resigns

Abuse prior to ministry cited among reasons

Chicago | Charles Lyons resigned as pastor of Armitage Baptist Church in Chicago following what church leaders called a “corrective leave of absence” that began in October 2018. As part of a process analyzing concerns over Lyons’s leadership, Lyons disclosed his longterm sexual abuse of a minor from the 1960s. No criminal charges were filed at that time.

Lyons, 68, who served as pastor of Armitage for 45 years beginning in 1974, announced his resignation May 19. It became effective July 31. Lyons did not return to the pulpit after the leave of absence.

The abuse was reported to the pastoral staff by Lyons in October 2017, and later by relatives of the victim in April 2018. Lyons submitted to a series of corrective measures, including paying for the victim to receive counseling for more than a year. The pastoral team also worked with Lyons “to share the story of his past sexual abuse with the congregation.” That action came after leaders confirmed with the victim that she was ready for the abuse account to be told to the church.

The pastoral team told IBSA they consulted with experts on mandatory reporting regulations,

and conducted further interviews seeking to confirm that there were no accusations of sexual abuse against Lyons during his pastoral tenure.

In a statement released to the Illinois Baptist State Association on November 4, Armitage church leaders said, “We acknowledge the pain that many people have felt throughout this process. We grieve over the damaging effects produced by sin. We continue to pray for all those involved in trusting in the healing and restoring power of God.”

The pastoral team said that Lyons will not return to pastoral ministry at Armitage Baptist Church, and has been instructed not to engage in public ministry while under the discipline of the church.

During Lyons’s more than fourdecade tenure, Armitage Baptist Church on Chicago’s north side became a model for multicultural, multi-ethnic ministry, bringing together the Anglo, African American, and Hispanic populations of the surrounding Logan Square neighborhood. At its peak, the church averaged 1,100 worship attenders. Today it averages between 300 and 400.

SEXUAL Abuse

Former Illinois pastor accused

Clarksville, Tenn. | Former Illinois pastor Wes Feltner is accused by two women of abusive relationships, one of them sexual, when he was their youth minister in Indiana 17 years ago. The charges came to light while Feltner was lead candidate for the pastorate of First Baptist Church of Clarksville, Tenn. The story was reported by the Clarksville Leaf-Courier Baptist Press reported Nov. 11 Feltner is no longer a candidate for the position, and is on leave from his current church in Minnesota.

Both women said they first reported the relationships to leaders at First Southern Baptist Church in Evansville, Ind., in 2002. Both were 18 at the time of the relationships, and one of them was still involved in the church’s youth ministry. Both said they were told at the time to keep the relationships secret. Now, both women said they were told the same by the chairman of the pastor search committee at FBC Clarksville, when they recently reported their experiences to him.

Feltner served as pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur from 2008-2013. He left there to take the pulpit of Berean Baptist Church in Burnsville, Minn.

Felter characterized his involvement with the women as dating relationships when he was single. “I agree with some of the facts alleged in the statements and deeply regret the hurt I might have caused to the women,” he told the newspaper. “But some of the allegations are not true and do not reflect who I was 17 years ago nor who I am today.” Since the news was first reported, Feltner says he has suffered “a withering barrage of online attacks and personal threats.”

Feltner says he has reached out to the women and asked for biblical resolution, but they have refused.

The leadership team of Tabernacle Church reports that Feltner’s background and references were checked at the time of his hiring as senior pastor in 2008. There have been no accusations of inappropriate relationships during Feltner’s tenure at the Decatur church; however, the church will offer opportunity for church members to report any new concerns.

“We want to help those who have been involved in situations that are damaging physically, emotionally, or sexually,” Tabernacle Baptist said in its statement. “Because of this we have set up an internal hotline for members and attenders of TBC. This hotline will connect people with a female chaplain that can walk them through their situation and assist them to receive the help that they need.”

Feltner has been suspended from an adjunct teaching position with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. President R. Albert Mohler learned of the allegations Monday, Nov. 4, he said in a statement.

“Immediately, I sent the information received to our response team, and within an hour it was determined that credible accusations of misconduct had been presented,” Mohler said. “Accordingly, all teaching responsibilities for this individual were suspended and classes reassigned to other instructors.” Mohler said their “first institutional knowledge of this situation came by social media.”

– IB staff, with additional reporting from Baptist Press

Harvest elders break with ousted pastor James MacDonald

Rolling Meadows | The elders of Harvest Bible Chapel formally disqualified founding pastor James MacDonald from ministry Nov. 3, stating his actions do not meet Scriptural requirements to be an elder.

MacDonald was terminated from the multi-site church in February amid questions over his leadership and the airing of inappropriate comments he made to a Chicago radio station. By making their statement in November,

The Christian Post reported, his former elders said they wanted to give clarity to members of the church and people familiar with MacDonald’s teaching ministry. Harvest meets in seven locations in Chicagoland, according to the church’s website.

In a letter read to the congregation, Harvest’s elders noted MacDonald’s “pattern of improperly exercising his positional and spiritual au-

thority over others to his own advantage,” as well as “behavior and language [which] indicated that he thought of himself more highly than he should as evidenced by his pattern of insulting, belittling, and verbally bullying others.”

The elders noted the Bible doesn’t teach disqualification from ministry is permanent. “However, with the scope of the damage caused by his behavior, James will not be able to serve again as an elder or pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel.”

– From The Christian Post

Two women claim relationships when he was a youth pastor in Indiana

FELTNER

MACDONALD

SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

Mohler to be nominated

Early announcement jumpstarts SBC election season

Louisville, Ky. | Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said in November he will accept a nomination to serve as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Florida pastor H.B. Charles tweeted Oct. 31 his intention to nominate Mohler at the 2020 Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando.

“All my life, I have sought to serve whenever asked by my denomination, and I would hope, if elected, to serve in a way that would unite Southern Baptists, strengthen our work together, add energy to our evangelism, and keep our hearts set on taking the gospel to the nations,” Mohler told Baptist Press.

Mohler is the first candidate announced for 2020 SBC office. If elected, he would be the first head of a denominational entity to serve as president since former Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson did so in 1999-2000.

Following Charles’s announcement, former SBC Presidents Johnny Hunt

and Steve Gaines tweeted their support for Mohler, along with former LifeWay President Thom Rainer.

“In these days of national & international turmoil, @ albertmohler is an excellent choice to serve as president of the SBC,” Gaines posted. “His godly, mature, veteran leadership in multiple roles of longtime denominational service are exactly what we will need as we face the coming election year.”

Charles also commended Mohler’s ability to unify Baptists around a common mission.

“At this hour, it’s crucial that Southern Baptists come together,” he said.

“We need the conviction to stand boldly for Christ. We need the zeal to mobilize our resources to spread the gospel. We must do so together. I believe @albertmohler is the man to lead us forward in that unity.”

– From Baptist Press

Staff welcomed

3 views from Marion

As you prepare to turn the page to our coverage of 2019 Annual Meeting, please consider these observations from our reporting team in Marion. It’s a brief look at our yearly big Baptist family reunion.

The Meeting that almost wasn’t

Some years, the Annual Meeting theme emerges quickly, and with it the content to populate the challenge and promote the event. Consider 2017 and 2018, when the state’s bicentennial, Mr. Lincoln, and his log cabin fueled our thoughts about “Pioneering Spirit.”

And then there was this year. In our planning sessions, we knew the Meeting would, in some way, be about the revitalization of our churches and ministries, but knowing what shape it would take was a long time coming. One leader described the overwhelming flurry of activity as “the heart attack that is the week before Annual Meeting”—except that it lasted many weeks—and still without the assurance that it was leading to something big, important, or worthwhile.

Then, just ahead of our arrival in Marion, one vital production team member was waylaid by illness, a key leader’s wife experienced illness that prevented her traveling, a presiding officer had a mid-week funeral alter his participation, a platform presenter had a car mishap, and we had to report breaking news that broke our hearts.

What good could come from the Marion meeting?

In the end, refreshment and refocus could come from it all.

After the whirlwind, a still small voice.

And God showed up. Again.

Unexpected conversations

Ministry leaders from across the region will gather in Springfield in January for the Midwest Leadership Summit, an every-other-year meeting featuring local and national Baptist voices.

Dhati Lewis, a vice president for the North American Mission Board, J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Haydn Shaw, an author and leadership expert, will deliver keynote addresses at the Jan. 21-23 Summit, which also features more than 100 breakout sessions and eight leadership tracks:

Associational Mission Strategist

Church leadership

Church planting

Church revitalization

Current topics

Evangelism/discipleship

Specialized ministries

Spiritual formation

A full schedule and list of speakers is available at mwadvance. org. Contact your local association for information about attending the Midwest Leadership Summit.

Scott Foshie joined the IBSA staff Nov. 15 as Revitalization Director and leader of the Association’s new Revitalization Team. He has served as pastor of Steeleville Baptist Church since 2015, and also has worked as associational mission strategist for Nine Mile Baptist Association and as a zone consultant for IBSA.

“We are really excited to join you on the IBSA team once again,” Foshie said in an e-mail to staff. “It will be awesome to see what God has in store for all of us as we continue to seek revival in our state and to serve him together.”

Foshie and his wife, Audra, have three children.

IBSA also announced Chicago pastor Nathan Carter will serve as a zone consultant in Zone 1, representing IBSA in Chicago Metro Baptist Association. Carter is pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. He and his wife, Andrea, have five daughters.

– Eric Reed

Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear commented recently on how many of the pastors and church leaders he’s heard from are broken about sexual abuse in the denomination, and ready to take action to protect vulnerable people. Illinois Baptists showed the same spirit after I shared in Marion about a recent conference designed to help Baptists navigate the abuse crisis.

In hallway conversations and quick visits between business sessions, they echoed IBSA President Adron Robinson’s words: “We have to do better.” Better at reporting allegations of abuse, they told me, better at taking new measures to prevent it, and better at supporting those who lived through it.

They wondered aloud how abusive adults could continue to move from ministry role to ministry role, and committed not to let it happen on their watch. Their steely resolve was an encouragement to me, and a reminder that a united front against abuse is imperative as Baptists find a way forward.

– Meredith Flynn

Dear hearts and busy people

The couple of months leading up to the IBSA Pastors’ Conference and Annual Meeting were a whirlwind for the Church Communications Team. Then, when the meeting started, the pace picked up!

Exhibit hall set-up began Monday afternoon, the Pastors’ Conference started Tuesday, and the Annual Meeting ran Wednesday afternoon through Thursday noon. Through it all I rushed from place to place to check on exhibitors, answer questions, snap photos, post meeting updates online, and take notes of meeting proceedings for the Illinois Baptist. When it was over, it seemed a blur.

During the meetings I felt like I was everywhere and nowhere, wondering what I missed when I stepped out to be someplace else.

In between there were good times to catch up with longtime Illinois Baptist friends and hear wonderful stories of how God is at work in their lives and churches. It’s the best part of the meetings that makes all the busyness worth it.

– Lisa Misner

MOHLER

From the front: survey shows rising challenge for churches

Continued from page 1 68

from 51% ten years ago. The share of Catholics in the U.S. is 20%, down from 23%.

David Dockery is professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth and former president of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. He said the numbers are troubling, especially in terms of general cultural trends. “When the numbers are evaluated a bit more closely, however, the decline can primarily be found among liberal and mainline Protestant denominations, which have seen a precipitous loss from 30% of the population to about 10% of the population,” Dockery said.

“While the number of evangelicals has slipped slightly over this time, the number of evangelicals continues to be much more consistent in comparison to mainline Protestantism.” Similarly, Dockery added, the largest regional changes are on the East and West Coasts, more so than in the Midwest or South.

“Still, given that the overall population in the country continues to expand and that there are few hopeful indicators regarding the growth of Christianity,” he said, “these statistics are a wake-up call for us to pray for and work toward revitalization and renewal in our churches and among society as a whole.”

‘Nones’ on the rise

Atheism and agnosticism have risen among U.S. adults over the last decade, Pew reported, but the largest increase is in the number of people who describe their religious affiliation as “nothing in

particular.” Currently, 17% of U.S. adults describe themselves that way, up from 12% in 2009.

“The rise of the ‘nones’ is very real,” Dockery said, noting the numbers are especially concerning when broken down by generation.

More than one-third of people age 18-30 identify as religious unaffiliated, and while the trend doesn’t necessarily mean a rise of atheism, Dockery said, it does point to a spirituality that is disconnected from the church and Christian doctrinal foundations. Some have labeled this kind of spirituality “moral therapeutic deism,” Dockery said.

“We are certainly seeing trends to which Peter Berger, the former Boston University sociologist, was pointing several years ago when he warned us of the increase of religious privatization and pluralization, [and] the influence of secularization leading to what he called cognitive contamination, resulting in the loss of plausibility structures.” (“Plausibility structure” is a term coined by Berger to describe the context in which something is deemed plausible or true.)

“The loss of plausibility structures regarding the truthfulness and transformational power of the Christian gospel seems now to make it much easier for each succeeding generation in North American to dismiss the claims of Christ or to ignore them altogether,” Dockery said.

“Churches must give heightened attention to the reality of these trends, particularly when it comes to equipping those in the churches to live, think, and serve in a more faithful Christian manner.”

Thank you

The following ministry partners participated in IBSA’s 2019 Annual Meeting:

Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services

Baptist Foundation of Illinois

Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company

Compass Insurance Partners

Gearhart Church Insurance Group

GuideStone Financial Resources

Hannibal LaGrange University

Illinois Family Institute

International Mission Board

LifeWay Church Resources

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Miller Management

North American Mission Board

Sandy Creek Baptist Association

Servant Keeper PC

Simplify Church

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Williamson Association on Mission

DOCKERY

2019 annual meeting

IN FOCUS

Eyes on the prize

Illinois churches urged toward fresh commitments for the rest of the race

Marion | Across the country, the numbers are sobering. At least 80% of American churches are plateaued or declining, and many leaders are struggling to know what steps to take to revitalize flagging ministries.

“We need a new wave of church revitalization to sweep across America,” Rob Peters said at the IBSA Annual Meeting, held Nov. 6-7 at Cornerstone Church in Marion. At the 113th annual gathering of Illinois Baptists, messengers adopted resolutions, elected new officers, and approved a 2020 budget. Under the theme “ReFocus,” they also heard the call to renewed commitment to effective, sacrificial ministry to meet the great spiritual need in Illinois, where more than 8 million people do not know Christ.

In messages from the podium and corporate prayer times, Illinois Baptists were reminded of the true source of revitalized ministry.

“We need to see something in God’s churches that we haven’t seen in our lifetimes,” said Peters, founder of a revitalization-focused ministry called Corpus Vitae. “And that is a renewal and revival that only God’s Spirit can do.”

Increasing urgency

Amid nationwide downward trends in religious affiliation and worship attendance, IBSA churches have seen bright spots over the past year. IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams noted encouraging increases in missions giving and baptisms, as well as an uptick in churches affiliating with IBSA.

Hear our cry

Musicians from Cornerstone Church led in worship during the IBSA Annual Meeting and Pastors’ Conference, Nov. 5-7, inviting just over 500 messengers and guests to “ReFocus” on the mission of God and their church’s place in it.

Photos and stories by Illinois Baptist staff

IBSA TEAM COVERAGE

Still, Adams said, quoting a 19th-century hymn, “Mercy drops ‘round us are falling.” His voice broke as he finished the line. “But for the showers we plead.”

Peters said the need for revitalized churches is becoming more urgent. If 80% of American churches are in some stage of decline or plateau, that means around 38,000 Southern Baptist churches fall into that category. At the same time, he added, the population is growing by about 10% every 10 years. Even though more potential churchgoers now live in America, the rate of church participation continues to shrink. Every week, Peters said, 70 churches close their doors, never to open again.

In response to the trends, Southern Baptists have asked in recent years whether the denomination ought to focus on church planting or church revitalization. The answer, Peters said, is that while church planting plays an important role in building the Kingdom, it can’t be the only strategy.

“Church revitalization must be an essential part of our strategy,” Peters said. And it can’t just be a one-time occurrence. “Every local church needs to come to a place of perpetual revitalization. Jesus is always calling us as his people to new steps of faith and obedience.”

In the coming year, IBSA churches will engage in a ReFocus process designed to assess their place in God’s mission in their community, and any changes or new plans that are needed to better position the church to meet our state’s urgent spiritual need. IBSA has also created a new Revitalization Team that will be led by Scott Foshie, who previously pastored Steeleville Baptist Church.

In Marion, church leaders were invited to visit the team and hear more about ReFocus, and Adams noted more than 50 churches indicated interest. On the Monday after the Annual Meeting, leaders from seven churches met in Springfield to start their ReFocus process.

Long-term obedience

Pastor Michael Nave’s church has been in a process of refocusing and revitalizing its ministry through much of its 20-year history. Cornerstone

Church started in 1998 with 70 people, and has grown to more than 1,600 meeting in four worship services every week.

The church’s worship team led during the IBSA Pastors’ Conference and Annual Meeting, and Nave brought the Annual Sermon Wednesday evening, sharing his church’s commitment to “long obedience in the right direction.”

“Our story has not been glamorous,” he said. “It has not been this big kaboom.” Rather, the pastor said, steady growth has marked their history, amid ups and downs and difficult years. Over and over again, the church has watched God bring people to life through salvation.

The church has tried to prioritize how much they care about someone’s salvation over how much they care about their sin. Illinois needs the gospel, not behavior modification, Nave said. “We help people follow Jesus. You are welcome here no matter what. We are willing to embrace the messiness with someone who is willing to take the journey.”

Preaching from the book of 2 Timothy, he encouraged Illinois Baptists to remember the spirit Christ has given people who believe in him— one of power, love, and self-control. Nave stood in front of a Venn diagram showing how those three elements meet in the middle. “Our state needs hope, our state needs Jesus,” he said, “and the way that’s going to happen is when we are living Spirit-filled lives that display power, love, and selfcontrol.”

Fix your eyes on Jesus

“Brothers and sisters, ministry is not a sprint,” Adron Robinson preached in Marion. “It’s a marathon.”

As runners in that marathon, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, Robinson urged Illinois Baptist church leaders in his final message as president of IBSA. Preaching from the book of Hebrews, Robinson reminded his audience of the “great cloud of witnesses” that has gone before them. The faithful

examples in Hebrews ought to encourage Christians today, he said, making a verbal checklist of all the obstacles biblical heroes overcame.

Got family drama? Look at Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery. Feeling like you’re not qualified for ministry? Check out Moses. Troubled past? Read the story of Rahab. If you put your faith in God, Robinson said, he’ll use you, because he is able. And there are modern-day witnesses too. “Sometimes we get so busy that we don’t realize God has placed people all around us to help us be who he has called us to be.”

Concluding his message, Robinson urged his listeners to watch out for unnecessary and unrighteous distractions, and to follow Jesus’ model of ministry completion. “Stop judging your effectiveness by last week’s attendance; stop judging your effectiveness by last week’s offering,” he said. Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

“Stay in the race.”

NATE ADAMS

Michael Nave

Adron Robinson

NEW VISION – Church revitalization leader Rob Peters (right) talks with Brent Cloyd, associational mission strategist for Greater Wabash Baptist Association, in the Annual Meeting exhibit hall.

ANNUAL MEETING BUSINESS

Abuse report

The sexual abuse crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention was a key focus of the IBSA Annual Meeting in Marion, as messengers heard how the denomination and IBSA are moving forward to prevent abuse and care well for survivors, even as new allegations of abuse continue to arise (see page 4).

Outgoing IBSA President Adron Robinson, also a member of the SBC Executive Committee, noted that only a small fraction of SBC churches have signed up for the Caring Well Challenge, a Convention-wide effort to respond to the crisis uncovered in a newspaper report in February of this year.

“We have to do better, pastors,” Robinson said in a report on the abuse crisis. “Our actions still say we think it can’t happen at my church. That’s why we have to sign up. The stories of abuse involving SBC churches tell us it can happen anywhere.”

Earlier this year, IBSA joined fellow Baptist state conventions in committing to address sexual abuse issues, care for survivors, and continue to prepare for abuse prevention. IBSA offers training in child protection at regional events around the state, and has also created a list of resources at IBSA.org.

In Marion, messengers (or voters) approved a resolution condemning sexual abuse, along with other measures on current issues and church life. See the sidebar at right for more about the resolutions, or go to IBSA. org/ResourceCenter for a full list of measures adopted in Marion.

In other business:

Messengers adopted a 2020 IBSA budget with a Cooperative Program goal of $6.3 million. Of gifts received, 43.5% will be forwarded to the SBC Executive Committee and 56.5% will remain in Illinois to support state missions and ministry.

A new slate of officers was elected for the coming year, including President Sammy Simmons, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Benton; Vice President Heath Tibbetts, pastor of First Baptist Church, Machesney Park; Recording Secretary Sharon Carty, member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Carlinville; and Assistant Recording Secretary Brianna Trowbridge, member of Samaria Missionary Baptist Church, Albion.

IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams recognized three pastors for 50-plus years of service. Jack Hall recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as pastor of First Baptist Church, Shawneetown. Bobby Barnhill has served 51 years at McArthur Drive Baptist Church in North Pekin. And Edmund Hill has been the pastor of Bayle City Baptist Church in Ramsey for 56 years. In Marion, Annual Meeting attenders gave the pastors and their wives a standing ovation.

At the start of Wednesday evening’s worship service, IBSA welcomed 16 new churches into affiliation with the Association, and also heard from church planters working across the state. The planters represent around 70 new churches currently at some stage of the planting process in Illinois.

The 2020 IBSA Annual Meeting is Nov. 4-5 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield.

culture Be it resolved

Illinois Baptists meeting in Marion approved resolutions in appreciation of the Annual Meeting host church and small churches across Illinois, as well as a resolution encouraging pastors and congregations to engage in intentional, spiritual processes of church revitalization. The slate of six resolutions also included measures on:

Evil of sexual abuse

“WHEREAS, we recognize that godly sorrow over the incalculable damage of sexual abuse in a church or ministry setting should lead us to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10), recognizing that institutions that tolerate such sexual immorality stands in opposition to Holy Scripture and Christ Himself (Revelation 2:18–29); now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the messengers to the IBSA Annual Meeting at Cornerstone Community Church in Marion, Illinois, November 6-7, 2019, condemn all forms of sexual abuse and repudiate with a unified voice all sexually abusive behavior as unquestionably sinful and under the just condemnation of our Holy God; and be it further RESOLVED, that we lament any and all instances of sexual abuse, particularly in a church setting, and express our appreciation to journalists, victims, and survivors who have brought to light the sexually immoral rot that has existed within churches, including some that identify as IBSA churches.”

Abortion

“WHEREAS, the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution affirms that no state shall deprive any person within its jurisdiction equal protection under the law, including life, and liberty, and therefore the life of a baby in its mother’s womb…be it RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Illinois Baptist State Association Annual Meeting…affirm the belief that the church and society have a responsibility to protect the sanctity of human life by passing laws that protect the unborn who cannot protect themselves, and call upon churches to work together to call for legislation that will remove the tragedy of abortion in our state.

LGBTQ counseling

“WHEREAS the 2015 Illinois House Bill HB0217 titled “The Youth Mental Health Protection Act” did not in fact protect all youth, but rather attempted to “protect” only youth who prefer to stay in the LGBTQ lifestyle from reparative therapy, thereby discriminating against minors and adults who might seek to receive reparative therapy and find it effective…be it RESOLVED, the messengers to the Illinois Baptist State Association meeting in Marion, Illinois…affirm the position that minors have rights under the First Amendment to the free exercise of religion, and under the 14th Amendment to the right of equal justice under the law, including the right to receive counseling that would allow them to be free from unwanted same sex/gender attraction.

‘We have to do better’

HONORED – IBSA’s Bivocational Pastor of the Year for 2019 is Rick Pearce, pastor of Sandoval Baptist Church. Pearce was nominated by Mike Hall, director of missions for Kaskaskia Baptist Association. He received the award during the IBSA Pastors’ Conference.

EXCHANGING IDEAS – Pastor David Siere of First Baptist Brookport talks with IBSA’s Carmen Halsey in the exhibit hall.

LEGACIES – Pastors Edmund Hill, Jack Hall, and Bobby Barnhill were honored for 50-plus years of ministry at their churches.

NEWLY ELECTED – Brianna Trowbridge, Sammy Simmons, Heath Tibbetts, and Sharon Carty were elected to serve as IBSA officers in 2020.

From the pulpit

Revive us, O Lord

Renewal starts with deeper dependence on God, preachers urge Marion | Michael Kramer woke up a few weeks ago exhausted. The discipleship pastor from Immanuel Baptist Church in Benton was headed back to bed, he told his audience in Marion, but he had to do one thing first. Dispose of a raccoon in a trap on his roof. As he dug the raccoon’s grave, one of several in his yard, Kramer’s shovel hit a brick—one more obstacle standing between him and the rest and renewal he desperately needed.

The 2019 IBSA Pastors’ Conference offered encouragement to pastors and church leaders in need of it through six messages focused on the revival that only God can bring. Three Illinois leaders, including Kramer, preached during the conference along with three speakers from Missouri and California (see sidebar).

Kramer spoke on the life of Elijah, who he labeled a “depleted prophet.” He was best known for raining down fire on Mt. Carmel, Kramer said, but most of Elijah’s story took place in the wilderness. That he met God there can serve to encourage modern-day leaders, Kramer said.

“God takes men and women into wildernesses to teach dependency. He does not take men and women into the wilderness that he does not plan on using. It is his way.” Even when it seems like God doesn’t provide or that he can’t overcome an obstacle, he sustains, strengthens, and shows his servants his ways, Kramer said.

Our response, he said, is simply to obey. Acknowledging he didn’t love that answer, Kramer said it was the only one he could come up with. Yes, we are to trust God, to cling and to hold to him, he said, but above everything else, we are to obey him.

At the close of his sermon, Kramer reached under the podium in Marion and pulled out the brick his shovel ran into a few weeks ago. He planned to place it on a growing pile in his office, he told his listeners, as one more reminder of the God who brings unique, specific revival.

“Tomorrow, this brick goes on the pile, and I press on, because Christ is King.”

Broken, not crushed

Even after he denied Jesus, Peter the disciple was restored to a right relationship with him. Peter’s story has lessons for all who are broken by sin today, preached Tim Lewis, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Troy.

The brokenness in all of us is the result of sin, Lewis said, leading his listeners through a list of all the ways the Bible describes sin. Missing the mark, falling short, living as less than what God created

you to be—all of these are markers of how sinful people operate. Thankfully, Jesus is the one restorer and revitalizer, Lewis said. Peter’s story in John 21 shows the way back, even despite brokenness:

1. Focus on Jesus’ love for you. Noting Peter’s breakfast on the beach with a resurrected Jesus, Lewis said the disciple must have sensed Christ saying, “I still value you, I still love you, you’re still meaningful to me, I still have a plan for you.”

2. Focus on your commitment to Jesus. Peter was given several opportunities to affirm his commitment to and love for Christ.

3. Follow Jesus’ command to tend to his sheep. “The pathway to restoration and revival is focusing on other people’s needs,” Lewis preached, “not your pain.”

Reclaiming powerful pulpits

Bryan Price, senior pastor of Love Fellowship Baptist Church in Romeoville, used the Apostle Paul’s words to Timothy to encourage pastors to revive the power of their preaching. Speaking from the book of 2 Timothy, Price said pulpits can lose their power because some preachers have traded the truth of Christ for a “watered-down, weak, and flimsy version of the gospel.”

“One of the reasons we have lost the power is because we have traded the truth of Christ for a feel-good message,” Price said, warning against the tendency to value self-help or motivational speeches over gospel preaching.

On the other end of the spectrum, he said, is the temptation to overcomplicate the message. “Preachers, your people know that you done been to school. They already know. They saw your resumé, they know where you went. You don’t have to remind them of that every Sunday,” Price said.

“Sometimes, what they need is the simplicity of the gospel.”

Price told his listeners that the more education he received, the harder it was for some people in his congregation to hear him preach. Power, he said, “is not in the stuff we know.” Rather, as Paul wrote in Romans 1, it’s the gospel that fuels powerful pulpits.

IBSA pastors’ conference

TIM LEWIS

“While the world says to love yourself and take all you can and follow your heart, Jesus says deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.”

– Jonathan Hayashi, worship pastor, First Baptist Church, Troy, Mo.

“What is happening through your ministry that smacks of the supernatural? What causes people to take a step back and say, ‘Only God could have done that?’”

– Jeff Iorg, president, Gateway Seminary

“A dying church does not need a new youth program or a young youth pastor. A dying church needs to fall deeply in love with the youth of the neighborhood who don’t look right or dress right or act right.”

– Mark Clifton, senior director of replanting, North American Mission Board

Bryan Price

Michael Kramer

JEFF IORG

MARK CLIFTON

JONATHAN HAYASHI

BAPTIST FOUNDATION OF ILLINOIS

Stewardship plan provides lifelong care

“God has given us all we need to impact our world for his glory,” said Leah Honnen, after putting a Life Stewardship Plan in place through the Baptist Foundation of Illinois.

Honnen and her husband, John, told messengers at the IBSA Annual Meeting they began working with Doug Morrow, the Foundation’s executive director, when they were pregnant with their now five-month-old son, Owen.

The couple, who are members of Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, shared how the plan helps them take care of student loan payments, saving to purchase a home, tithing, and other financial needs.

“As I stand here, we are still in the beginning stages of our stewardship walk,” John said, “but I feel confident in the steps we have taken. I hope to be able to stand here 30 years from now and share how we have been able to glorify

God with the money he has gifted us. And the Baptist Foundation is helping us to do just that.”

Jean Powell, a member of First Baptist Church in Harrisburg, contacted the Foundation to have her will drafted, but found that also gave her an opportunity to discuss the importance of having durable powers of attorney (POAs) with her 93-year-old mother.

Not long after, her mother began showing signs of memory loss and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Things got bad rather quickly,” said Powell in the BFI report. Her mother soon needed constant care and then had a stroke.

“Even before my plan comes into place, Mom’s POAs have given us a peace because we’ve been able to do what mom wanted,” shared Powell. “Even when the stroke took Mom’s ability to speak, I took some comfort in knowing I had had those conversations and was doing what Mom wanted.”

Bloom where you’re planted

Robin Dickerson said, “There’s no training to be a pastor’s wife.” She then asked a room full of women, “Have any of you all had training?” The question was greeted with laughter.

Dickerson, wife of Bob Dickerson, pastor of Marion First Baptist Church, was the keynote speaker at the Ministers’ Wives Fellowship during the IBSA Pastors’ Conference. The theme of the brunch meeting was “Bloom where you’re planted.”

Dickerson pointed out pastors receive training, but their wives are often thrown into ministry and have to learn as they go along. “Sometimes people have the misconception that because he knows, you should know. They think there’s supposed to be some kind of a mind meld,” she joked.

Often, churches think they are “getting two for one” when they call a pastor. But, Dickerson said her husband has protected her by telling search committees, “Her ministry is to me.” She urged the women to ask God what their talent is and what to do with it.

“If a beautiful lily blooms in murky water, you too can bloom in murky situations,” she said. “We

have to learn to thrive through that. It is tough; some of us have tender hearts.”

Dickerson reminded the ladies, “We blossom with praise like flowers under the sun. The bloom may be brief, but the memories of the beauty may last forever.”

Alyssa Caudill led worship and was accompanied by her husband, Drake, pastor of Carmi First Baptist Church.

Ministers’ wives elected 2020 officers: President Jeanette Cloyd, North Side Baptist Church, Fairfield; Vice President Libby Morecraft, FBC Harrisburg; and Treasurer Mary Sue Jones, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Decatur.

In business, messengers approved the 2020 budget of $322,979 and Board of Trustees officers: Chair David Grove, FBC Fairview Heights; Vice Chair Newlin Wollaston, Mt. Carmel Children of God, Chicago; Secretary David Chumley, FBC O’Fallon.

Pregnancy clinic planned

“We desire to open a pro-life crisis pregnancy resource clinic,” Denny Hydrick, executive director of Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS), announced in his report to messengers at the IBSA Annual Meeting.

Hydrick shared how since the ministry’s founding in 1919 it has adapted, added, or adjusted to meet the contemporary needs of people. This has included adoption services, Angels’ Cove Maternity Center, and the addition of 13 Pathways Counseling locations.

One hundred years later, he said, “Your ministry is at another critical point.”

Hydrick said he recently reread Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” The phrase “the day of evil” stood out to him in that particular reading.

Referring to the BCHFS Board of Trustees, Hydrick said, “We’ve been working to respond to this day of evil that has come for the unborn here in the state of Illinois. Your ministry continues to stand firm for those that cannot speak

for themselves….We’re going to stand our ground in our belief that all life has value when the value is determined by the Creator, not the created.”

Hydrick shared the Board has begun “prayerfully working through the complicated process of establishing a new ministry.”

He asked Illinois Baptists to pray for what he called a “vital need and a public way to express God’s value” of life.

Hydrick and the trustees recognize the challenges they face in a state with liberal abortion laws and attitudes. “This is a faith test complicated by a hostile state and a social environment which desires to wipe out pro-life Christian values,” he said. “My commitment to you is that we will stand our ground.”

BCHFS reported to messengers that 1,958 people were served in 2018, the most ever in a single year.

Messengers approved the 2020 budget of $3,670,651 and Board of Trustees officers: Chair Wes Hahn, Shiloh Baptist Church, Bridgeport; Vice Chair Rebecca Whittington, FBC West Frankfort; and Secretary Jana Searles, Calvary Baptist Church, Alton.

BAPTIST CHILDREN’S HOME & FAMILY SERVICES

MORROW

HYDRICK

THE FUTURE – Leah Honnen holds her five-month-old son, Owen, while she shares how the Baptist Foundation of Illinois’ Life Steward Plan is making a difference to her family as her husband, John, looks on.

International missions

Where others can’t go Illinois couple heads to Spain

Caleb and Carina Beaty (pictured below) moved their young family to inner-city Madrid in 2019, following a call to missions and church planting several years in the making. The Beatys started the application process through the International Mission Board three years ago, while serving as leaders at Charis Community Church in Bloomington. They were officially commissioned at a worship service held during the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention.

The missionary task ahead of them is huge: Caleb estimates 1-2% of people in Spain are Christians, and even that number is higher because of immigration into the country. Of Spaniards born in Spain, 0.5% are believers, he said. Metro Madrid has 6.6 million people, including more than 3 million in the inner city.

“We have our work cut out for us,” he said.

The couple and their two daughters will be supported through Southern Baptist giving to missions— called the Cooperative Program—and through the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, collected in most churches in December.

In their early days of considering how and where they would go, the Beatys didn’t know they’d end up serving through the IMB. So their church started collecting money to send them. Then, said Caleb, “We realized we didn’t have to do this on our own. We could do it with the cooperation of so many other churches.”

He noted that most of the missionaries they know in Madrid live in the suburbs. But IMB can send his family to the center of the city because of the generosity of Southern Baptists.

“People need to know that their money is being used to send people to places others can’t go.”

– Meredith Flynn

All who wander are not lost

Offering takes gospel to unreached people worldwide

Peter Station* lives his life chasing after cows, camels, and gers—large, round, felt tents that seem to move more than they sit still.

His country in East Asia has more than a million nomadic people scattered across a land mass about half the size of the U.S. To say they’re hard to find is an understatement, and to keep connecting with them once you find them is even harder. They’re cattle herdsmen who live off the land, and what they need from the land is ever changing with the seasons. They pack their tents up on their camels and move as often as once a month.

“They’re a group that doesn’t want to be tied to a location—they want to be able to be free to roam, to move where the grass is greener,” Peter said.

Who was Lottie Moon?

While serving almost 40 years in China, missions pioneer Lottie Moon rallied support for missionaries on the field through her letters home. The annual offering named after her supports International Mission Board personnel serving around the globe, including those working to reach transient herdsmen in East Asia (pictured above).

Their roots may not be deep in one spot, but they are deep in their culture. It’s a lifestyle that the herdsmen have lived for thousands of years, and up until recently, the gospel had never penetrated their land or their hearts.

But Peter has been persistent in his pursuit of these wandering peoples. He knows they have practical and spiritual needs, and he sets out to meet them. When their gers get burned down, he helps to replace them using funds from the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. He gives them hay when they’re struggling to keep their cattle and camels alive, and he takes them coal when it’s -40º and they have nothing to heat their homes.

And he camps with them and tells them about the permanent home and hope they have in Jesus.

“We’re able to go out to these farreaching places, these distant areas where they’ve never heard the gospel, and we’re

able to meet their physical needs in a way that opens up the door to be able to share,” Peter said.

Sometimes they’ll choose to follow Jesus, and Peter will make plans to come back and start discipling them. And then when he drives out there again, there’s nothing but grass. They’re gone.

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering & Week of Prayer is December 1-8.

That’s one of the biggest challenges of reaching the herdsmen. But Peter won’t stop—he knows he can’t until there are disciples all over the vast land where they wander. Over time, he is seeing lives transformed. His team of IMB missionaries and national partners teach the herdsmen the story of redemption from creation to Christ, discipling them in hopes that they would share the gospel and plant churches as they move.

“We’ve been able to see herdsmen come to know Christ, to accept him,” he said. “We’re able to see baptisms in the middle of the wilderness and people being discipled.”

The 2019 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Week of Prayer is Dec. 1-8. Churches received promotional kits by mail; go to IMB.org for more resources.

*Name changed.

– From the International Mission Board

RESOURCE

Ask people to do the hard things

It’s

One of the most important jobs of Christian leaders is to ask people to do the hard things they don’t want to do. We ask people to take the narrow, uphill road when it is easier to go down. We ask them to die to self when it is easier to live for self. We ask them to give, serve, and sacrifice, though none of those things come easily.

Following Jesus is not about taking the easy road. It is about doing the right thing, even though that is often the more difficult thing. If we are asking people to follow Jesus, we are asking them to take the harder path.

There is a reason we ask people to do the hard things. Not only do we ask them to do it because it is right. But we also know it is in their best interest to do so. People may think otherwise. They may tell themselves that it is okay to take the easier path rather than the better path. But it is always in their best interest to do the hard things God wants them to do. Always.

When my father passed away several years ago, it would have been much easier for my mother not to continue to go to her Sunday school class. Going there would mean she would have to respond to every condolence and answer the inevitable questions and be reminded that her husband was not with her. In other words, it would be a hard thing.

But, that hard thing was also the best thing. Going to her Sunday school class would mean being surrounded by people who cared for her, not to mention the spiritual nurture of God’s word. It was in her best interest to go and to do the hard thing.

So, that first Sunday after his death, she went to Sunday school in the company of a couple of her sons. She cried through most of the class, as did her family. But, she did the hard thing. And, the next week she did the hard thing alone. And the next and the next. And how glad she is, and we are, that she did. Ultimately, it was in her best interest to do the hard thing.

The Learning curve

Joshua: All God

Kathleen Nielson

Nielson’s Bible studies don’t necessarily give all the answers, but help me to think on God’s word with my own mind. Also recommended: her studies on Psalms, parts 1 and 2.

Ministry leader, don’t apologize for asking people to do the hard things that need to be done. Ask them to get up earlier to have a devotional life. Ask them to give some of their resources to the work of the Lord instead of just spending it on themselves. Ask them to miss a hobby to attend worship services. Ask them to forgive those who have wronged them. Ask them to love people who are hard to love. Ask them to risk a friendship by sharing the gospel. Ask them to do the hard things that God wants them to do.

The people you minister to might not want to do hard things, but they need to do hard things. It is in their best interest to do the hard things God wants them to do. And it is your responsibility to remind them of that truth. So, ask them, encourage them, and “spur them on to love and good deeds.”

Asking people to do hard things can itself be a hard thing for ministry leaders. We may find it easier to just tell people what they want to hear. People often want us to affirm them, not challenge them. But not only is it in the best interest of others to do the hard things, it is in our best interest to ask them to do them. That is what God calls us to do, and it is always right for us to do what God wants us to do. Even if that is a hard thing.

It was a hard thing for Jesus to go to the cross. It was a hard thing for the early church to witness in the face of persecution. It was a hard thing for Paul to write letters to the churches from prison. But the hard thing God wants is the right thing for us to do.

So, be willing to do the hard things God wants you to do even when you don’t want to do them. And be willing, ministry leaders, to ask others to do the hard things God wants them to do even when they don’t want to do them.

In eternity, you will be glad you did.

Doug Munton is pastor of First Baptist Church of O’Fallon. This column first appeared on his blog, DougMunton.com.

Gotquestions.org

Website

An online repository of nearly 600,000 questions and answers about God, Jesus, the Bible, and theology.

Pat’s Playbook

Don’t waste it

QI want to use my spiritual gifts in a particular ministry for children that’s not connected to our church. But what I hear is if I’m not teaching Sunday school, I’m not using my gifts properly. Why can’t I volunteer elsewhere?

AEvery saved believer has been given at least one spiritual gift, and some have several. The purpose is to use those gifts to advance the gospel and impact the kingdom of God. While Sunday school is one area where a gift can be used, other ministry areas might present themselves, and if one is gifted in that ministry area, it’s a shame to waste that spiritual talent. I see nothing wrong with using the gift the Holy Spirit has given you to impact the lives of children, especially if you can encourage them to become actively involved in your local church. Read I Corinthians 12:12-18 for a reminder of how God has designed the church.

Time to evaluate

QI think my church is shallow.

AShallow can have many different definitions! However, if the church you attend isn’t preaching the word of God, and isn’t committed to evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, missions, and worship, it’s time for you to find a new church. Finding a church that meets those needs may not be easy, but if you are attending a church that you consider shallow and isn’t equipping you to grow in your faith, it’s time to move!

Pat Pajak is IBSA’s associate executive director for evangelism.

Becoming a Healthy Team: Five Traits of Vital Leadership

Stephen A. Macchia

For resources on teamwork, I also recommend “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. – Becky Gardner,

an unenviable task, but leaders must take the responsibility

PAT PAJAK

Woodland Baptist Church, Peoria

– Bob Dickerson, pastor, First Baptist Church, Marion

– Mallory Rueter, Delta Church, Springfield

Finish well

Read: Acts 20:24 ESV

A Thanksgiving Prayer for 2019

(Editor’s Note: For thirty years, Chicago Tribune columnist Joan Beck penned an annual prayer in free verse for many things that made her grateful in the year gone by. With appreciation for her inspiration and input from the Illinois Baptist team, we attempt a similar expression of gratitude.)

Pastoral ministry is tough. I believe it is one of the toughest jobs in the world. So tough in fact that no pastor can do it well without constantly depending on God.

So many pastors start off strong but fade out before they cross the finish line because in an attempt to do more ministry, they take on more tasks and disconnect from God in the process. But the Apostle Paul gives us some clues on how to finish well in ministry.

As we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings, 398 years after the first Thanksgiving Day, we look back on a year of immigrants and refugees, fires and floods, wars and threats, mountains steep and journeys lonesome, traversing the valley of the shadow of death, but finding it’s only a shadow.

Much has changed in the year gone by. Farewell we bade to some held dear, and hugs of welcome to others near.

Good, good Father, we’re grateful for young parents whose life is lived in rhyme, Llama Llama and Good Night, Moon, Hop on Pop, and the silver spoon, Baby Shark’s unending tune, that keeps on playing in our heads.

That the founders’ dream will be found true, That we can keep our republic, as Franklin said.

“Though passion may have strained,” our native Lincoln asserted, “it must not break our bonds of affection.

“The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Stir the slumb’ring chords again of moral rectitude and civility, Godly vision and clarity in Lincoln’s land and every man.

ADRON ROBINSON

Paul realizes that the end of his earthly ministry is near, so he strives to finish well. He reminds us that we must minister in humility, we must minster with perseverance, and we must always testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Humility teaches us that we cannot do this work alone. We need to share the load with the gifted brothers and sisters God has providentially placed within our churches. We need perseverance because we are doing the work of the Lord, and there are many adversaries. And we must always testify to the gospel of grace because there is no other remedy for the sins of humanity.

Paul left every city in a better condition than he found it; we ought to do the same. Pastor, leader, your family needs you. The church needs you. The world needs you. So, finish well.

Prayer Prompt: Our Father and our strong God, we are nothing without you! Lead us as we lead your people and give us your indwelling power to finish well.

Adron Robinson pastors Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and is president of IBSA. And served two terms as IBSA President.

For the couple once said not to bear, On a bright and blessed morn, Found an answer to Hannah’s prayer;

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand Leads forth in beauty, a father’s happy band: This family man who’s proudest most for his daughters’ growth in love like Christ’s, Marking their steps to maturity With grace, amazing, And good raising.

Come, ye thankful people, come; Count your blessings one and all. In life we find that things deemed small are actually the greater things; In simplicity we find the truest blessing.

Our fathers’ God to Thee, Author of liberty, We beseech Thee, on the threshold of the quadrennial exercise of our democracy,

O God, our help in ages past, and our eternal home, In believing friends and family we are grateful for a deeper grasp of unity. We see the beauty in opening our lives to others, so we know we’re not alone, and others may know they are not alone.

The Triune God in Eternal Community has blessed us in relationships much as his own in the Godhead. Then sings my soul:

“Like hinges straining from the weight, my heart no longer can keep from singing.”

Mercy Me!

“All that is within me cries for You, alone, be glorified! Emmanuel, God with us!”

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul, for redeeming my deepest trials, for each time I surrender, I discover surrender is a beautiful experience all around, and I can attest again

“...that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen.

Eric Reed, with contributions from the Illinois Baptist team and their 2019 life experiences: Meredith Flynn, Leah Honnen, Kris Kell, and Lisa Misner.

“Well...they pass the casserole test.”

dave says

Mini emergency

fund?

DAVE RAMSEY

They’re just trying to help, but…

First Baptist Church of Atwood, Ill., seeks a full-time pastor, beginning July 15, 2020. The church will receive resumes from Nov. 1, 2019, until Jan. 15, 2020. For detailed profiles of the community and the church, go to firstbaptistatwood.org. Interested candidates should submit resumes to fbcofatwood@ gmail.com.

QI’m 26 and single, and I have about $35,000 in credit card and student loan debt. I’m only making $20,000 a year right now, but I expect to be making almost $30,000 soon. Under the circumstances, can I get by with $500 in my emergency fund, or do I need to have $1,000 set aside like you recommend in Baby Step 1? I’m worried about keeping up with bills while saving money for my starter emergency fund.

AI know it will be tough, but a $1,000 emergency fund should be your first big goal. Also, if you’re not already doing a monthly budget—and spending every dollar on paper before the next month begins—start doing it now! Living on a budget will help you control your money instead of allowing a lack of money to control you. That’s how you can keep up with the bills while you save that first $1,000.

Let’s say you know you’ll be getting two $750 paychecks each month. You go ahead and plan out how to spend that money before you ever get it. Take care of necessities first. I’m talking about food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and utilities. After that, make sure you’re current on your debts. Once those things are out of the way, pump every spare dollar you can into your emergency fund. And remember, limit your spending to necessities only!

Start working on that now. It’s very important. Remember the old saying about Murphy’s Law, and how anything that can go wrong will go wrong? If you keep living without a plan and no emergency fund, Murphy will hunt you down!

QMy husband and I are in our twenties, and we work for the same company. We’ve been thinking about going back to school and finishing our degrees, because our employer is willing to pay for up to 10 credit hours, plus books, per semester with no strings attached. My parents think we should get student loans instead, so we can finish faster. We both have less than two years to go to complete our degrees, so what do you think?

AWow, this is a fantastic opportunity! How many times does someone offer to pay for a college degree with no financial strings attached?

I’m sure your folks want what’s best for you, but the truth is you probably couldn’t take more than 9 or 10 hours per semester, work full-time jobs, and keep your relationship and marriage healthy. If you’ve both got less than two years of school left, it’s not going to take that long, anyway. You’re still young and have plenty of time to make this happen.

I don’t think your parents mean any harm, but they’re wrong on this one. I’ve got a feeling they’re like most people in America today. They’ve spent most of their lives swimming in debt, and they’ve reached a point where they’ve just accepted it and think there’s no other way. To me, that’s sad.

If you and your husband really want to finish your degrees, I’d say the two of you need to march into work tomorrow morning and take advantage of that wonderful offer. Stay away from debt!

MARK McCORMICK

What and when you should report

the counselor Q

I volunteer with the children’s ministry at my church, and want to make sure I’m doing the right thing if I ever suspect abuse or neglect. Can you summarize Illinois’ reporting laws, especially how they pertain to churches and ministries?

A

Considering the prevalence of childhood abuse and neglect, your questions are both timely and important. Illinois cases of child abuse and neglect increased 11% from 2015 to 2017. Reportable abuse includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, and the neglect of children under the age of 18.

All professional staff in the church (including, but not limited to, pastors, child care workers, teachers, and coaches) are considered legally mandated reporters of child abuse in Illinois. Furthermore, as Christians dedicated to the welfare of children, I believe we all have an ethical and moral responsibility (whether legally mandated or not) to protect children.

One question I often hear is “What do I do if I suspect, but am unsure if a child is being abused?”

As counselors working with children, our motto is that it’s always best to err on the side of caution when a child’s safety is concerned. Is the system perfect? No, of course not. But the imperfection of the system is no reason to fail to report suspected abuse.

The 2019 edition of Illinois’ Manual for Mandated Reporters advises that protecting children is the responsibility of the entire community, and that the law provides anyone may make a report to the hotline. The manual is clearly written and helpful in explaining the parameters of mandated reporting of child abuse. Every church should have an accessible and well-visited copy. A downloadable version is available at the Department of Child and Family Services’ website: www2.illinois. org/dcfs.

We should all be well aware that child abuse also occurs within the church. Therefore, the church is where prevention must begin. Hiring church workers should be dependent on a potential employee passing a thorough background check, including fingerprinting. Are background checks always effective in screening out all potential threats to children? No, not always, but it is one effective tool we have in helping safeguard children against abuse. For further suggestions, go to IBSA.org/Protect.

Mark McCormick is director of clinic operations for Illinois Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services. Send questions for Mark to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

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

of the Illinois Baptist.

EVENTS

December 1-8

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering & Week of Prayer

See pages 11-12, or go to IMB.org.

Tax Seminars

What: Valuable tax info for current and retired ministers, treasurers, and other church leaders Where: Jan. 13: Cross Pointe, Edwardsville; Jan. 16: IBSA Building, Springfield; Jan. 28: Second Baptist, Marion Info: TammyButler@IBSA.org

January 21-23

Midwest Leadership Summit

What: Focused equipping for leaders from Baptist state conventions across the Midwest

Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield Info: MWAdvance.org

February 6

iConnect: IBSA/Pastors Meet-Up

What: Introduction to IBSA staff, ministries, training, and opportunities, for pastors and church staff members

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield Register: AubreyKrol@IBSA.org

SAVE THE DATE

February 22

Church Technology Conference

What: Learn how to use worship technology to unite believers in corporate worship. Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

SAVE THE DATE

March 7, 14, 28

VBS Clinics

What: Training, ideas, and inspiration for 2020 Vacation Bible School

Where: Six locations around the state; info coming soon

THE NEW REALITY

Trust fall

Billy Graham and Walter Cronkite once topped the annual poll of most trusted people in America. In those days, religious leaders and journalists were counted as reliable.

Not today. Even religious leaders are finding their trust ratings dropping in the past decade, with high school principals and first responders often surpassing them.

Pew Research recently measured Americans’ trust levels for eight professions, asking about job performance, caring, and ethics. Rankings varied depending on the performance area surveyed, but most of the time, here’s how they landed:

1. Military leaders

2. Police officers

3. K-12 principals

4. Religious leaders

5. Journalists

6. Tech leaders

7. Local elected officials

8. Members of Congress

Members of Congress were consistently last—including stewardship, accuracy, and taking responsibility for mistakes.

U.S. adults are divided over how frequently religious leaders admit their mistakes. Half say religious leaders do this at least some of the time, while half also say religious leaders do this “a little” or “not at all.”

Political affiliation makes a difference in the trust factor. For example, Do religious leaders provide fair and accurate information? Responding some, most, or all the time:

neTworking

Find more information on ministry positions at IBSA.org/connect Send NetworkiNg items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org

54% 75%

IN THE NEXT ISSUE:

More on church leaders’ numbers.

school youth. The church is also seeking a part-time worship leader to lead morning and evening worship services and to direct the adult choir. Send resumés to FBC Dupo, P. O. Box 219, Dupo, IL 62239, or e-mail fbcdupo@htc.net, Attn. Pastor.

Visit chathambaptist.org for an application and job description. E-mail resumé and application to Chatham BCoffice@gmail.com by Dec. 2.

of Republicans of Democrats. Fellowship Baptist Church in South Chicago Heights seeks a bivocational pastor called by God to be the spiritual and administrative leader of the congregation. Submit cover letter and photo, resumé, and three references to Resume.FellowshipBaptist Church@gmail.com.

Sterling Baptist Church in Fairview Heights seeks a bivocational pastor Send resumés to Marjorie Reith, search committee chair, at mareith1@ att.net, or mail to 1804 Creekside Dr., Swansea, IL 62226.

First Baptist Church, Dupo seeks a part-time youth minister responsible for the development and oversight of ministries for junior high and high

First Baptist Church, Cutler, seeks a full-time pastor. Contact Paula Keelin at cpkeelin86@yahoo.com or (618) 317-8316.

Chatham Baptist Church seeks an experienced senior pastor to lead a multi-staffed church and congregation of 200+ in a growing community. Candidates with a Master of Divinity degree or related degree(s) from a Southern Baptist seminary preferred.

Steeleville Baptist Church is prayerfully seeking a full-time pastor. We are a multi-generational church that has experienced substantial growth over the last several years with much continued growth potential. Pastoral candidates must support/affirm The BF&M (2000) and demonstrate a strong support of Southern Baptist cooperative ministry. Additional information is available at steelevillebaptist.com. Please e-mail cover letters/ resumés to steelevillepastorsearch@ gmail.com or contact Mark Bradley at (618) 201-3768.

“We’re paying the highest tribute you can pay a man. We trust him to do right. It’s that simple.”

Illinois leaders are invited to a post-summit lunch at the IBSA Building Jan. 23. Look for more information in the next issue

― A neighbor describing Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird