October 8, 2018 Illinois Baptist

Illinois Baptist History lessons

HURRICANE RECOVERY

Teams offer aid after Florence

Illinois Disaster Relief joins multi-state response

Lumberton, N.C. | Shortly after Hurricane Florence made landfall in mid-September, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers arrived in the Carolinas to help homeowners start the recovery process.

In Lumberton, a small North Carolina town made a virtual island by flood waters, the National Guard used high-water vehicles to deliver supplies and hot meals prepared by Disaster Relief volunteers.

Illinois teams were deployed to Lumberton Sept. 19 to serve initially as assessors and chaplains, and to begin flood recovery efforts. Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) also deployed a mass feeding team to Jacksonville, N.C., to work in a Kentucky Baptist mobile kitchen. They also partnered with Missouri Baptists in Wallace, N.C., where Illinois volunteers staffed a mobile shower/laundry unit. The unit, from Macoupin Association in Carlinville, provided nearly 1,500 showers and almost 1,000 loads of laundry in the first two weeks of the response.

Five additional teams from Illinois were scheduled to deploy Oct. 7-8, said IBDR administrative director Dwayne Doyle, followed by additional teams who are scheduled in late October and into November. Teams of 2-3 people will be needed throughout the callout to staff the Macoupin Association shower/laundry unit.

MISSIONS

Doctor travels the globe

Medicine is gospel opportunity

P. 7

STUDENTS

Teens join call to prayer

Plus: Church kids are happier adults

P. 4

DEVOTIONAL

After the mountaintop

The real work begins

P. 9

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Defining religion

7 ‘types’ for the times

P. 12

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

As of October 2

GO NEW PLACES – Church Planting

128

ENGAGE NEW PEOPLE – Evangelism 168

MAKE NEW SACRIFICES – Missions Giving

DEVELOP NEW LEADERS – Leadership Development

Total Participating Churches: 184

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

BICENTENNIAL MOMENT

Happy 200th Birthday, Illinois!

Celebrating our state and Baptist work across two centuries

Abraham Lincoln was just 9 years old when Illinois was founded. And he lived in Indiana at the time. His family would soon begin the journey westward. His first adulthood home was in New Salem, 1831-1838, where he was postmaster, store owner, and state representative.

the cooperative program

Giving by IBSA churches as of 9/28/18 $4,343,422

Budget Goal: $4,725,000

Received to date in 2017: $4,389,277

2018 Goal: $6.3 Million

The Illinois Baptist staff

Editor - Eric Reed

Managing Editor - Meredith Flynn

Graphic Designer - Kris Kell

Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner

Multimedia Journalist - Andrew Woodrow

Administrative Assistant - Leah Honnen

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

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

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

NATE

ADAMS

In the presence of a pioneer

Not long ago, I was invited by the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau to represent IBSA at a local event, recognizing organizations that have helped attract business to the Springfield area. IBSA was among that group because, in both 2015 and 2018, we hosted the Midwest Leadership Summit at the Springfield Crowne Plaza, drawing more than a thousand pastors and leaders from thirteen Midwest states to nearby hotels and restaurants.

The recognition event was held at the Abraham Lincoln Museum, and much to our delight, one of the presenters was Abraham Lincoln himself. As each of us were called to the platform, a Lincoln statuette was handed to us by a statuesque, fleshand-blood Lincoln!

Of course, all of us know that our now beloved sixteenth President has been gone for more than 150 years. Our very convincing “Lincoln interpreter” was an actor named Fritz Klein, who looks remarkably like the historic Lincoln, and whose full-time profession is now portraying him in settings all over the United States.

Even so, as I was called to the platform, I found myself feeling a bit in awe of the towering figure who smiled and handed me my little statue. At his insistence, we each paused and posed for a quick photo. And for a brief moment, the warm smile and rehearsed mannerisms of Mr. Klein made me feel as if it were Mr. Lincoln who was pleased with me, and with IBSA.

Shortly after that event, I invited Mr. Klein to come and join us at our IBSA Annual Meeting this November. For one thing, it’s hard to imagine celebrating the Land of Lincoln bicentennial without some nod to Mr. Lincoln. But more importantly, I hope the image and memory of Abraham Lincoln will remind us that he was one of our state’s earliest pioneers, and that we need that pioneering spirit in our churches today.

Pioneers are willing to go new places, engage new people, make new sacrifices, and develop new leaders. Lincoln and his family personified these pioneering qualities, but so did dozens, and then hundreds, and eventually thousands of Baptists, who entered our fledgling state with both the Gospel and the desire to establish new churches.

In the early 1800’s, evangelism, church planting, missions giving, and leadership development were not easy. And they’re not easy in the early 2000’s. Even today, these kinds of missionary endeavors aren’t usually attempted or accomplished by complacent settlers, but by courageous pioneers.

By the time the IBSA Annual Meeting convenes in Maryville November 7-8, we hope to celebrate 200 years of statehood by also celebrating at least 200 Baptist churches who are embracing one or more of these “pioneering spirit” challenges. (Your church can register for these at www.pioneeringspirit. org.) A little more than 180 churches have embraced one or more of these challenges already, and we are hopeful that more than 200 will do so by the end of the IBSA Annual Meeting.

I don’t expect to have the kind of impact on Illinois or history that Mr. Lincoln did. But I do want to be the kind of pioneer that continues to bring both the Gospel and new Baptist churches to the places in Illinois that don’t have them yet. Welcoming new believers into heaven is so much more important than welcoming new business into Springfield. And of course the celebration event will be hosted by Someone so much more statuesque than Mr. Lincoln. Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Respond at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

May we be willing to go new places, engage new people, make new sacrifices, and develop new leaders.

FROM THE FRONT: DISASTER RELIEF RESPONDS TO FLORENCE

Continued from page 1

“Both the North and South Carolina state directors have shared that this will be an extended callout,” Doyle said. “Maybe until Christmas.” As of Oct. 1, flood waters in South Carolina had only receded to the record flood levels there two years ago during Hurricane Matthew, Doyle added.

Don Ile recently returned from Lumberton, where he served on a 13-person flood recovery team. “The damage is so in-depth it just takes a while to get the job completed,” said Ile, a volunteer from First Baptist Church in Albion. One particular home took two-and-a-half days to clean up because the damage was so extensive. The homeowners were an elderly Christian couple without flood insurance.

“They were so very appreciative of our efforts,” Ile said, “and they were with us the entire time.”

Bev Laechelt, a volunteer from Crosspointe in Oswego, posted on Facebook about homeowners Robert and Cynthia, who had just finished replacing what they lost two years ago in Hurricane Matthew when Florence hit. “Yet, they were not angry,” Laechelt wrote. “They have hope in their faith and are thankful for God’s grace. What a testimony and blessing to us.”

In the first two weeks of the recovery effort, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers served more than one million meals and helped more than 1,000 homeowners by mudding out homes, cleaning up yards, and providing temporary roofing. They also reported 80 professions of faith.

As the recovery effort continues on the East Coast, Doyle said trained Disaster Relief volunteers are still needed to serve. A list of teams and the dates they’re planning to travel is available at IBSA.org/dr.

“If you aren’t a trained volunteer but would like to help, you can make a donation,” Doyle said. “It costs around $500 to send a team to the disaster area, and around $1,000 to send a team with a trailer. Your gifts help get our volunteers to where the need is the greatest.”

To donate, visit IBSA.org/donatetodr.

– With reporting by Baptist Press

Pro-life advocates still fighting HB40

A law enabling taxpayer funded abortions in Illinois will get a hearing before the state’s Supreme Court, pro-life attorneys pledged in September.

House Bill 40, approved last year by state legislators and signed into by law by Gov. Bruce Rauner, has been challenged by the not-for-profit law firm Thomas More Society even before it went into effect January 1 of this year. Attorney Peter Breen, who is also a state representative from Chicagoland, has claimed HB40 is in violation of the Balanced Budget requirement of the Illinois Constitution, because lawmakers have not set aside funds to provide for the abortions covered under the law.

In a September ruling, the Illinois Appellate Court upheld an earlier decision to throw out a lawsuit seeking an injunction against HB40. Breen said the case will be appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court.

“We’re disappointed in the appellate court’s decision, which held that the courts cannot enforce the Balanced Budget requirement of our state constitution,” Breen said. “But we knew, win or lose, due to the importance of the issues here, this matter would continue beyond the appellate court level.”

– Thomas More Society

Hundreds of churches ‘Explore God’ in 2019

A Chicagoland prayer and evangelism emphasis is gaining ground among local churches. More than 500 congregations have signed up for “Explore God Chicago,” a city-wide, non-denominational effort to equip Christians to have gospel-focused conversations.

IBSA Prayer Ministries consultant Phil Miglioratti is co-chairman for the multi-week emphasis set for January and February of 2019. The campaign has been embraced by 513 churches so far, Miglioratti reported, and the Explore God team will hold its final launch event Oct. 13 at Moody Bible Institute. Information is available at ExploreGodChicago.eventbrite.com.

Evangelism resources for individuals, small groups, churches, and cities are available at Explore God.com.

MOBILE KITCHEN – Illinois volunteers partnered with a Kentucky team to provide hot meals in Jacksonville, N.C.

YELLOW SHIRTS – llinois Disaster Relief volunteers, or “yellow shirts,” as they’re sometimes called, pray together in North Carolina.

Number 5: NOBTS’ Kelley announces retirement

Now five SBC entities are searching for top leadership. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley announced Oct. 2 he will retire in July 2019. Kelley has led the seminary as president since 1996, and served as professor of evangelism at NOBTS beginning in 1983. He is noted for his leadership of the seminary’s rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, and for the establishment of distance learning programs, including undergraduate programs the establishment of distance learning programs, including groundbreaking educational programs in several prisons.

He referenced the seminary’s 100-year history in his retirement announcement. “As I look back at how intertwined my life has been with nearly half of the first century of the school, it seems appropriate to let the next leader start fresh with the second century of NOBTS.”

IMB names interim

Long-time International Mission Board leader Clyde Meador was named interim president of the Southern Baptist missions agency following the Sept. 27 resignation of David Platt.

Platt initially asked trustees in February to begin looking for his successor, but expressed his intention to stay in the role until a new president was named. Citing the need for a transition time for the IMB, trustee leaders later asked him to consider stepping down before the search was completed.

This is Meador’s second stint as IMB’s interim president. He previously served in the role from Aug. 2010 to March 2011. Over his 42 years with the agency, Meador served as a missionary in Asia, presidential advisor, and executive vice president.

Stetzer goes on the air

Wheaton College’s Ed Stetzer launched a talk show on Moody Radio in September to explore some of today’s most pressing issues for Christians and the church. The Moody network of stations will broadcast “Ed Stetzer Live” on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon (CT).

“The program will speak into the cultural moment, with gospel clarity and mission focus, to help us engage the moment well,” said Stetzer, who directs Wheaton’s Billy Graham Center. His show will feature a topical monologue, call-in questions, and interviews with guests, which have already included teachers Tim Keller and Beth Moore.

– Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Moody Radio

NEXT GENERATION

Public professions

Before the school day started Sept. 26, tens of thousands of students across the country gathered around flag poles and lamp posts and in common areas on school grounds with one purpose: to pray.

See You at the Pole (SYATP), an annual call to prayer for students since 1990, is an opportunity for young people to publicly express their faith and to intercede for their families, schools, and communities.

In Bethalto, Tim Drury used the prayer emphasis as a way to connect students with their parents, in order to develop greater discipline in prayer.

“SYATP can become more than an event in the life of a student,” said Drury, associate pastor at First Baptist Church, Bethalto. “It can become a tool for parents to teach and model prayer to their students.” Drury developed a guide for parents and their kids, and encouraged parents to attend the flagpole prayer events wherever possible. He also encouraged homeschooling families at his church to observe the prayer emphasis, gathering around their mailboxes to pray together.

In Mascoutah, Matt Burton has organized previous year’s SYATP events at local schools. He said in a small town with a lot of churches, a large percentage of students go to church and are involved in a youth group. But as the culture around them changes, Christian students stand out.

Students who want to be active in their faith beyond just attending church, Burton said, are less common now.

That’s why SYATP is so important, said national coordinator Doug Clark in a Facebook video. “These are unprecedented and chal-

lenging times for students,” Clark said. “We all want a better future for our students, one that’s safe, positive, and fair for all.

“Prayer is the first best thing we can do to make this happen.”

For some, prayer around the flagpole served as a reminder of immense spiritual need. Pastor Joey Krol drove his 16-year-old son, Timothy, to school early on Sept. 26 to participate in See You at the Pole. Timothy later texted his dad, who pastors Galilee Baptist Church in Decatur, to say he was the only one who showed up.

He did pray, Pastor Krol said, for U.S. politicians, the current Supreme Court nomination process, and for his school. “God has used that to open his eyes to the spiritual reality of his school.”

For more information about the See You at the Pole annual prayer emphasis, go to syatp. com.

Study: Church kids are happier adults

Research by Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that church attendance and certain religious practices during adolescence tend to result in better mental health in adulthood.

People who attended religious services at least once a week as kids or teens were about 18% more likely to be happier in their 20s, Forbes magazine reported on the research. Weekly attendance is associated with the development of character strengths, including greater volunteering, a greater sense of mission, and more forgiveness, the researchers found, and also with lower probabilities of drug use and early sexual initiation.

More good news found by the researchers: prayer in young people yielded similar results. As Christian Post columnist Jim

Denison put it, “By God’s design, a divinehuman partnership is essential to human flourishing.”

From a health perspective, the researchers noted, “There is growing interest in promoting protective factors that lead to better health, beyond the traditional approach that focuses on reducing risk factors for diseases.” Once the risk factors are there, they added, getting back to a healthy state can be difficult.

“It may be more effective to promote and maintain health and well-being starting in early life. Results from the present study suggest that religious involvement in adolescence may be one such protective factor for a range of health and well-being outcomes.”

– Forbes, The Christian Post

MEADOR

GATHERING PLACE – Students at Trimpe Middle School in Bethalto met around the flag pole Sept. 26 for a time of prayer before school.

Christian students stand out on national day of prayer

KELLEY

IN FOCUS

Be ready

Denny Hydrick of Illinois Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services suggests these four steps for churches in handling domestic and sexual violence:

1. Pastors should be aware of local resources before an issue arises. Is there a nearby domestic violence shelter, and if so, how does a person make a referral? Build relationships with local law enforcement professionals. Know other social service supports, like the local Child Advocacy Center or the State’s Attorney’s office, who may also employ a victim’s advocate.

2. Keep numbers on hand. These contacts are listed on Illinois’ Department of Human Services website:

• For suspicion of child abuse or neglect – (800)-25 ABUSE

• Imminent harm or danger of any person – 911

• Abuse of a person with mental illness or developmental disability – (800) 368-1463

• Domestic Violence Helpline –(877) 863-6338

• Elder abuse – (866) 800-1409

3. Keep an updated list of local mental health and social service professionals. BCHFS is always willing to assist pastors in handling concerns with children and families, Hydrick said. Contact BCHFS at (618) 382-4164.

4. Get assistance. Often in domestic violence situations, even the best intentions of providing for safety can lead to an increase in violence. Make sure you work with a person with experience handling domestic violence situations.

Hydrick cautioned, “Safety must always supersede an ethical dilemma that may be present. There are ways to assess safety, but that should be done by a trained professional.”

What must we report

The church and its crucial #MeToo moment

Springfield | It happens every day. Women and children, and sometimes men, are victims of physical, sexual, mental, and other types of abuse. Many are too afraid or embarrassed to seek help. Some won’t even admit to themselves what is happening. Others turn to pastors and church leaders for help. But pastors and church leaders don’t always feel equipped to help. For those in ministry, there is increased confusion over which incidents to report, which government officials to report them to, and when it’s appropriate to break a church member’s confidence in the sometimes competing matters of compassion and compliance.

Southern Baptists were rocked last spring when the denomination came face-to-face with the #MeToo movement sweeping the country. Paige Patterson, then president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, received sharp criticism for remarks he had made in a sermon in 2000 about his counsel to a woman regarding domestic abuse and divorce. Patterson was also alleged to have mishandled allegations of sexual assault while serving as president of another Southern Baptist seminary.

The Patterson controversy, which ended in his firing, was followed by other, unrelated allegations of sexual abuse that had gone unreported for decades. In May, Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler wrote, “The SBC is in the midst of its own horrifying #MeToo moment.”

It’s not just the denomination that’s reeling from the movement; individual churches are wrestling with the issues of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual assault, and struggling to determine the legal requirements of reporting such violence. They’re also tasked with answering a different question: How do we deal faithfully with these issues, in light of the gospel?

Reporting abuse

A recent LifeWay Research study found two-thirds of pastors say domestic or sexual violence occurs in the lives of people in their church. But half say they don’t have sufficient training to address it. And about one-third of pastors who have heard of the #MeToo movement say it has caused more confusion about the issue for their church. One helpful resource for IBSA churches is Illinois Baptist Children’s Home and Family

CULTURE WATCH

Advisory team begins work

A Southern Baptist study group charged with developing resources for churches to combat sexual abuse will receive $250,000 toward their work, the SBC’s Executive Committee voted in September.

The 2017-18 allocation budget for the Cooperative Program (Southern Baptists’ main method of funding ministry and missions) had a goal of $192 million. That number was surpassed Sept. 21, and the Executive Committee voted to send the first $250,000 of overage toward the sexual abuse study commissioned by SBC President J.D. Greear.

The study is in partnership with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. ERLC Executive Vice President Philip Bethancourt said recently the study is currently in the “assessment phase,” to be followed by phases devoted to resource development and implementation.

Patterson on #MeToo

Four months after trustees fired Paige Patterson for comments about domestic abuse and alleged mishandling of sexual assault allegations, the former president of Southwestern Seminary addressed #MeToo in a return to the pulpit. Preaching at a revival in Alabama, Patterson made controversial comments about the movement currently rocking the church and society at large.

“I’m all in favor of the #MeToo movement when there is a guilty party,” Patterson said, according to a report in The Washington Post. “By the same token, I have nothing good to say about a woman who falsely accuses a man. She runs the risk of ruining a life. She runs the risk of causing sorrow unknown when the person is, in fact, innocent.”

Joining the conversation

Services, led by Executive Director Denny Hydrick. BCHFS is very familiar with Illinois laws regarding reporting child abuse, and also employs counselors at its Pathways Counseling Centers around the state who work with people of all ages. The agency is equipped to help IBSA churches as they wade through the proper steps in reporting abuse and caring for the abused, no matter their age.

In recent years, sexual abuse scandals in religious communities have compelled churches and clergy members to become better equipped to report child abuse. Illinois law has a long list of mandated reporters— those people required to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Members of the clergy are on the list.

The Illinois Department of Children’s and Family Services Children’s Justice Task Force directs mandated reporters to “notify authorities of suspected child maltreatment immediately when they have ‘reasonable cause to believe’ that a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be an abused or neglected child.” Reports may be made by calling (800) 252-2873.

Domestic violence can be a more difficult topic for church leaders, because reporting isn’t generally mandated. The Illinois Domestic Violence Act (IDVA), which is used to obtain orders of protection, discusses physical abuse as well as harassment, interference with personal liberty, intimidation of a dependent, willful deprivation, neglect, and exploitation.

The act doesn’t speak directly to churches or clergy, but it may offer some guidance in defining different types of domestic violence and outlining the responsibilities of law enforcement and healthcare providers.

What about events that took place in the past? In Illinois, when abuse involves what was then a minor, “you do have a duty to report that even though it is no longer occurring,” Hydrick said.

When dealing with children, attorney Richard Baker stressed that mandated reporters have a legal obligation to report abuse within 48 hours. But the standards for reporting change when dealing with adults. Baker, a partner at Mauck & Baker, LLC in Chicago, said, “The assumption is when you are an adult you have the wherewith-all to report for yourself.” (Mauck & Baker specializes in religious liberty issues, and frequently represents churches in legal matters.)

in their states, making sharing of personal information by group participants dicey. But, following Baker’s advice, don’t jump to conclusions just yet. Yes, it’s a gray area and laws are expanding. Baker noted new questions are being raised and precedents are being set. “[But] there are differences in religious and professional contexts,” he said.

When there are questions about what is mandated by statute, “I always go back and look it up,” he said. Licensed counselors and medical professionals have their own legal reporting standards, which are different from ministerial ethics.

Bring it to light

“We’ve heard stories in other denominations of ignoring these things or covering them up, but I think as Christians we need to be proactive in not covering them up,” Hydrick said. “I think we have to recognize sin and call it sin. We need to address sin in our own lives and churches.”

Baker argues for transparency. “Transparency in policy is a very wise thing. Everybody wants to deny and hide things under a rug, but that’s not good in the long run. We have to err on the side of love.”

This summer, messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas approved a resolution “On Abuse.” Messengers to the IBSA Annual Meeting will be asked to consider a similar resolution next month.

In the SBC resolution, messengers voted to “condemn all forms of abuse and repudiate with a unified voice all abusive behavior as unquestionably sinful and under the just condemnation of our Holy God.” The resolution also called on “pastors and ministry leaders to foster safe environments in which abused persons may both recognize the reprehensible nature of their abuse and reveal such abuse to pastors and ministry leaders in safety and expectation of being believed and protected.”

In short: Baptist pastors are not priests, and the pastor’s office is not a confessional, but adult victims of abuse still have the priviledge of confidentiality about what may have happened to them. In contrast, alleged perpetraitors, especially in cases involving children, do not. That’s when “mandatory reporting” applies.

A majority of pastors who are aware of the #MeToo movement say it has made their congregations more empathetic toward those who had experienced sexual or domestic violence, and more aware of the prevalence of such violence. Still, half of pastors say they’re not trained in how to address it, according to new survey by LifeWay Research.

“Pastors are starting to talk about issues like sexual harassment and domestic abuse more than in the past,” said Executive Director Scott McConnell “They don’t always know how to respond—but fewer see them as taboo subjects.”

– Baptist Press, The Christian Post, LifeWay Research

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

The law doesn’t mandate that a pastor has to report a woman has been abused. Baker said pastors have to take into account the setting when a woman says she has been abused. “Was it confidential? Was it a group setting? Then, there isn’t such an expectation of privacy. The context is very important.”

The matter of “context” has become an issue, as some people have become concerned that public confession by an adult in a small group setting about being abused, for example, might require church leaders to notify authorities. Some church leaders in other states have suggested that is the case

SBC President J.D. Greear recently announced the formation of a Sexual Abuse Advisory Committee (see column at left). And Baptist Press reported at last month’s Southern Baptist Executive Committee meeting that Gateway and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminaries have begun partnerships with Ministry Safe, a sex abuse prevention organization, to add sexual abuse and harassment prevention training to their course offerings.

The Southern Baptist Convention provides a list of resources for sexual abuse prevention on their website, sbc.net. For more information about background checks, protecting children and vulnerable adults, creating a safe environment at church, and more, go to sbc.net/churchresources/sexabuseprevention.asp.

PATTERSON

HYDRICK

MISSION

Missions of mercy

For Illinois doctor, medicine opens doors to the gospel

BY ANDREW WOODROW

Metropolis | For 23 years, Randy Oliver worked exclusively in the United States as a family physician. But a medical missions conference changed the course of his life. Over the past decade, the Illinois doctor has gone on multiple mission trips to treat patients and share the gospel, including trips to Ukraine and Uganda this year.

Oliver had dismissed the notion of attending the MedAdvance conference three times before finally deciding to attend the three-day meeting hosted by the International Mission Board in 2007. Once there, it didn’t take long for Oliver to feel the weight of the images he saw and the stories he heard.

“I must not have been there for more than a couple hours before seeing, wholly and fully, the importance and mandatory need for missions,” he said. “For me, medical missions was no longer optional.”

Since that conference, Oliver has traveled to Nepal, Brazil, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mali, and Niger with several different mission teams, including his church, First Baptist Church of Metropolis. He even has a saying: “Once I finish a trip, I start planning for the next one.”

“When God began to mobilize our church toward international missions, he used Dr. Oliver to do it,” said Cliff Easter, associate

Meeting urgent needs

Dr. Randy Oliver has served with many mission teams on trips around the globe. Certain doors are closing to international missions, he said, but medicine is an opportunity to take the hope of the gospel to places desperately in need of it.

In September, Oliver traveled to Uganda (photo above), where his team spent one day treating 200 patients with only a few bottles of medication. “This was a fish and loaf story as only God could have worked it that way,” the doctor reported. P.

pastor at the Metropolis church. “Since then, there aren’t many places in the world God hasn’t used Randy and his medical skills to spread the gospel.”

On a recent trip, Oliver joined forces with Baptist Global Response (BGR) in eastern Ukraine, where the war in Donbass is still in a smoldering phase. BGR is an arm of the International Mission Board established to deliver aid to people and places in great need.

“The economy in eastern Ukraine is not so great,” Oliver said. “Because of the current and past crises, many people are displaced from their natural homes and living in more poverty than they otherwise would.”

The medical conditions plaguing people in Ukraine are similar to those in the West, but are often untreated and ignored. “Many of the illnesses we dealt with were chronic,” Oliver said, “such as diabetes and hypertension.”

But while doctors and medications are readily available in the U.S., they aren’t in eastern Ukraine. Oliver’s team, consisting of five healthcare professionals and an IMB missionary, saw patients, prescribed medications, and shared about Jesus. After their 5-day trip, Oliver said, “It’s really up to the missionaries to water what we’ve sown.”

Global opportunity

Medical missions can gain a foot in the door where other international missions efforts can’t, Oliver said. In some countries, the need for healthcare

opens doors that were previously closed. “Medical personnel and supplies taken on mission trips are a bait for spreading the gospel,” he said.

Oliver fears there may come a time when even medical missions can’t cross barriers imposed by government or culture. But that day isn’t here yet, he said. “And we as Christians need to grab that and seize the opportunity now and make it happen as much as we can.”

Over the last five years, Oliver’s goal for medical missions has grown. He wants others to catch the same vision he has, and to get involved. The doctor has connected with a group of churches in southern

The

Illinois and western Kentucky that are working together to develop medical missions initiatives and strategies.

“God has used Randy’s medical skills to spread the gospel,” Easter said. “But when he’s here, he is constantly challenging our church people to use whatever talents and skills they have to serve the Lord in missions.”

Even people who aren’t equipped to participate in a medical mission trip directly can help by supporting teams that go, Oliver said. “Christ himself used medical missions as one of his tools to spread the gospel,” he said. “The Bible is so full of Christ’s instructions to preach and heal. It’s a message that doesn’t get old-fashioned.”

The doctor described the enormity of gratitude and appreciation the patients feel for their treatments. “You give them the second-best thing they could ever ask for: a return to physical health,” Oliver said. “And once you’ve given them the physical, it’s an easier transition to give them the spiritual.”

After every trip, Oliver said he comes home feeling more blessed than he could ever bless someone else. The smiles from the people and their gratitude for the medical care is touching and so different than practicing medicine in America, Oliver said. “To know that maybe something was said or done and that a church will be built, or a soul will come to Christ,” he said, “what more can you want?”

Ministers’ Wives Brunch

Guest speaker: Mary Mohler

Wednesday, November 7, 2018 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. • First Baptist Church, Maryville

DOOR YOU OPEN TODAY DETERMINES THE DOORS THAT WILL OPEN TO YOU TOMORROW. At Judson, we understand the importance of providing you with opportunities — for knowledge, experiences, spiritual growth, and preparation in your chosen field of study. Opportunity is knocking. Open the door to Judson.

HEALTH, CARE – Oliver waits to meet with patients on a medical mission trip to Brazil in 2017.

We live in increasingly polarized, fragmented times. And too often, the church has fallen prey to similar divisions that lead to a manner of debate that mirrors the world instead of resists it.

Fragmentation and polarization present distinct challenges for the church in fulfilling its calling, but with these challenges come opportunities as well. What are the opportunities for the church to stand out in this fractured world?

The starting place must be the gospel, because the good news of the reign of a crucified and risen King is an announcement that transcends all the political talking points of the current moment. It is cosmic truth with personal and societal implications. It wrests away the spotlight from our individual pursuits and turns our attention to the only One worthy enough to sustain it.

Because of the gospel the church has within its DNA the calling and the ability to bring people together around something other than the pursuit of personal fulfillment. The church, by exalting something (or Someone) greater than the individual as the organizing center of life, stands out in this kind of world.

The gospel that lifts high the name of Jesus transcends the personal goals we seek for ourselves and makes it possible for people to come together into one community—a community that transcends political affiliations, racial and ethnic distinctions, generational preferences, and class divisions.

No other institution has the opportunity the church has.

Flesh and blood community

We may look at Washington, D.C. and (understandably) be cynical at the dishonesty and deception of so many political figures, but we don’t have to look at our neighbors that way.

The church has the opportunity to show the world that there is something more important than politics, something more lasting than the social media fervor of the day. Flesh-and-blood people are more important than the celebrities that grace our screens. We look around our neighborhoods and see people made in the image of God. We look around our churches and see people who have been redeemed by the broken body and shed blood of our Savior. We are not anonymous

avatars, but flesh-and-blood people bought by Jesus’s flesh and blood.

I am not advocating for cultural withdrawal or the dismissal of politics at the national level. I am simply encouraging pastors and church leaders to recognize the ways in which the church, as a mediating institution, can push against fragmentation by being salt and light in actual, living communities.

Don’t withdraw. Focus. Focus attention onto local communities. Turn off the news and talk to a neighbor. Don’t imagine the church as an abstract idea, but a concrete reality. Here we encounter people, actual people, who sit across from us in a worship service, who bump into us on the way to the bathroom, whom we call when someone is in the hospital, whom we celebrate life’s greatest moments with, whom we comfort during times of suffering

and bereavement. Church can be the place for real-life connections with real-life people.

If your church doesn’t feel like a family, be part of the change in building that kind of community. We have the opportunity to build and cherish a church in all its glorious messiness, rather than pine for an idealistic picture of a community of faith that we silently judge because it doesn’t fulfill our needs as much as we like.

Deeper unity, greater mission

We have the opportunity to show the world a community that is deeper than online chats or Facebook-friending or Instagramliking. We can be one of the last places where people who are relentlessly committed to one another spend time together— physical time in physical space— with people on the other side of a contested issue.

What’s more, when we are gripped by the Great Commission given to us by our Lord, then our churches will not become an enclave of self-centered people who care only about their preferences. No, the exclusive vision of salvation in Jesus alone includes within it the beautiful image of people from every nation gathered before the throne of God. Our exclusive identity includes an inclusive impulse that should always put a check on our isolationist tendencies and propel us out into the world in the name of our good King. The missionary God of the gospel draws us in and sends us out.

Trevin Wax is Bible and reference publisher at LifeWay Christian Resources and a visiting professor at Wheaton College in Chicagoland.

devotional

There’s work in the valley

Read: Read Mark 9:2-29

I love Sunday morning worship. I love when the saints gather together. I love the fellowship, the worship, the encouragement, and the proclamation of God’s word. Sometimes, worship is so good that I don’t want to go home.

That’s what happens in our text. Mark 9 records one of the greatest worship services in history.

Moses and Elijah appear on the Mount of Transfiguration to meet with Jesus. He gives Peter, James, and John a glimpse of his eternal glory. The disciples had a literal mountaintop experience. The worship was so good that Peter suggested that they never go home. He wanted to build three tabernacles so they all could stay on the mountaintop as long as possible.

But Jesus knew that staying on the mountain wasn’t going to fulfill God’s mission to reconcile the world to himself. So he leads Peter, James and John down from the mountain and into the valley. Because Jesus knows that there’s work in the valley.

Authentic worship should encourage us to go out and reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Each week we ought to enter the church to worship and then depart to serve. After worship is over, the real work begins, the work of reaching our neighbors with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But many of us are like Peter. We love the glory of worship so much that we want to call a holy huddle and stay on the mountaintop with Jesus. But Jesus knows that if we want to share in his mountaintop glory, we must be willing to follow him and serve the suffering in the valley.

So let’s break the huddle and follow Jesus into the valley. There are real people with real problems in the valley, and they need disciples who have spent time with Jesus to minister to them.

PRAYER PROMPT: Lord, forgive us for trying to avoid the very things you have called and created us to do. Empower us by your Spirit to engage our communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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

ADRON ROBINSON

The good news of a risen King transcends all our political talking points.

A unified church in a fragmented world table talk

“They were once a vital part of our ancient spiritual practices.”

Pastors’ night out

fresh ideas

Rest on purpose

It’s fall. The weather turns a bit cooler and the leaves change colors. All of the ads and commercials depict cozy homes with smiley people holding mugs of pumpkin spice. I don’t know about you, but my home doesn’t look like that this time of year. Our fall looks more like desperately trying to keep up with school activities, homework, work deadlines, church retreats, piles of laundry, sickness, and the looming financial fear of the upcoming holiday season.

In Psalm 46:10, God tells us to “Be still and know that I am God.” Stillness sounds like a far-off dream this time of year, but there are steps we can take to rest in the midst of chaos. Here are some fresh ideas to help you choose to be still:

Take time to pray together. No matter what your family looks like, taking time (even just a couple of minutes) to sit down and focus and pray together is one of the greatest ways to still your hearts before God together.

Plan family time. Go to a playground, take a walk, or drive to the next town and explore. Get away from normal life, even if it’s for just an hour or two.

Get control of your calendar. And don’t let your calendar control you! Schedule time to have family devotionals together, take a family bike ride, watch a sunset, or do a project.

Serve someone else. Nothing brings you closer together than working together to serve someone else. Volunteer at a local organization, ask your pastor for a project your family can do to serve your church, rake your neighbor’s leaves, or take a care package to a family with small children.

Real rest comes when you’re in the midst of the will of God, doing what he is telling you to do. Even though many ideas will have you and your family “doing something,” you will find rest as you seek God for ways to be still.

Autumn Wall, online at www. autumnwall.com, is an author, speaker, worship leader, pastor’s wife, and mom of three in Indianapolis.

DATE NIGHT – Marvin and Luz del Rios of Iglesia Bautista Erie were among the couples at IBSA’s Friday night date night for pastors and wives at Broadview Missionary Baptist Church Sept. 14. Ken Schultz (below), community pastor at Crosswinds Church in Plainfield, was the evening’s entertainment.

Broadview | Ministry couples in Chicagoland gathered Sept. 14 for a “date night” hosted by IBSA.

Pastor and professional entertainer Ken Schultz wowed the crowd with juggling, jokes, and spiritual encouragement, and Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers provided child care. The evening helped forge connections in a city where they can be hard to come by, said IBSA’s Mark Emerson

“We are reminded that CMBA (Chicago Metro Baptist Association) is unique compared to most of our local associations. Pastors are separated due to ethnicity, affinity, and context,” said Emerson, associate executive director for the Church Resources Team.

“The event, though, was a very warm reminder of our unified purpose and partnership.”

Emerson said IBSA hopes to lead similar events in other parts of the state in the future. For more information about resources and training events for leaders, go to IBSA.org/ leadershipdevelopment.

BFI now accepting grant applications

The Baptist Foundation of Illinois will award a $1,250 Christian Service Grant to a ministry-related cause in the state this fall. The grant, awarded in addition to the Foundation’s traditional endowment and scholarship support, is given annually to an organization that could make a greater spiritual impact with additional funds.

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

Send NetworkiNg items to IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.

Applications should include a summary and vision of the ministry and show how a Christian Service Grant would help further the work. Send grant requests by Oct. 15 to sheila.jessen@baptistfoundationil.org, or mail to Baptist Foundation of Illinois, Attn: Christian Service Grant, 3085 Stevenson Dr., Springfield, IL 62703.

people

Anniversary

Betty Molen celebrated 60 years as a Sunday school teacher Sept. 23 at her church, Bunker Hill Baptist. Molen, pictured above with her husband, Darrell (left), and IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams, began her tenure teaching 13-yearold girls at Logan Street Baptist in Mt. Vernon.

With the Lord Pastor Larry Cline of Watson died Sept. 29 at the age of 74. Cline pastored Iola Missionary Baptist Church for 25 years.

He also served in the Illinois National Guard, worked in printing and for the U.S. Postal Service, and volunteered as a chaplain. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary; two children; and two grandchildren.

Pastor Walter Martinez of Genoa City, Wisc., died Sept. 24 after a battle with cancer. Martinez, 51, pastored Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in Sterling and was also a welder and a musician. He is survived by his wife, Meri; four children; five grandchildren; his parents; and five siblings.

Rev. Bill Fox of West Frankfort died Sept. 19 at the age of 97.

Fox, a native of West Frankfort, served several churches in Illinois, including congregations in Fairview Heights, Christopher, Benton, and East St. Louis. He also served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Fox was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; he is survived by three children; four grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren.

First Southern Baptist Church of Beardstown is seeking a full-time pastor. Send resumes to: First Southern Baptist Church, Attn: Pastor Search Committee, 900 Grand Ave., Beardstown, IL 62618, or to Francis Wilson at klwilson@casscomm.com.

Stewart Street Baptist Church in Carmi seeks a bivocational pastor who is committed to preaching the word of God. Mail resumes to Stewart Street Baptist Church, P.O. Box 158, Carmi, IL, 62821.

AUTUMN WALL

EVENTS

October 1-31

Cooperative Program

Month

Resources: IBSA.org/CP

October 11-12

Chaplaincy Training Course

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

Where: IBSA Building, Springfield

Cost: $50 per person Register: IBSA.org/CISMTraining

October 16

Training Night

What: Quality, free training in women’s ministry, men’s ministry, worship, students, children, preschool, culture, prayer, church security, LifeWay Bible study resources, small groups, and social media

Where: FBC Marion, 6-9 p.m. Register: IBSA.org/TrainingNight

October 19-20

Disaster Relief Training

What: New volunteers are required to take Disaster Relief 101 on Friday evening and Saturday; chaplaincy class begins Friday at 1 p.m.; specialty classes offered Saturday. Where: Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp Register: IBSA.org/DR

October 23-24

What: Free retreat for pastors; preregistration required Where: Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp Register: IBSA.org/LeadershipEvents

October 27

Kids Ministry Resource Conference

What: Learn how to start a children’s ministry, or make your church’s existing kids ministry more effective; plus, a sneak peek at VBS 2019

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

November 6-7

IBSA Pastors’

Conference

Theme: Blazing New Trails, from Rev. 2:1-5 Where: First Baptist Church, Maryville Info: IBSAannualmeeting.org

November 7

IBSA Ministers’ Wives’ Brunch

What: Praying for Him, from Luke 11:9

Where: First Baptist Church, Maryville Info: IBSAannualmeeting.org

November 7-8

IBSA Annual Meeting

Theme: Pioneering Spirit: 200 & Counting

Where: First Baptist Church, Maryville Info: IBSAannualmeeting.org

November 11

Youth Encounter

What: Evangelistic opportunity for students featuring compelling teaching and inspiring worship

Where: First Baptist Church, O’Fallon Register: IBSA.org/YE2018

December 2-9

Week of Prayer for International Missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Info: IMB.org

Starting small

dave says

QMy husband started his own small business as a handyman a little less than a year ago. He has netted $17,000, but the business has about $13,000 worth of debt. We’ve kept personal finances and business separate, but what would you think about us selling one of our paid-for cars to help with the debt?

AI think you’ll be able to pay off the debt from your future income. If your husband started his business less than a year ago, he has spent that time trying to get things off the ground and working with little name recognition. If he’s good at what he does, and he continues to work hard and market himself properly, he should be able to double what he made in the last year.

To do that, however, he’s going to have to spend some time in accountant mode. He needs to figure out the types of jobs he makes the most money on for the time he puts into them. I know a guy in our area who made more than $100,000 as a handyman in the last year. I’m talking about $100,000 in profit! His prices are higher than most in that line of work, but he’s the best. He provides superb quality work, and he’s always polite, on time, and on schedule.

If your husband does the research and crunches some numbers, I think he can dial it in and make a lot more money than he’s making now. Find that sweet spot, and he’ll continue to grow the business!

Forgive the debt?

QRecently, I loaned some money to a good friend. He’s going to help me with a big home project over the next few weekends, so do you think I should pay him for the work or forgive the debt instead?

AFirst, I don’t recommend loaning money to friends or family. Once in a while, things may work out, but in most cases, it changes the dynamic of the relationship. The Bible says the borrower is a slave to the lender, and there’s a lot of truth in that—financially and emotionally.

Ask him what his expectations are before you guys start the job. Just talk to him, and figure out what seems fair to you both. If you’ve already agreed on a certain amount, and the value of the work is close to what you loaned him, you might discuss the idea of paying back the debt that way.

But in the future, if someone close to you really needs financial help—and you’re not enabling bad behavior in the process—just make the money a gift.

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

November 4, 2018

Cost: $20 for IBSA-affiliated churches; $25 all others.

IBSA churches baptized 657 people last spring on the first One GRAND Sunday. Will your church be part of the next challenge?

Go to IBSA.org/Evangelism for more information.

DAVE RAMSEY

Pat’s Playbook

Church politics

QMarge voted for the “other” candidate for president, and she got her feelings hurt when she told it at church. Now it’s time to elect a governor, and Marge will probably vote opposite most of the church members. Should I tell her to keep it to herself?

Exegete the culture Understanding the world where we live and serve

Church needed here...

Location: Burr Ridge

Focus: Residents of this multicultural community

Characteristics: Nearly 11,000 people live among the picturesque rolling hills of Burr Ridge, an affluent community along Chicagoland’s I-294 corridor. Although 77% of Burr Ridge residents are white, the community has a significant foreign-born population.

Prayer needs: Pray for openness to the cross of Christ in a place where felt needs may seem few and far between, but where the need for Jesus is unquestionable.

PAT PAJAK

AEvery believer should exercise his or her right to choose the candidate that best agrees with their value system, and then vote their conscience. But don’t forget that we enter a private voting booth to mark our ballot because it’s no one else’s business why you voted for a particular person. Rather than allowing it to become a point of contention, you could (in a private conversation) thank Marge for exercising her right to vote, but ask her to keep her decision to herself to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Kitchen clean-up

QMrs. Frink runs our church kitchen. I’ve seen her reuse the foil off baked potatoes and wash plastic forks and put them back in the drawer. I’m not sure I can remove her without causing a ruckus, but I’m getting sick to my stomach.

AJust as every church needs to do a background check on anyone working in the nursery in order to protect the church from a lawsuit, so too it is wise for those who serve in the kitchen to have food service certification. It’s also a great idea to ask the community health inspector to walk through your kitchen area. (Don’t panic, because you are already operating a kitchen, almost everything will be grandfathered in.)

Let the health inspector inform Mrs. Frink of healthy food service requirements, practices, and training that’s available. She’ll either choose to learn or ask to be removed, and your stomach will feel much better!

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

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

Snapshots from the world of Illinois Baptists

Defining devotion

Pew Research has developed a new “religious typology”—seven categories of religious practice in America based on belief and behavior.

Highly religious: 39%

Sunday Stalwarts: Religious traditionalists actively involved with their faith and engaged with their congregations

God-and-Country Believers: Socially and politically conservative, most likely to view immigrants as hurting American culture

Diversely Devout: Traditionally religious, but majorities also believe in psychics, reincarnation, and that spiritual energy can be located in physical objects

Somewhat religious: 32%

Relaxed Religious: Say it’s not necessary to believe in God to be a moral person; few engage in traditional practices

Spiritually Awake: Few practice traditional religion, but believe in heaven and hell and adhere to New Age beliefs

Non-religious: 29%

Religion Resisters: Most think organized religion does more harm than good; politically liberal and Democratic

Solidly Secular: Hold virtually no religious beliefs

‘Trans’ trouble

Teens who self-identify as transgender are up to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-trans peers.

While 14% of all teens in a three-year study said they had attempted suicide, among girls who identified themselves as male, the rate was 51%. For boys who identify as female, the rate was double the average, at 30%

Overall, suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers.

– study of 120,617 teens by researcher Russell B. Toomey,

‘Questioning’ youth

are a whole new mission field. And capitulating to the transgender movement is not the answer.

“The most helpful therapies do not try to remake the body to conform with thoughts and feelings—which is impossible— but rather to help people find healthy ways to manage their tension and move toward accepting the reality of their bodily selves.”

– Ryan T. Anderson, Heritage Foundation fellow, reported by Christian Post

University of Arizona-Tucson

– IBSA Church Planting Team