Resource Fall 2021

RESOURCE

EQUIPPING CHURCH LEADERS EVENTS & SERVICES

SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER

How crisis tested our commitments

Scott Nichols

Revitalization expert Rob Peters answers ## key questions

FALL 2021

ILLINOIS BAPTIST STATE ASSOCIATION

WHAT WE VALUE

Measuring ideals that matter

Special Report: Better pastor searches

Mark Emerson

17 cool ideas for fall outreach & holiday planning

Luter of New Orleans Scott Harris IBSA Evangelism Director

JJ Washington Georgia Baptist Convention

INSIDE

What we value

ILLINOIS BAPTIST STATE ASSOCIATION

EDITOR

Eric Reed

DESIGNER

Kris Kell

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Lisa Misner

COPY EDITOR

Leah Honnen

Published three times each year, Resource provides new information about IBSA ministries, equipping opportunities, and services. This periodical is sent free of charge to church leaders. To request more copies for your leaders, contact Communications@IBSA.org. Resource is also available online at http://resource. IBSA.org.

For questions about subscriptions, articles, or events, contact the IBSA Communications Team at (217) 391-3119 or e-mail Communications@IBSA.org.

POSTMASTER: Resource is owned and published 3 times each year (Jan., May, and Sept.) by the Illinois Baptist State Association, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-4440.

Aspiration

The church I wish I had I

think of a cartoon we published in Leadership journal some years ago.

Dorothy is introducing some friends to the Wizard. She says something like this: “The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Man wants a heart, and the Pastor wants a church that’s warm and loving, stable and peaceful, that will support his family and respect his days off.”

I may not have the list exactly right, but the principle remains:

We all have our aspirations, and they may not be true or realistic. The same can be said of values.

If a colleague asks you to describe your church’s values, is the list you offer actual or aspirational? Is your church really warm and generous? Or do you wish they were? Is the congregation evangelistic and missionsminded? Or are you working on that?

The same question should be asked of pastor search committees. Is your church eager for change and willing to follow good leadership? Or is that a dream? More than one pastor has said, “I’d like to meet the church the search team told me about, because it’s not the church that called me.”

Identifying a church’s actual values is as important as inspiring the people with higher values. In fact, a process of naming and adopting values may produce two lists.

Some of the things a congregation knows it should value are outweighed by longer held treasures. Reaching new people is overshadowed by the satisfaction levels of current members. Innovation surrenders to tradition. Evangelism is trumped by... almost anything.

When starting the clarification process, leaders must be willing to say honestly where the church really is in its attitudes and actions, before pointing to where they hope to go. Look at the checkbook. Read the plaques on the wall. Study the most recent rehab and the spot untouched for decades. Assess the ministry that draws the most workers–and the least. This will give you clues to actual values.

Unstated actual values often win in a contest, but aspirational values have their place–if the church recognizes them as such. “We think these things are important, and we recognize we’re not there yet.”

Aspirational values can change the culture of a church if they are explained, elevated, and espoused. If they are modeled by the senior leadership of the church. If members are welcomed into them, rather than chided for missing the goal.

To these values, an aspiring church can say, “We haven’t arrived, but we’re on our way.”

Eric Reed is editor of IBSA media.

(noun) –a hope or ambition of achieving something

Example: “the yawning gulf between aspiration and reality”

– from the Oxford dictionary

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Zone 10

A MORE RELIABLE PATHWAY

The pandemic tested our navigation skills

by Scott Nichols

hat are we going to do now?!”

The elder who asked the question is godly, smart, and totally committed to our church. But Covid-19 stopped everything cold in March 2020 when Illinois was closed, including churches.

I still remember the white board conversation our elders had as we wrestled through the best approach to serving our congregation and community through that season. We determined right from the beginning that our values would drive the decision-making process throughout. Little did we know how hard we would be pressed on living out those values, through Covid and isolation and cultural conflict. But our values served us well during uncertainty.

At that first meeting our elders wrote four values on the board:

• Our mission drives our decision making.

• Corporate worship is central to our mission.

• We will honor CDC guidelines.

• We will serve our community.

While I watched and thought, I asked that we add a fifth value for navigating the pandemic: We will lead the way for other ministries. That fifth value drew some pushback. “What if we have an outbreak at church? Is this how we love our neighbors?”

While those were legitimate concerns, we added the fifth value because it reflects who we are as an elder team, staff, and congregation. We have consistently raised ministry leaders from within our church family. We would live out that value during the Covid.

Those five statements guided our actions for the next months. We had a few missteps, but our communication was clear, we enjoyed strong unity, and we baptized dozens of new believers during that difficult season. We were also able to serve other churches in our area by helping them apply their values to their re-opening plans. We met with other elder teams and fielded calls from pastors. Crossroads landed on the front page of the Chicago Tribune on Easter Sunday because we were one of few churches to baptize during the pandemic.

So, how do we identify, communicate, and live our values as a church? For Crossroads, that process has developed over many years. But we revisit our values regularly to see if they still reflect who we are and the priorities we follow.

Early in 2020, just before the epidemic broke out, we

invited Rob Peters, a ministry partner with IBSA, to help us refresh our values. This robust process took three weekends and involved our key leaders. Wow! It was so clarifying. We changed the wording on two of our existing values and added two more, for a total of five. Sharpening our values really helped us navigate a challenging year and come through stronger for it.

But leaning into the period of closure with all its challenges, we decided to make that second specialized list of values. I’m glad we did.

The most important lesson our leadership team learned was the power of making decisions out of our values. Staying rooted kept us from freezing in fear or striking out in anger. And following our values guarded us from overreacting to the threat. After all, there will always be threats to gospel work.

Reactionary leaders will risk decision-making whiplash and mission drift. But church leaders who identify, communicate, and lead based on their values are more likely to thrive during difficult times. And Jesus promised more of those ahead. Just read John 16:33.

Here is how understanding our values helped our church:

Values bring clarity, clarity reduces anxiety.

Our church has always had values, but we have not always clearly communicated them. We started as a church plant in 2001, so we hustled just to survive. We went door-to-door, pursued anyone who visited a service, and added ministry leaders all the time. In those days, if they were breathing, they were qualified.

Over time we considered just what kind of church we were: what we celebrated, what we spent money on, what we avoided. Understanding those things clarified who we are and what we value. We discovered that the gospel was top priority for Crossroads.

Translate that discovery to the pandemic season twenty years later. During the early days, no one knew what to expect, but that did not keep some from loudly proclaiming how our church should respond. For some, shutting down and following government recommendations was the only way to love your neighbor. For others, following those same recommendations was kowtowing to government overreach.

We chose our path forward according to the values that we wrote on the board. Not everyone agreed, but our leadership was clear on our path forward.

Values ease decision-making.

Early in our ministry, our values drove the choice to sell our building and move into a school until we could buy or build a new facility. Man, that was a stressful time! I still remember an intense conversation I had at eleven o’clock one Thursday night. A faithful deacon and I had just wrapped up visitation. He had grave concerns about the sale and move. “Scott, selling the building will make us totally adrift in the community. We will depend on rented space. We do not have the money to build, so what happens if we do not grow? What if we don’t make it?”

I responded with more confidence than I actually had. “God did not call our church to maintenance ministry. I believe he is calling Crossroads to more faithfulness and fruitfulness. It is time to take this step of faith.”

At Crossroads, we value:

The gospel above all

(Romans 1:16-17)

Warm relationships

(Philippians 1:3-6)

Teaching that transforms

(2 Timothy 3:16-4:2)

Engaging worship

(John 4:23-24)

Growing servant leaders

(Ephesians 4:11-16)

I will never forget his answer. “OK, Scott, you lead the way and I’ll be with you all the way.” And he has been. Honestly, selling the building was an easy decision, once we had clarified that the gospel was our top priority instead of comfort, familiarity, or low risk. And while 25% of our church left during the four months after we sold the

building, we grew by 250% during the next four years. Our top value clarified tough ministry decisions and sustained us during lean years.

Values unite around mission.

The church is a missional organism. We exist for more than self-preservation. Making, baptizing, and teaching followers of Jesus is the mission. Our values should flow from that truth.

There will be times when pursuing our mission will lead us into uncomfortable interactions with culture. But we must lean into culture because abdicating our mission is a betrayal of Jesus Christ, who came near to win us. Jesus calls his church to serve the culture humbly and courageously, not the other way around (Matthew 16:18; John 17:15, 21).

For example, we value racial diversity because that is biblical (Ephesians 2:13-19) and because that reflects our setting in Chicagoland. It also reflects my multi-racial family. We model our values by hiring the most qualified and diverse staff available. Often they are homegrown from within the church. When our congregation and community see diversity on the platform and people of color serving in positions of real authority, they recognize that we are living out our values.

When cultural conflict over race arose simultaneously with the pandemic, our church already knew how we would respond. We identified the value years earlier, and we lived it week after week.

Values invite healthy conflict.

Sometimes even small decisions cause conflict. And they can be resolved around our values. For example, at Crossroads, our second standing value states that warm relationships matter. One way that we stimulate relationships is by serving coffee in our atrium. We give people opportunity to get to know each other over a warm cup. Unfortunately, a few years ago, we recognized that our coffee was bad. So did everyone who tried it.

When the hospitality team explored how to make better coffee, we learned that getting good was going to be expensive. Our finance team was against spending more, but our hospitality team pleaded for the money. So, we argued, but we argued around our values.

Our hospitality leader proposed a test. “Let’s get good

coffee for one month and see how our people respond.”

So, during the next month we made the good stuff. Our coffee consumption tripled and the buzz in our atrium was noticeable.

Ultimately, for the next budget year, we invested in better equipment. Then, we partnered with Second Chance Coffee, a ministry in our town that hires ex-cons to roast coffee. Now each Friday afternoon a warm bag of freshly roasted coffee is delivered to our church. Our second value resolved the conflict. And we love that our coffee is sourced from a mission.

Churches with clear values can have vigorous discussion around how to advance the mission. In fact, church leaders should welcome some level of conflict. Unfortunately, churches often fight over personality, board, or building stuff. These are important matters, but they are secondary. And these matters should be resolved around our values (Philippians 2:19-24).

Values fuel momentum.

Coming out of Covid, I believe that the churches who are clearest on their values and most courageous in obeying Jesus’ Great Commission will thrive. Biblical churches have the best answers to the greatest challenges our culture faces today–gender, race, sexual orientation, poverty, and violence. And those who lead those churches must clarify the values that will drive mission forward.

The reality is that your church already has values. You know who will celebrate big ministry decisions and who will be angry about those same decisions. Whether or not they are on paper, those are value statements by your congregation.

Our role as ministry leaders is to identify and champion (or change) our church’s values. Here are some steps our church took:

Face reality. Church leaders must be honest in identifying their actual values, not simply the ones they wish they had. From his book Good to Great, Jim Collins’s “Stockdale Principle” must apply here: “Face the brutal

facts without ever losing hope.” The first place to start identifying values where your church is already strong, whether intentionally or not. Be courageous enough to drop the values you talk about that do not reflect the mission you have embraced.

Work hard. Choosing to identify and live out your values will strengthen your church and increase your ministry effectiveness. This is hard work that requires biblical theology and self-reflection. And pastors must invite ministry leaders into this process. The payoff is great.

Stay humble. Defining your values will clarify that your church is not for everybody. That is okay. In fact, our church thanks God for the blessing of other churches that serve the many kinds of people God redeems. Our church is not better than others, just uniquely called by God to serve our community.

Be bold. Once you have prayed, advocated, identified, and agreed upon your values, own them. You must communicate your values repeatedly, specifically (with everyone using the same language), and concretely (celebrating when the values are lived out).

Making your values public will not change behavior among your members until your leadership embraces and models those values.

Our church came out of the pandemic (so far) a little smaller, a little humbler, and a lot more committed to serving Jesus’ Great Commission. Identifying our church’s values for that season was not easy. Identifying and living your church values may not be easy for your either, but it will be good. The mission we serve is worth the effort, because what we do today will still matter in a million years.

SCOTT NICHOLS is pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Carol Stream, Illinois. snichols@crossroadschurch.us

Making your values public will not change behavior among your members until your leadership embraces and models those values.

GROUP PROJECT

Identifying and determining values lets us see ministry through new eyes.

Values are a key component to any church’s revitalization process. A church’s existing values may stymie attempts to redirect a congregation in the future. But fresh, carefully discerned values can be the pistons that drive a revitalized ministry. Church Health Director Scott Foshie talked with Rob Peters of ReFocus, a ministry group that guides churches and organizations, including IBSA, in revitalization.

Scott Foshie: Pastors think about vision, mission, and strategy as they plan their church’s future. One thing they often overlook, however, are values. Why are values important in a church’s strategic plan? How do they impact the church’s culture?

Rob Peters: You know, Scott, values are essential within the church ministry and maybe hyper-essential within the revitalization ministry. A lot of people struggle with the idea of should the church have values. The answer is, of course they should.

In the Book of Acts, we are repeatedly told the values of the church in Jerusalem, Antioch, and of the church as it expanded around the world. Seven times, Dr. Luke paused the narrative of gospel expansion and said, “Hey, here are the values of the New Testament church.” We know them biblically as the seven summary statements of Acts.

Acts 2:42-47 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching…” and all these other things: worshiping from house to house and at the temple, fellowshipping with one another as they were breaking bread together, doing ministry and meeting needs as anyone had need they sold their goods.

Evangelism: day by day people were being saved; they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. Stewardship: they gave. Prayer: they met together continually praying. And on it goes, right? This passage is one of those very compelling places where you say, “Hey, this is very clear what the early church was really about.”

Has anything changed in 2,000 years?

At this moment for the American church specifically, being values-driven is really important, because most of Evangelical Christianity is on what we call the back side of the curve. On the front side of the curve, which is where the church growth movement resided over much of its existence, you’re asking things like “What’s next?” “What’s new?” and “Who do we hire?” But on the back side of the curve, we have declining resources and older members. We’re having to make different leadership decisions.

So, in that context, clarifying the values matrix for decision-making is the most important thing if churches are going to recover their vision.

So, you’re talking about a values matrix: Where the church is now versus where God is calling the church to go?

Well, you identify the tension there. Whenever there’s a declining situation and there’s a values discussion, you’re going to feel that tension. That’s very insightful.

Most pastors will feel this within their own congregation. There will be certain value categories that will be identified as actual value categories for the church. But the reality is that in a declining situation, those values categories have begun to express themselves in destructive ways. For revitalization to take place, there has to be a reset, a renewing, a refocusing upon the fresh expressions of those values.

A church may historically have had the value of missions and evangelism. They give to the Cooperative Program. They give an invitation at the end of the service. And that’s their local and global expressions of missions and evangelism.

A fresh expression of that value is probably going to arc them toward ministry that is outwardly facing instead of inwardly focused within the church, meeting the needs of the community on the basis of how they intersect the community with the gospel. It’s probably going to be things like missional engagement where individual people get involved in telling God’s story of salvation, such that the message of Jesus begins to be heard person-to-person. It’s going to be openness about who we are and how we’re broken by sin and living out the gospel narrative for ourselves. It’s inviting people into our lives instead of shutting people out with activities they don’t understand.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a church that didn’t say they were friendliest church in town or said they didn’t want to grow. But in many churches, the way they behave doesn’t match what they say they value. How can we uncover those kinds of unconscious values they might not want to admit?

What you’re describing is culture eating strategy. We may have values that are expressed in how we think we need to be doing ministry. For example, “We need to be sharing the Gospel with the next generation,” or “We need to disciple people into the likeness of Christ,” or “We need to gather people for worship so they can see a picture of a Good and Holy God.” But the challenge occurs when the culture of the church erodes what those actual expres-

sions of their strategy should be. The values are arced in a direction that is culturally designed instead of designed with strategic intent. Most of our churches are struggling with culture.

Ronnie Floyd has said to the Southern Baptist Convention, “We have a culture problem.” I agree. The reason revitalization is so hard is because we need something that is powerful enough to move the culture.

Let’s say that we’ve uncovered some of those challenges in a church, and we’ve identified the direction that a church needs to go. How can we state values positively to call the people to a higher place, while also redirecting those whose values might be displaced?

In my own church, Sunday morning was a big deal, but we began to realize that it was all about the weekend. We realized that worship was a Sunday event and not a daily activity. So we pushed a lifestyle of worship over just Sunday experience.

That language of over or above calls the church to what’s next. We were still very much focused on worship. We were very much focused on discipleship. We were able to establish a baseline, but also set something in front of ourselves that was greater and that we were seeking to celebrate.

Now, that’s a little harder to do than to just say worship, Bible study, and family are values that are actual, and evangelism and discipleship are values that are aspirational. When looking at pairs of values, either one may be an appropriate way to express them. But when you use the concept of above or over to connect the values, every value has an aspirational aspect to it.

When you list out some as actual and some as aspirational, you have separated who you really are from what you’re saying you want to be.

What do you say to that group member who might say, “Why don’t we value everything in the Bible?” Why pick a few instead of saying we value all of it?

That’s a common discussion in church revitalization. A lot of people who want to make values out of their doctrinal statements. At Refocus, we would say there are certain things that belong in your doctrinal statements, that inform your identity as a church and inform your cultural identity as you express your faith in Jesus. We

would also say make sure that the mission language tells us what we do, the vision language describes where we go, the strategy language tells us how we get there, and the values statements tell us who we uniquely are.

There are multiple categories of leadership. We call them the six irreducible minimums of leadership that every pastor and lay leader needs to be thinking in terms of. Those six directional questions are:

• What are we doing?

• Why do we do it?

• How do we do it?

• Where are we going?

• Where do we start?

• How do we know if we’re getting there?

What is the best way for a pastor to get buy-in from his key leaders and the congregation about the aspirational nature of the values and where the church needs to go?

That is one of the great challenges. Pastors have to be patient and they have to have a plan: patience for the Holy Spirit to work, for prayers to be answered, for conversations to be had. The plan involves understanding and observation, and it usually happens within the conversation.

Observation usually involves a “Revelation walkaround.” It is a Jesus visit. Each of the seven churches in Revelation got a Jesus visit. Some were commended and some were condemned because of their value struggles and value expressions. You might interview members, or hold focus groups, or walk around on Sunday morning asking, “How does Jesus see our church today?”

Studies tell us that 60 days after someone joins a church they stop looking around. That means most pastors who have been there for more than six months probably stopped looking around. For church members who’ve been there for ten, twenty, or fifty years, it might be deeply

insightful if they just stepped back and looked at what they’re really communicating with:

• how they spend their money

• what they choose to fund

• how they spend their time

• what they choose to attend

• how the campus looks

• how they welcome (or fail to welcome) first-time guests

• how discipleship models function

• whether they’re an inwardly focused or outwardly focused as a church.

It doesn’t take much looking before those kinds of issues will stick out like a sore thumb.

How long does it take for new core values to take root in the congregation once the pastor and leadership begin articulating and sharing them?

Well, the actual design of the values takes a little bit of time as well. You usually identify your categories and capture the key concepts around those categories, and that takes about 30 days. Then you step back and reflect on those for another 30-60 days to hone the language–simplify and clarify. Then, you usually spend another month or two linking those together and making sure it is a powerful expression of your values.

In the revisioning process, it takes longer to deal with the issues related to your values than anything else. There’s a three-year early window that gets you from the place of being aware of those vision elements and appreciating those vision elements. It usually takes 85% of the congregation about three years to get there. In seven years, that value is usually being lived out in such a way that it is now an irrevocable value in that congregation.

If you’re talking up to seven years for a congregation to get on board, how long should a church keep one set of values? Is there a “shelf life” for values as they’re articulated?

This is why we believe, why we love, why we do what we do

– Rob Peters

INTERACTIVE: Unlock your church’s values vault

Core values answer the question,

“Why are we focused on this mission over the next 5-7 years?”

Rob Peters reminds us that when we identify values, we are not listing everything the church believes. Instead, we name essential elements the church will prioritize to build its ministry on in its next season of life.

There are two steps in the development of your values: discovering the categories of values and developing the value statements.

Step 1. Identify 4-7 categories that your leadership team believes God is calling the church to prioritize.

Let’s look at the early church and see what they valued. Read Acts 2 and list some values you see displayed. This is especially clear in verses 42-47. Look at the word cloud (above, right). You might list some of these words as values of the early church.

With the New Testament church in mind, prayerfully consider up to 7 categories God is calling your church to focus on. Spend some time in prayer, then make a list.

Values categories we believe are important:

Step 2. Draft your value statements. Capture the key concepts you have identified.

Once you’ve drafted your statements, work to refine them and to make them parallel.

Here are some examples:

We value biblical truth over the world’s opinions. We believe transformation happens best in community. We aspire to excellence

Values statements we believe are vital to our church’s ministry:

Aubrey Malphurs and other experts say you should revisit your values annually and make small tweaks. For instance, you might have an annual retreat when you look at your values as a part of your agenda, and you take a careful look at your six answers to those six directional questions. If you make tweaks, unroll it to the church along with why you’re doing it.

Beyond that, I would say the seven-year window is when we would say you look back on your values and give consideration to re-articulation. If you’re changing every value every seven years, you might need to step back and say, “Hey, that’s not the best practice.” We probably want to have values we can build on, keep and re-claim, refresh in those seven-year models of revitalization.

Our research tells us that once a vision has been re-cast, in the first three years we are aware of the vision plan including values, we understand it, and we appreciate it, and by then hopefully about 85% of the congregation is living those new values. Then, we experience the most fruitful season (years 4-7) where the congregation faithfully lives out those values that God has given them. Lifeway’s studies have indicated that years 5-8 are a pastor’s most productive years. Usually by year 7, people in the congregation are beginning to ask, “What’s next?”

About the end of year 6, the pastor needs to be articulating that it’s time for us to renew our vision again for the next seven-year season of faith and obedience. If pastors would do that, they would be amazed at their longevity in their church. Most pastors have a season where they do the things they gravitate toward. They need to learn that process of cultivating the ideas of what God desires to do next. A pastor should understand the rhythms of leadership that lead to values cultivation.

Values are important, but they are one facet of a church that is healthy and growing. Why is it important to consider a broader process of church revitalization?

You’re right, Scott. Each of the six directional questions is powerful unto itself, but there is a compound return that occurs when every piece is in place. Values answer the question “Why?” “Why do we do what we do?” Millennials are asking why. Their question is now filtering across society. When you work on values, you’re

articulating for a prospective member why they should or should not be a member of your church.

If you don’t deliver on your “why,” to put it in marketing language, you’re not delivering on your brand promise. And, let’s be honest, Jesus’ brand promise is really high. He’s talking about meaning, purpose, satisfaction, and eternal joy, and we’re his front line representatives. We’ve got do the thinking behind the scenes in preparation for the person that walks through the door. That way they not only see those values clearly articulated, but they feel those values every single time they experience life with people in that ministry’s community.

If you don’t live out what you preach, people are going to pick up very quickly.

That’s right, Scott. If you capture the wrong values category or if you state something obviously not true, you have undermined your ministry. It will undermine the leadership strength in the members’ eyes.

Some pastors may think, “I’ll just write down some values and start preaching about it Sunday.” Why is it so much more effective to go through a process like ReFocus with some key leaders?

There are two reasons: One, because you get a comprehensive view. Two, because you build momentum.

No single person experiences everything about a church, not even the pastor. To have multiple people adding to the mixture of those values helps give more accurate expression of those values. The pastor has final editorial rights on it, and then he must present it to the church for feedback, buy-in, and approval. Through that process, there certainly is a building of momentum of adoption and agreement. There is also a refinement that occurs in each one of those phases, to the place that there is a growing consensus and momentum that helps a church to experience revitalization. R

SCOTT FOSHIE is IBSA’s Church Health Director. He coaches churches and associations in the revitalization process. ScottFoshie@IBSA.org

THE IMPACT QUESTION

We should ask how our key values affect others

by IBSA’s Nate Adams, Ben Jones, Larry Rhodes, and Brad Lovin

Recently a team of IBSA staff members have been working with a group of Christian consultants to define and then model what it means to be an effective network of churches for the future. The culture around us is changing quickly and with it the number of unique challenges that churches face. We want to understand how our network of churches can best assist each individual church.

This has led us to a new mission statement and some new strategies and structure. But it has also led us to clarify why we want to do those things.

In other words, what core values motivate our mission?

After weeks of reflection, we identified four key values: “At IBSA we value measurable excellence for churches, delivered in practical helpfulness to churches, that inspires cooperative engagement with churches, and leads to gospel advance through churches.”

Here we offer some reflection on those four values, not as recommendations for your church’s use as its own values, but as examples of how values maybe implemented. In the future, you may be hearing about these values in IBSA’s work. We hope they will help you and your church assess your own, and apply them to the church family, the community, and your ministry in the world.

Excellence for churches

By Nate Adams IBSA Executive Director

Throughout our staff discussions, excellence quickly and clearly emerged as our most identifiable, consensus core value. But what does “excellence for churches” mean, in a network context?

In the Old Testament, excellence is most frequently used to describe God. The Psalms frequently declare, “How excellent is your name in all the earth!”

Yet in the New Testament, especially after the coming of the Holy Spirit, excellence most frequently describes the character and quality of work found in believers. Paul writes to the Corinthian church, “Let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Cor. 14:12b NKJV). He describes a life of service led by the motivation of love as “a more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31 NKJV), and he challenges them to be “always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).

So, when a network of churches values “excellence for churches,” it is not claiming perfection, or even expertise in every area. It is declaring its commitment to give each church its very best, every time. That means quick, caring responses, knowledgeable and humble staff, quality events and materials, and trustworthy assistance and consulting. These are all expressions of love for the Lord and love for the local church, expressed in excellence.

Thankfully, we’re not left to our own ability to achieve excellence. Time and time again in Scripture, we see that excellence often comes in spite of our own weaknesses. “But we have this treasure in broken vessels,” Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (NKJV).

Scottish preacher Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost for His Highest that even drudgery—the kind of

work we may not see much value in at the moment—can be transformed into something holy by God’s work through it. “When the Lord does a thing through us,” Chambers wrote, “he always transfigures it.”

One of my sons works for a company who has the organizational value of “broom pushing.” By that they mean that every employee is expected to pitch in, even when tasks are menial or not their direct responsibility. Sometimes our efforts as a church network can feel like that. But again and again, I see God transform our imperfect “best” into His own excellence for churches, because He loves them even more than we do.

A Bible verse that I have long considered central to my own life’s purpose is Matthew 5:16, where Jesus urges, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (NKJV). While Jesus was the only “perfect” man, Spirit-filled believers can consistently display the “excellence” of the Lord in both their character and their acts of service. And it’s in that sense that a network of churches pursues the core value of “excellence for churches.” It’s very important to us that the quality of our work brings service to churches that brings glory to God.

Helpfulness to churches

By Ben Jones IBSA Leadership Development Director

The ring at the doorbell brings another smiling face bestowing another frozen casserole. Blessings and instructions for reheating ensue. The new mom smiles graciously, thanking the church member. Once behind the closed door, she sighs from exhaustion. What is she going to do with another one? The freezer is overflowing already. She knows they simply want to help, but the daily good will feels like a burden more than a blessing.

What does it really mean to be helpful? My preparation

The New Testament is filled with calls for the church to help others in a way that is focused on the needs of others, not helping that makes us feel good.

for a message on our value of “helpfulness” led me down a deep study of the biblical concepts of “help.” This is a glimpse of the results and why understanding “helpfulness” through the Bible’s lens should transform how you and your church seek to help others.

For the Christian, the foundational understanding of being a helper must begin with God. When the Bible speaks in Hebrew of the ezer, or helper, it is almost exclusively speaking of God. Verses like Psalm 40:17 and Psalm 121:2 identify God as our true help, the one who powerfully provides just what we need in critical times. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is that divine helper in critical times (Romans 8:26). And Paul urges the church to be the helper of the weak, following the example he set and living out the command of Christ that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Just this quick overview leaves us with some important points to ponder. Being truly biblically helpful is not about us getting to feel helpful. God does not provide deliverance to make himself feel helpful. His help is about providing just the right assistance at just the right moment, because it is what we need. He does so with divine wisdom and grace. This is what we were created to do.

When we help others as God has helped us, we are reflecting the image of God in us. We do this first by listening. Over and over in the Psalms, God hears the cries of his people for help. Will we listen to those who need help first, before we sweep in with our own ideas of what they need? Where do they need a hand? Where is the real crisis? Do they need a casserole or simply a friend to console them? If I want to be helpful more than I want to feel helpful, I will listen first.

This is what are called to do. The New Testament is filled with calls for the church to help others in a way that is focused on the needs of others. We do good as we have opportunity (Galatians 6:9-10). Our gifts are given to serve others (1 Peter 4:10-11). We were created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works prepared in advance for us (Ephesians 2:10).

So, as we reach out our hands to help others, let’s pause, pray, and listen first. Are our hearts with God, with the real needs of the weak and weary? Do we hear their voices? Will what we offer feel like it is coming from God, their Helper?

Let’s help in just the right way at just the right moment.

Engagement with churches

By Larry Rhodes IBSA Zone 8 Consultant

My brothers, Jerry and Terry, owned two restaurants in East Texas. They specialized in pizza and burgers and good hearty food.

Some years ago, before food trucks became a phenomenon, they decided to cultivate a broader customer base by taking their specialties on the road. They bought a fifthwheel trailer, outfitted it with a kitchen and a flat grill, hooked it to a pick-up, and travelled to cattle shows and farm equipment auctions. The sign on the side read “Burgers and Fries.” Not much more needed to be said— or so I thought.

I was with them on a trip to First Monday Trading Days at the largest flea market in Texas. It started on Friday and ran four days. My brothers set up the trailer and opened the serving door. But after just a little while, I noticed there weren’t any customers lining up. I thought by eleven o’clock people would be getting hungry.

“No customers?” I observed. “Gonna be a slow day?”

“Watch this,” my brother said.

He took a bucket of onion pieces and dumped it on the hot grill. In a minute the steam started rising up through the stove vent. On top of the trailer there was an oscillating fan, turning back and forth and spreading that aroma across the flea market. In just a few more minutes, there was a line of people at the serving window. Everybody wanted burgers and fries.

My brothers recognized the value of engagement: they sought to meet people where they were, to understand their needs, and to invite them into relationship to meet those needs.

In similar ways, IBSA seeks to engage churches as partners in ministry; and churches seek relationship with believers at the point of their need and to draw them into relationship. The value is engagement. The question is whether the aroma of ministry is better than grilled onions.

Paul engaged the churches he served in three particular ways that also help us: greeting, acknowledging, and admonishing.

First the Apostle greeted them, often saying “grace and

peace.” He had established relationship earlier, but Paul often reminded churches of their deep relationship. “I have you in my heart,” he told the Philippians (1:7). He prayed for the Ephesians (1:16) and rejoiced over the Romans (16:19). Paul loved and cherished his churches. By saying that regularly, he reinforced their welcome to be his ongoing partners in the gospel.

Paul acknowledged the people he served. He knew their works and gave them words of affirmation. He commended the Corinthians for their testimony about Jesus. “You do not lack any spiritual gift,” he assured them (1 Cor. 1:5-6). And he saluted the Thessalonians for being “an example to all the believers” (1 Thess. 1:7).

Paul was not shy about admonishing followers when needed. The Galatian church is but one example that he corrected for faulty beliefs and practices (6:7). Paul knew such correction would produce opportunities for growth and improvement.

Engagement means we serve sacrificially, even when our churches aren’t perfect. But engaged as partners, our ministry is a delicious aroma to God.

Advance through churches

By Brad Lovin IBSA Missions Director

There are many things in the world today that would seek to impede our gospel advance. Isolation, lack of direction, or failing to remember the destination could prevent us from being effective in gospel advance.

In Philippians 1:12-30, Paul wrote as a prisoner about advancing the gospel. He encouraged the church in Philippi to continue their gospel advance. Paul shared that his imprisonment led to gospel advance.

As Christians hear about Paul’s witness to the imperial guard, they are emboldened in their desire for gospel advance. Paul said, “Most of the brothers have gained confidence in Lord” and “speak the word fearlessly.”

It is obvious that our culture is becoming increasingly hostile to those who follow Jesus. Through our partnership

together, we can share our trials and triumphs with one another. This will fuel our mutual desire for fearless gospel advance.

It is important that we advance in the same direction. Paul pointed out that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but he did not care. While one would think this would be a frustration for Paul, he was not concerned. His only priority was that they “preach Christ.” We live in a time of significant division. Some divisions are helpful when they contrast Christians and the world. But in some cases, things divide Christians in ways that are not helpful.

In those situations, we should follow Paul’s example. If we are not careful, we will make secondary and tertiary issues primary points of contention with one another. We might prefer a different style of worship or preaching, but these should not be reasons to obstruct gospel advance. When it is a priority that Christ is preached, gospel advance is certain.

Paul pressed the Philippians to keep their focus on the future. If they did this, they would advance to the same destination.

The Apostle appealed directly to their citizenship, which is in heaven (verse 27). Paul knows they would have less opportunity to stumble if they focused on where they are going rather than looking at their current circumstance. He called them to purse integrity worthy of the gospel of Christ, because gospel advance was directly tied to their walk with Christ.

I am reminded of the hymn, “The Servant Song.” One verse says, We are pilgrims on a journey, We are trav’lers on the road; We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load.

We must never lose sight of the fact that we are merely sojourners in this world. We live for the city that is to come. If we purse gospel advance together, there will be many who will be caught up with us in the journey. As we advance together in the same direction, we will reach our future destination.

Though our nation and others may rage around us, together we proclaim Paul’s heart, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

The question is whether the aroma of ministry is better than the smell of grilled onions.

PLANNER

FALL 2021

Calendar Highlights

Cool events for cooler weather

SEPTEMBER

2 Fall iConnect

13 Edge Online Courses begin

26-27 Ignite Evangelism Conference

OCTOBER

10 Youth Encounter

12, 19 Equip Regional Training Events

22-23 Refocus Retreat for Men

& 29-30 (see page 22)

NOVEMBER

Harvest time

School started in August for most kids. By the Sunday after Labor Day, back-to-church time is here too. Use this planning guide to schedule a fun and fulfilling season of ministry, discipleship, and outreach.

September 12 is Baptism Sunday. Engage the congregation now in evangelistic outreach throughout the community. Plan now for a harvest of new believers and welcome guests.

1-2 Crossover Missions

2-3 IBSA Pastors Conference

3-4 IBSA Annual Meeting

5-6 AWSOM

14 Youth Encounter

DECEMBER

25 Christmas

SEPTEMBER

2 Fall iConnect Event

IBSA Building, Springfield

13 Edge Online Courses (Fall Semester)

13 Equip Regional Training Events

14 Logan Street Church, Mt. Vernon

17 Alpha Church, Chicago

18 Northside Church, Dixon

28 First Church, Effingham

26-27 Ignite Evangelism Conference

Tabernacle Church, Decatur

PLAN AHEAD FOR Cooperative Program Month

Share with your congregation where their missions money goes. The Southern Baptist system for funding gospel advance is the most effective in the history of the missions movement. Post a video, offer a testimony, or distribute free bulletin inserts available from IBSA.

NOTES:

Visit

Ahead of our budget planning season, how can we educate our congregation about the value of giving from our regular offerings to support missions through Cooperative Program?

Who is our CP champion?

List two CP education activities for October.

INTERACTIVE: CONNECTING

Moving up

Encourage apartment dwellers to apply Lynda MacGibbon’s outreach strategy to their lives. Use her book, My Vertical Neighborhood: How Strangers Became a Community, to encourage those who live in multi-family housing to knock on their neighbors’ doors in their slippers. MacGibbon tells the story of the community that took shape as neighbors said yes to weekly dinners, a writing group, Christmas morning brunch, and even a Bible study.

Stock the shelves

Hold an annual book drive for a local school. Talk to the school leadership to find out their needs. With budget cuts, most schools can benefit from donations of required reading books as well as other children’s literature. Develop relationships with teachers and families.

– from Sign-Up Genius

Lunch buddy

Work with a school in need to set up a lunch buddy program. The school will identify kids who need attention, and a church member can meet them for lunch at school once a week or once a month. A lot of kids can benefit from a caring adult who just wants to be their friend, read to them, and perhaps tutor.

– from Sign-Up Genius

Give and Take

The Give and Take is very similar to a clothes closet. It has clothing, games, toys, and other items people may need. People are encouraged to come take what they need and give what they do not need. There is no obligation to give if you take. Everything is free of charge. We open twice a month on Saturdays.

– Darin Peterson, pastor of New Beginnings Church, Ashland

Grief support

This year has grieved us all in one way or another. Give people the chance to process life changes as they move forward into a new year. Many people who are hurting will benefit from having a group to turn to for practical help and emotional support. For those who have lost a loved one, use a Bible-based guide. Visit GriefShare.org

High tech parenting

Offer parenting classes at church or partner with a local community center. You can speak on a range of topics from child development to teen anxiety and media use. Reference resources like Andy and Amy Crouch’s The Tech-Wise Family and The Tech-Wise Life.

Common interest groups

Based on Vale Church’s GroupLink design, treat this event like a job fair, but for ministries and discipleship groups in the church. Similar to the F260 study, choose a community Bible study for these GroupLink groups to connect through, then allow them to form based on common interests. They could crochet together or play basketball, as long as they’re in biblical community by praying and reading the Bible together.

– from Vale Church in Bloomington

OCTOBER

10 Youth Encounter

Tabernacle Church, Decatur

Equip Regional Training Events

12 First Church, Morton

19 First Church, Marion

15-16 DR Fall Training – South

Lake Sallateeska Camp

Refocus Retreat for Men

22-23 Lake Sallateeska Camp & 29-30 Streator Camp

30 Illinois Kids Ministry Conference

IBSA Building, Springfield

NOTES:

PLAN AHEAD FOR Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Week of Prayer

Miss Moon’s groundbreaking service in China paved the way for generations of SBC missionaries who followed. Plan to focus on international missions starting November 28. The entire offering collected in SBC churches supports special ministry needs and projects on foreign mission fields.

Who will plan a mission study?

Who will speak in worship?

Who will coordinate a special worship service on Nov. 28 or Dec. 5?

INTERACTIVE: HOLIDAY GOODIES FOR EFFECTIVE OUTREACH

Cooking classes

Offer cooking classes that teach people how to make the holiday classics from your church family recipes! Spend time together, crafting something you can only do in person.

Come-and-go communion

Open the sanctuary for two hours. Soft music, bread, and cup; families slip in whenever they choose, read Scripture, pray together, partake, and leave quietly.

Early ‘Eve’

A church in Elgin holds its Christmas Eve service on Dec. 23. The earlier service avoids conflicts for families who may be traveling over the river and through the woods.

Offer an airport shuttle

The airport shuttle can be expensive, so offer a short-term ministry around Thanksgiving. Drivers can connect with passengers, learn about their lives, and share the gospel.

Longest Night Service

Often held on Dec. 21, this worship service is sometimes called Blue Christmas. It helps those who have lost loved ones acknowledge the hurt they feel and yet embrace the hope of the season.

– thecreativelittlechurch.com

Deliver Christmas trees

Some families can’t afford a Christmas tree, and others don’t have a truck or can’t get out to get a tree for themselves. Play Santa with evergreens.

–ministryspark.com

Baby Jesus’ security guard

British artist Mark Wallinger staged an “art installation” in Leicester Square, according to The Guardian newspaper. He wore a security guard’s jacket and stood on duty over an empty baby crib. When people asked why, he responded, “There’s a baby going to be born soon! We are waiting for the birth of a king!”

– Chrisduffett.com

Prison outreach

Work with prisons to minister to the men and women there who will be especially lonely removed from family and friends during Christmas. Reach out to families who have incarcerated loved ones.

– Lifeway Research

Text your neighbor campaign

Ask everyone in your church to text a few unchurched people they know to ask, “How are you doing? How can I be praying for you?” Through text conversations, your church can open up opportunities to minister to their neighbors and invite them to church.

– Outreach.com

Foster kids fun day

Team up with the local foster care system. There can be a bit of a process to go through, but a Christmas fun day with food, activities, and small gifts will show these kids Christ’s love.

NOVEMBER

1-2 Crossover Missions – Springfield

2-3 IBSA Pastors Conference

Crowne Plaza, Springfield

3-4 IBSA Annual Meeting

Crowne Plaza, Springfield

5-6 AWSOM Tabernacle Church, Decatur

14 Youth Encounter Cornerstone Church, Marion

25 Thanksgiving

11/28 - 12/4

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Week of Prayer for International Missions

DECEMBER

25 Christmas

PLAN AHEAD FOR January Bible Study

Lifeway’s 2022 JBS focuses on the character of God with a study in Psalms. The book has 7 sessions that can be taught in a revival-like format over 3-4 days, or spread across a month in a group study or weeknight Bible class. JBS is a good way to help believers establish a Bible study habit to last all year.

Choose a format:

Sunday morning and/or evening

Sunday through Wednesday evenings

Weeknight all month long

How many books shall we order?

Who is our Bible study leader or leaders?

NOTES:

Who will lead

Promotion

Invitations

Snacks

Childcare

Associational leaders

Church planters

Disaster Relief team

Evangelism coaches

Hispanic leaders

Illinois Baptist Women

Ministers’ Wives

New IBSA churches

Second chair leaders

Small church leaders

Student ministry leaders

Young leaders

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

IBSA Pastors’ Conference

11/2-3 Crowne Plaza, Springfield

This event takes place prior to the IBSA Annual Meeting and offers spiritual rejuvenation for Illinois pastors, their spouses, and other church leaders.

www.IBSAannualmeeting.org

IBSA Annual Meeting

11/3-4 Crowne Plaza, Springfield

The 115th IBSA Annual Meeting theme is “Thrive.” Hear inspiring stories from around the state about how God is working. Plus, the IBSA, BCHFS, and BFI boards and committees will present reports on the ministry Southern Baptist churches are doing through them in Illinois.

www.IBSAannualmeeting.org

(217) 391-3107

BarbTroeger@IBSA.org

Ministers’ Wives Luncheon

11/3 Crowne Plaza, Springfield

The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and includes a program before the luncheon, which ends at 12:30 p.m.

www.IBSAannualmeeting.org

Crossover Missions

11/1-2 Springfield

Mission projects and evangelism opportunities throughout Springfield and the surrounding communities prior to the IBSA Pastors Conference and Annual Meeting.

Leading Major Change

9/22 Crossroads Church, Carol Stream Conference with Dr. Jeff Iorg, president of Gateway Seminary from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The seminar and luncheon are free, plus the first 150 registrants receive a free copy of “Leading Major Change in Your Ministry.”

www.IBSA.org/leadingmajorchange

(217) 391-3142

• FranTrascritti@IBSA.org

Equip Regional Training Events

9/14 Logan Street Church, Mt. Vernon

9/17 Alpha Church, Chicago

9/18 Northside Church, Dixon

9/28 First Church, Effingham

10/12 First Church, Morton

10/19 First Church, Marion

Opportunities for church leaders to grow their skills through two practical breakout sessions. Starts at 6 p.m., ends at 8:30 p.m. The training and dinner are provided at no cost.

www.IBSA.org/equiptraining

(217) 391-3124 • TammyButler@IBSA.org

Kids Ministry Resource Conference

10/29-30 IBSA Building, Springfield

Explore children’s ministry resources and learn how to start a children’s ministry. Churches with existing programs will be challenged to make their ministries even more effective. Plus, get a sneak peek at VBS 2022, “Spark Studios.”

www.IBSA.org/ministry-resources/kids

(217) 391-3124 • TammyButler@IBSA.org

Women’s Ministry Essentials

Mission Illinois Offering & Week of Prayer

September 12–19

9/24-25 IBSA Building, Springfield

Interact with experienced specialists and practitioners who will give you advice and instruction on women’s ministry essentials, how to reach and disciple other women.

www.IBSA.org/women • CarmenHalsey@IBSA.org

AWSOM

11/5-6 Tabernacle Church, Decatur

AWSOM (Amazing Women Serving Our Maker) is a conference for girls in grades 7-12 including hands-on missions, worship, and hearing from missionary speakers. Girls will gain increased awareness of current social issues and get equipping resources for recognizing issues as opportunities to evangelistically engage their communities. Cost: $20 per participant, includes lunch and T-shirt

www.IBSA.org/Students • (217) 391-3138

AubreyKrol@IBSA.org

Youth Encounter

10/10 Tabernacle Church, Decatur

Will you lead your church in prayer and sacrifice for the cause of Christ in Illinois? Visit our website for videos, downloadable resources, and mission studies. If your church didn’t participate last year, contact us for offering envelopes and additional prayer guides.

(217) 391-3119 • LisaMisner@IBSA.org

missionillinois.org

11/14 Cornerstone Church, Marion

A one-day youth evangelism event offering great music with Christian artists and top speakers for teens. Cost is $25 per student if IBSA affiliated, $30 if not, includes dinner. T-shirts must be ordered separately.

www.IBSA.org/YE2021

(217) 391-3138

AubreyKrol@IBSA.org

LEADERSHIP | MISSIONS

Refocus Retreat for Men

10/22-23 Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp

10/29-30 Streator Baptist Camp

Men, whether you realize it or not, you need rest. Jesus did this with his disciples. They traveled, taught, and served the crowds. Then he would pull them away together, at a meal or late in the evening. They would rest together, growing closer to one another and in their knowledge of the Word of God. For men’s groups, small groups, or men and their sons (age 12 and up only).

www.IBSA.org/refocus-retreat

(217) 391-3140 • BenJones@IBSA.org

IBSA Camp Facilities

Leaves crunch beneath your boots. Logs crackle in the fireplace. Snow falls on evergreens. Cold weather season is perfect for a retreat. So are Lake Sallateeska and Streator Baptist Camps.

Disaster Relief Training

10/15-16 Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp

Join the third largest disaster relief organization in the U.S.! Chaplaincy class begins at 1 p.m. Friday. Training fees: New trainees - $40, Renewal (general disaster relief) - $15, plus lodging.

www.IBSA.org/DR

(217) 391-3126 • KimAyers@IBSA.org

LAKE SALLATEESKA

Brock Vandever, Manager

(618) 336-5272

BrockVandever@IBSA.org

STREATOR

Jacob Kimbrough, Manager

(815) 992-5947

JacobKimbrough@IBSA.org

Contact us now to book your church leadership team getaway or discipleship weekend. Or bring your student group for a fun-filled winter break.

To learn more about what the camps have to offer, visit them online at

www.LakeSallateeska.org

www.StreatorBaptistCamp.org

Baptist Foundation of Illinois

For more information about church loans, Christian estate planning, educational scholarships, and investing and saving, visit BaptistFoundationil.org

Doug Morrow Executive Director (217) 391-3102

Doug.Morrow@BaptistFoundationil.org

Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services

FALL FESTIVAL

Sept. 18 • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• game booths

• lunch

• entertainment

• quilt auction

• silent auction of crafts

For more information visit www.BCHFS.com or e-mail bchfs@bchfs.com.

Denny Hydrick Executive Director 949 County Rd. 1300 N. Carmi, IL 62821 (618) 382-4164

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OUR CULTURE IS CHANGING

Churches often face legal issues, so they need to be prepared. When an issue arises, churches need trusted counsel.

Enter code IBSA20 to receive a reduced annual membership of $200, which is 20% off the regular price.

We can help your church prepare for these changes.

ADFChurchAlliance.org/culture

Your IBSA Ministry Partner

FISHING SEASON 8 hooks for effective pastor search

ne outcome of the Covid season appears to be an increase in pastors changing churches, and churches starting pastor searches. Call it “pent-up demand.” In many fields, people waited during the closures forced by the pandemic before making major purchases, changing jobs, or relocating.

Even in the best of situations, churches will need to call a pastor at some time. Pastoral transition is not easy, but the steps taken during this time directly impact a church’s future success. Even though each church situation is unique, here are eight steps that are common for most churches in leading an effective search process.

1. Prayer. Regular, focused prayer must permeate the search process. Searching for a pastor is different from a company seeking a new CEO. The pastor search is a spiritual process that requires spiritual tools.

Inviting God into the search process enables the church to recognize that they depend on God to bring the leader God has called, not the leader they prefer. It places the Holy Spirit in charge of the process and strengthens the church through a time of instability.

Make prayer the first step you take and allow prayer to be a part of every other step.

2. Slow down. A common mistake that churches make in the first few weeks of pastoral transition is they rush. The temptation is to quickly form a search team and begin the search process, when the most strategic decision would be to pause, pray, and move slowly.

It is wise to understand that a search process may take longer than you expect. Some experts share that it may take a month for every year the pastor has served to find

his replacement. This is an important process. The church should take its time to get this right!

3. Seek help. Enlisting an outside voice such as your associational leader or an IBSA staff member is a wise decision. Many churches contact IBSA during the search process asking for the pastor search guidebook. Sometimes it may benefit a church even more to request someone to help guide them.

I have kept an email in my office that I received this past year from a church during a search process. The quick e-mail shared this message, “We have decided to go at this alone.” Please do not go at the search process alone.

In a survey completed last year which collected responses from eight search teams, each team shared the importance of the outside voice that spoke into their process or shared their regret for not enlisting outside help.

4. Train the search team. IBSA has developed a training process for search teams that they study individually online, work through with a facilitator, or study as a group. This training helps the search team understand the key parts of the search process and how to apply the principles to their church’s context. An introduction to the training process can be found on IBSA’s Pastor Search webpage.

5. Communicate. In a recent survey of IBSA pastors who have been serving their church for less than two years concerning their experiences with the search process, pastors were asked to identify key things they would change to make the process more effective. Eight out of ten suggestions for improvement pertained to communication.

Associate Executive Director

Mark Emerson’s recent dissertation project focused on the pastor search process. He serves as lead contact for IBSA churches seeking help with their own pastor search.

MarkEmerson@IBSA.org

Often search teams struggle to keep the church informed during the process which leads to tension and distrust. Search teams also struggle in their ongoing communication with candidates. Many candidates share that there is little or no communication with the search team after they send a resume. Communicating effectively with the church

and with candidates is vitally important in an effective search process.

6. Take an inside look. William Vanderbloemen, founder of a search firm serving churches, uses the analogy of an organ transplant to describe the importance of making a good match between candidates and churches. Successful organ transplants happen because both the new host and the organ have been tested. Monitoring continues after the transplant to help fight against organ rejection.

A congregation needs to take a fresh look at itself as they begin a search process to rediscover the uniqueness of their church. A church’s culture, values, traditions, personality, and vision all help to determine what type of leader can be considered a good match. It is important to know the type of candidate a church should look for before they begin soliciting resumes.

7. Discover the right candidate. Search processes are cluttered with aspirational thinking. Churches tend to see themselves as who they once were or who they want to be, instead of who they currently are. This is also true with candidates. Candidates tend to put their best foot forward on a resume and seek to cover up weaknesses. This makes a good match difficult.

One church recently shared that “the candidate we interviewed wasn’t the candidate we received.” Most likely some candidates could share the same thing about the churches they interviewed. An effective interview process and extensive reference checking can help the church to discover the “real” candidate and see if he is a good match for the church.

8. Onboard the new leader. Search teams are tempted to think that their job is complete after the church votes to affirm their recommendation of the new pastor. Working with the pastor in their transition and developing an onboarding process can greatly affect the success of the new leader. Beyond outlining the benefits package and giving access to the church directory, onboarding should cover all kinds of vital information about the church, how it operates, and its readiness for new vision and change.

Some search teams continue to operate for up to a year after calling a pastor, meeting with the pastor, serving as his advocate with the church, and helping with settling in. The official celebration of a mission accomplished doesn’t come with a successful call and a positive vote, but many months later.

Find the right stream

Where you drop your bait matters

Churches that are prayerfully seeking the man that God has called to be their next pastor are finding good candidates by following these best practices. In my survey of churches about their search process, I found some common attributes among churches that connected well with possible pastoral candidates. With online applications, it’s possible to receive hundreds of poorly matched resumes. These strategies will produce a better candidate pool.

Communicate clear expectations

Churches that clearly communicate describe the type of candidate they seek and as many details as possible about the position, including expectations, salary and benefits, vision, and context. Deeper description of their situation and desires produce candidates interested in deeper conversation about their pastoral opening, and who are more likely to match the needs of the church.

Advertise appropriately

Churches that create a positive, yet accurate ministry position description will advertise in several national sites such as SBC.net, ChurchStaffing.com, and others. Plus they can post their opening on the IBSA website and in the Illinois Baptist. Southern Baptist seminaries also offer connections to students and alumni. It is possible to get overwhelmed by mildly interested candidates, but specific description of affiliations, theological interests, and experience requirements will generate interested and like-minded candidates.

Reach out for recommendations

Churches may receive the best candidates by asking for referrals from state and associational leaders who know of candidates seeking a new ministry. They also may also know the history of the church and its current needs. Reach out to these leaders for their matchmaking assistance.

LEADER LIFE

Measuring up

Read 1 Samuel 16:1, 4-7, 11-13

What does God value in those he calls?

We can name any leader in the Bible and ask, Why would God choose him? In most cases, we would have as many cons as pros in his selection. Maybe more. But God knows why he chooses those he uses. And frankly, God’s ability to see something valuable in the people he places in leadership should be encouraging to each of us.

A study in Judges reveals some interesting characteristics that might not seem so worthy. Samson was super strong. Gideon was skeptical. Deborah and Barak needed help. Ehud was left-handed. In each case, unusual traits proved useful.

By the time we reach David in 1 Samuel, we overlook his youth, and later his sins, and relish that he was a man after God’s own heart.

Ask each team member to choose a leader from Scripture and list his characteristics. Share how valuable they were to God.

Looked in a mirror lately?

When we talk about leadership at IBSA, we often speak in terms of four phases: leading self, leading others, leading leaders, and leading organizations. The word “phase” is a bit of a misnomer, because leaders often wear more than one hat at a time. And we’re always leading ourselves. That’s why it’s so important to ask ourselves how it’s going.

How well am I leading myself, so that I can in turn lead well in other areas? I’ve found it helpful to develop the discipline of assessing this phase of my own development as a leader, starting with two key competencies:

1. How am I serving out of my spiritual gifts?

It can be tempting to see spiritual gifts as one-and-done. Take an inventory, and you’re set for life. But in my experience, different gifts can become more apparent depending on my season of life. What gift does God seem to be “waking up” in us? What is he bringing into the spotlight? Knowing the answer can help us take the next step to see what he’s doing and to join him in it.

2. How am I operating out of my strengths? As leaders, we know the danger of working solely in areas not in our wheelhouse. That doesn’t mean we reject those opportunities, but if a current project or responsibility doesn’t fit directly within my strengths, I need to find another outlet to exercise them for a while.

Related but different from those competencies are skills we leaders can develop over time. An assessment of self-leadership should include evaluation of how well I’m managing my time, dealing with conflict in my life, navigating change, and communicating with others.

Just like scheduling regular physicals, we as leaders can benefit from periodically checking in our self-leadership progress. To extend the medical analogy, I’ve developed a list of “diagnostics” in my own life that show up when things aren’t going so well. What may seem like minor inconveniences or flaws may actually point to a larger issue in need of attention.

Has a sense of bitterness been nagging at me lately? Am I overly tired or on the verge of burnout? Do I notice non-compassion toward others? We know from Galatians 5 that those aren’t fruits of the Spirit in us. They’re indicators that something is off.

What about my dealings with other people? Am I communicating from my default style, instead of intentionally trying to meet someone else where they are? Am I viewing people as a means to an end, rather than fellow leaders deserving of respect and understanding?

In his book “The Heart of Leadership,” Mark Miller says the heart of leadership is thinking of others first. If I’m thinking Carmen first, something has gone awry.

Like any check-up, not every part of a self-leadership assessment is pleasant. These are hard questions, and their answers can be painful. If we don’t face the truth in these areas, we may be able to fake it for a while, but our leadership health will eventually unravel. An honest assessment of these things is good and necessary for all growing leaders. We never leave this phase of leading self.

Carmen Halsey is one of IBSA’s Leadership Development Directors. Carmen Halsey@IBSA.org

October is Cooperative Program month

Disaster Relief

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief started food distribution during the Covid crisis to serve churches and food banks from the warehouse in Mt. Vernon to Chicago and beyond.

Church Planting

Gospel-sharing ministries

Through the SBC’s International Mission Board, we share the gospel with reach unreached and underserved people groups around the world, including ministry to these deaf girls in Batangas, Philippines.

Through CP, IBSA churches give about $6 million to missions each year.

International missions

Church Planting

Educating pastors and missionaries

Next generation

Disaster Relief

Gospel-sharing ministries

Training church leaders

Sharing the gospel

Public policy

Church revitalization

Church Planter Jacob Zailian baptizes a new believer at Set Free Church in Sanger, California. IBSA and the SBC’s North American Mission Board plant hundreds of new churches in Illinois and North America each year.

Share the Cooperative Program story with your church. Explain the most effective system for missions support ever created. Show videos in worship. Please encourage faithful, regular, percentage giving through your church budget. And consider an increase of 1% for CP next year.

IBSA.org/CP

When people ask what Illinois Baptists are all about, point them to

IBSA photo

IMB photo

NAMB photo

• Church Planting

• Student Ministry

• Local Associations

• Women’s Ministries

• Crossover Missions

• International Missions

• Small Church Fellowship

• Evangelism Coaching

• New Congregations

• Hispanic Pastors

• Ministers’ Wives

• Disaster Relief

• Church Staff and more