Illinois Baptist
Mission Illinois Offering & Week of Prayer September 13-20
SEE STORIES & PRAYER GUIDE ● MISSIONILLINOIS.ORG
The Fix
in focus
25 P. 13
SCOTT FOSHIE
Moving ‘Faith Forward’ How Dad did it P. 3
IBSA NEWS
3 partnerships develop With IMB, NAMB, Tennessee P. 4
SBC NEWS
A solution for the pastor shortage is sitting in your pews. ● P. 7
Prayer requests For new prez Willy Rice P. 5
PLUS: 5 things bivo pastors want you to know P. 9
IllinoisBaptist.org
News journal of the Illinois Baptist State Association
SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Springfield, Illinois Permit No. 964
Vol. 120 No. 9
IB
Big names, bigger plans For IBSA Annual Meeting
Springfield | The 2026 IBSA Annual Meeting promises to be a standout in the 120-year history of Illinois Baptists. The leaders of three Southern Baptist Convention entities, one sister state convention, and one auxiliary will be on hand at the first meeting under the leadership of Scott Foshie. Their participation comes as part of an enthusiastic wave of support for the new Executive Director. International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood will be the Wednesday evening main session speaker in the two-day event to be held at Metro Community Church in Edwardsville, November 3-4. Under the theme “It’s all about the Gospel,” Chitwood will highlight IMB work and Illinois’ contribution to the work on global mission fields. IBSA churches currently have 73 missionaries serving with the IMB mission force of more than 3,500. Wednesday afternoon, SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Jeff Iorg will take the main stage, speaking on the impact of cooperative partnership. Iorg has been a frequent presence in Illinois as the Executive Committee leader and before that as Gateway Seminary President. New President of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Evan Lenow will speak in the Wednesday afternoon session. The former Mississippi College and Southwestern Seminary professor, who was discipled at Bellevue Baptist Church under the teaching of late Southern Baptist statesman Adrian Rogers, has been received Continued P. 4
Faith in action at Go Chicago P. 11
Make better leaders Carmen Halsey-Menghini P. 13
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WORD SEARCH: State Missions
Massachusetts lifts limits
A ban on abortions after 24 weeks was eliminated by a new law, allowing termination “at the professional judgment of the physician,” until the very end of gestation. National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said the state “erased the final protections for unborn children who can feel pain and who could survive outside the womb.”
Prayerwalking in Mexico
College students on mission in Latin America prayerwalked neighborhoods in Mexico. Lara Koon and other IMB missionaries showed students how to use Bible verses on index cards to guide their prayers. Stay open to conversations with people along the way, Koon said, and “go from casual to spiritual and then to a gospel conversation.” IMB sent 58 students as Summer Sojourners.
Baptist pastor jailed in Syria
Nihad Hassan was held in a Syrian jail for two weeks. While visiting family members, he was arrested for Facebook posts insulting Islam and Mohammad. Hassan pastors a Baptist Kurdish congregation in Lebanon.
Kids Camps Colleges Commitment Envelopes Evangelism Giving
Languages NextGen Offering Prayer Partnership Poster Season
September Statewide Stories Teaching Timeframe Videos Website
The Illinois Baptist staff Editor - Eric Reed Contributing Editor - Lisa Misner Graphics & Production Manager - Nic Cook Administrative Assistant - Kayla Houchin Team Leader - Ben Jones The general telephone number for IBSA is (217) 786-2600. For questions about subscriptions, articles, or upcoming events, contact the Illinois Baptist at (217) 391-3127 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 month by the Illinois Baptist State Association, 3085 Stevenson Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703-4440. Subscriptions are free to Illinois Baptists. Subscribe online at IBSA.org.
Two leaders emerge in Guinea
Baptist work is only three decades old in a nation of 14-million that is only 1% evangelical. IMB reports pastors Christian and Jacque welcome prayer as they witness to Muslims and raise up local church leaders.
Russia steals Ukrainian children
Russia’s war on occupied Ukraine includes kidnapping 1.6 million children since 2014, turning boys into soldiers and girls into prostitutes. The action is motivated in part by declining birthrates in Russia, where there were 400 abortions for every 1,000 live births in 2020, according to a new documentary “Faith at War,” available on YouTube.
Freed Korean pastor meets Trump
A pastor jailed for illegal electioneering in South Korea met briefly with President Trump at the White House Aug. 10. “My father, Pastor Son Hyun-bo, was jailed 145 days—no bail, no conviction— simply for preaching Scripture according to his conscience,” his son posted. “We believe God was pleased with him, even then.” ─Christian Post, Baptist Press, IMB
September 01, 2026
IBSA.org
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SCOTT FOSHIE
Paying the ‘Faith Forward’ "The LORD is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts.”
– Psalm 145:3-4
In August, Audra and I celebrated 25 years of marriage. After an anniversary dinner and dessert together, we came home and looked through our wedding photos. When we came upon a photo of me with my best man, Dad, I was immediately reminded of one of our conversations as he and I walked together in the morning. I told Dad that as we get older and have families of our own, we begin to realize that our parents were right about a lot more than we credited them for in our younger days. We also begin to realize the sacrifices our parents made to give us opportunity and care as we begin to experience making those sacrifices for our children. I remember asking, “Dad, how can I ever repay you for all you’ve done for us?” He turned, smiled, and said, “Your way to say thank you is to pass on our faith in Jesus and to pay it forward.
DAD’S WAY– IBSA’s new focus on the faith future of children through the Mission Illinois Offering has Scott thinking about his own dad’s influence. From August 2001, Harold (left) served as his son’s best man.
That’s the very best way you could ever thank me.” I’ll never forget that moment. As we enter an exciting new season of Illinois Baptist life, we are responding to God’s call to shift our Mission Illinois Offering toward reaching the next generation with the gospel. The theme for this year’s offering is Faith Forward, and 100% of our giving will support churches as we help children, teens, and college students experience a life-changing relationship with Jesus. This year’s shift is a response to an extensive season of listening to how God is speaking through you. We are united in our desire to join God in
his work of helping a new generation follow Jesus and live out its Acts 1:8 calling. This year’s Mission Illinois goal is $350,000, which is about 9% more than we received in 2025. That may seem like a stretch, but it is more attainable than at first glance. If Illinois Baptists in 800 of our churches each gave only $500, we would exceed our goal by $50,000. Our top-giving church in 2025, Hoosier Prairie, a sweet congregation near Louisville with an average worship attendance of around 50, gave $16,710. If 800 of our churches gave like Hoosier Prairie did last year, we would raise $13,000,000 for the next generation!
Many of our churches did not give to the Mission Illinois Offering last year or have never joined in this blessed effort. I’m praying that God will lead you to join him in this worthy cause for the first time. Unlike the Cooperative Program, which is primarily funded through a percentage of our church budgets, the Mission Illinois Offering is usually received from individuals in your church who are led to give. It would be a culture-changing moment for Illinois Baptists if 800 of our churches set a goal of at least $500 this fall. Exceeding our goal could lead to new initiatives and opportunities that we could discern together to cultivate the next generation of Illinois Baptist pioneers in 2027 and beyond. As I have answered God’s call to serve you, many of you have exhorted me not to shy away from challenging us as He leads, even if that takes us in new, exciting directions. Now is one of those times. The next generation is worth our sacrificial investment. Let’s join God and follow his lead on how he wants us to pay it forward. My Dad paid his faith forward so I could follow Jesus. Now, it’s our turn. May future generations see 2026 as a pivotal year when Illinois Baptists, like Isaiah, said, “Here I am, send me!” Contact Scott Foshie at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.
SIGN UP FOR FRIDAYS WITH FOSHIE Journey along with Scott as he meets with Illinois Baptists across the state. Follow at Facebook.com/ scott.foshie.1
Total giving by IBSA churches as of 7/31/26
$3,062,321
“Trust me, Dave... You'll need him during my sermon”
2026 Budget Goal to date: $3,443,372
2026 Goal: $6 Million
Pastors and leaders, receive weekly video updates from Scott. Sign up for text updates at IBSA.org/subscribe
Your church can give by using this QR code to digitally submit or mail your CP missions offering.
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FROM THE FRONT: annual meeting plans Continued from P. 1
Illinois Baptist
3 partnerships in development
Tennessee nearly complete. IMB and NAMB in progress
with broad acclamation across the convention. Foshie served as ERLC trustee chair until April, wrapping up his service with Lenow’s calling. Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Executive Director Randy Davis will also be a special guest during the Tuesday evening session. Davis and Foshie are expected to celebrate finalization of a new missions and ministry strategic partnership between Illinois and Tennessee Baptists. Illinois native Sandy WisdomCHITWOOD Martin returns home as messengers to the annual meeting will honor her upon retirement after 10 years as Executive Director-Treasurer of the SBC auxiliary, Woman’s Missionary Union. Wisdom-Martin began her missions service as a teenager in Illinois, then a member of the IBSA staff. Later stints in Arkansas DAVIS and Texas led to her call as head of national WMU. Illinois WMU President, Jill McNicol said Wisdom-Martin’s legacy of service brings to mind words from historic Southern Baptist missions advocate, Annie Armstrong, who wrote, “What has been IORG done for the glory of God, will be steadfast as the stars.” “Sandy has served Illinois and National WMU as a servant to her Father,” McNicol said. “Until she reaches heaven, she will not truly know the difference she has made and the lives she has touched.” In addition to national SBC leadLENOW ers, Illinois Baptists will also hear from home state leaders. Metro Community Church pastor, Seth Conerly, will preach the Annual Sermon, and IBSA President Doug Munton will preside over the November meeting and deliver the President’s Message. WISDOM“I sure do hope our IBSA churches MARTIN and leaders will plan to come to our annual meeting at Metro Community Church in Edwardsville,” Munton said. “This is Scott Foshie’s first annual meeting as our leader, and I look forward to hearing from him and connecting with the IBSA family.” Munton is a veteran of IBSA events. The senior pastor of First Baptist Church of O’Fallon has twice served as state convention president and is concluding his current term. In addition to main sessions, Illinois Baptists can participate in 20 practical ministry breakouts and numerous meal gatherings. Church messenger registration opened August 24. Details and event registration information are available at IBSAAnnualmeeting.org
Springfield | With the inception of Scott Foshie’s leadership, IBSA is developing partnerships with three SBC mission boards, including an IMB partnership that promises to be the first of its kind in the convention. They are expected to bring additional missions engagement for churches in Illinois and opportunities for service outside the state. “Our partnership discussions with the International Mission Board have been unique,” Foshie said. “The agreement we are developing could become a model for other state conventions.” IMB sent three regional leaders to attend the IBSA Associational Roundtable in August. They met with leaders from local associations and discussed ways to serve IBSA churches in identifying international people groups within the state. “Our churches have always been engaged with international missions,” Foshie said, “but more and more, the world is at our doorstep. This partnership could increase our understanding of the people groups in Illinois and ways for our churches to expand ministry to them on their own local mission fields.” A similar agreement with the North American Mission Board could expand church planting in
Illinois, increasing NAMB’s missionary work in the state beyond the Send Cities focuses in Chicagoland and metro St. Louis. In a state-to-state conventions partnership, Foshie’s Tennessee roots open discussions with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board that could result in mutual missions service. TBMB Executive Director Randy Davis both pastored in the same east Tennessee town, though at different churches in different years. The pair are expected to celebrate finalization of a new missions and ministry strategic partnership. “Tennessee Baptists are excited about coming to Illinois, but they also want our churches to engage with them down there,” he said. “Their churches and associations in Nashville and Memphis have a lot in common with Chicago. We can learn from each other. And we know Illinois Baptists love the Smoky Mountains for vacation, but also believe they would love to serve in Appalachian ministries.” The Tennessee partnership will be IBSA’s first state convention agreement of its kind, and the first with a large southern state in more than 20 years. The agreements are being formalized. Details are expected to be announced this fall.
Youth Encounter expands to 3 locations Illinois | IBSA’s annual Youth Encounter returns on Columbus Day weekend with multiple locations. Students can expect the one-day evangelism event to have similarities to past years, but expect some exciting, new changes. As always, students will participate in worship and hear gospel-centered preaching. There will be opportunities for fellowship and time to share a meal with friends. New this year, participants can select one of three locations: the South location is First Baptist Church of Herrin, Central location is Cross Church in Carlinville, and North location is Cornerstone Church in Woodland. Each location will meet on Sunday, October 11, 3-9 p.m. IBSA Leadership Development Director Michael Awbrey said leaders across the state helped select where Youth Encounter should be held. Then, organizers from each region designed their own programs to serve their area’s students. The Southern region will focus on apologetics and breakout sessions. Scottie McDowell is speaking on “why Christianity makes sense.” McDowell is the grandson of well-known apologetics speaker Josh McDowell, who published “More Than A Carpenter” a generation ago. In the Central region there’s a focus on fun engagement with inflatables and games. Illusionist Bryan Drake is speaking and entertaining. The Northern region wants a relational focus with carnival-like activities. Matt Joiner from Redemption City Church will be the speaker. “I hope this year’s Youth Encounter energizes kids on sharing their faith, that they’re excited going back to school and will find opportunities to share what they believe,” Awbrey said. He added even this year’s T-shirt is an opportunity to share their faith, it reads “An encounter with
Jesus changes everything.” Student groups can use the event as outreach. “There’s something for everyone, for kids who are plugged into church and those who aren’t,” Awbrey said. Awbrey encourages students to start inviting friends now. “Who’s your one? Who are you inviting?” he asked. “If you have 10 kids in your youth group, plan to bring 20. Each kid invites one friend.” Groups can sign-up at IBSA.org/ministries/ students/youth-encounter/ and select the region they’d like to attend. The cost is $15, which includes dinner and T-shirt. The shirt is only guaranteed until Sept. 15.
September 01, 2026
IBSA.org
Prepping for Indianapolis
sbc news
How to pray for Willy Rice, and more from our exclusive interview At the SBC Executive Committee meeting Sept. 20-21, recently elected convention President Willy Rice is expected to present several challenges to the 86-member panel about next steps to secure final approval of the constitutional amendment dubbed by its author Al Mohler the “Truth & Unity Amendment.” Passage by twothirds majority of messengers meeting at the 2027 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis is not guaranteed, Rice told the Illinois Baptist last month. He repeated what he considers the central issue in the reservation of the role of “pastor/ elder/overseer” for men only while in Indianapolis Aug. 11 unveiling some details on the upcoming convention. “The Great Commission says you baptize and you teach. Those two things are inextricably bound together in our movement,” he said. “We want convictional clarity. We want the world to know who Southern Baptists are. And that Southern Baptists are not eroding. We are not equivocating. We are not evolving. We are enduring. We are like a tree planted by stream of water that will bear fruit in and out of season.” Both Rice and his immediate predecessor, Clint Pressley, used the term convictional clarity. At the EC meeting in Nashville, Rice is likely to call on leaders of Southern Baptist entities to “row in the same direction,” a phrase he used several times in the Illinois Baptist interview. At the time a similar amendment came up for a vote in 2024, also in Indianapolis, newly elected EC President Jeff Iorg released a lengthy statement that the constitutional amendment wasn’t needed. Asked just a month after being elected to the big job, Rice told the IB that he would welcome prayer by Southern Baptists. Many people have asked how they can pray for him. Rice asked for “wisdom to prioritize the things that matter most and to be able to balance the demands of leading our local church and serving
our people” in the convention. “Pray for the health of Southern Baptists,” Rice requested. We’re always going to be a people with a lot of ideas, and there are always going to be conflicts when you have this many people, but we can be healthy. We can be strong. We can be a revitalized force for the gospel. We all want to see a healthy Southern Baptist Convention full of healthy churches.” The Great Commission is on Rice’s mind. He may present a recommendation for an global mission and evangelism thrust tied to the upcoming 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples. Father figure Rice said he heard from previous holders of the office he just assumed, with assurances of prayer and support. A letter he received from past president Jimmy Draper was especially touching. “He has been such an encourager to so many people,” Rice said. “He is famous for writing cards and letters. I think the convention is full of people who got letters from Jimmy Draper. “I received a rather long letter. It was written like a father would write, you know, a spiritual father. So tender, it's something I'll treasure forever. He addressed some of the issues we’re talking about in terms of practical fatherly advice: Don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t try to please everybody. Stay prayerful. Stay in your church as much as you can.” Draper, now 91, served as SBC President 1982-84, then as President of Lifeway Christian Resources 1991-2006. “It was a letter from somebody who's been there, who knows, and deeply cares about Southern Baptists,” Rice said. “I’ll treasure that forever.” ─Eric Reed
Court blocks assisted suicide law for now Chicago | On Friday, Aug. 21 a federal court temporarily blocked the State of Illinois from enforcing the physician-assisted suicide law against the plaintiffs who filed suit against it in federal court. The injunction will stay in place until the court rules on the preliminary action against it. The lawsuit filed by the Thomas More society to block the End-of-Life Options for the Terminally Ill Act, also known as Deb’s Law, before it takes effect on Saturday, Sept. 12. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on behalf of Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, the Lutheran Care Center in Altamont, and four Catholic physicians. Plaintiff Dr. Mary Keen Kirchoff told the Thomas More Society, “This means I can go back to focusing on caring for my patients instead of wondering whether staying true to who I am is going to cost me my career.” She continued, “For months I've faced the real
possibility that I could lose my license, be fined, or even face criminal charges simply for refusing to promote or refer patients toward death.” The law states physicians must list the cause of death as the underlying terminal illness, not suicide. To meet the law’s standards, patients must be at least 18 and have a terminal illness expected to result in death within six months. Patients would self-administer the prescribed medication. The penalties for physicians failing to comply with the law include fines of up to $10,000, license revocation, and criminal prosecution. The suit names the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and the secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation as defendants. The bill was passed in 2025 and signed into law that December. ─Lisa Misner
2027 theme named
Indianapolis | The theme for the SBC Annual
Meeting was announced at a kickoff event in the Hoosier State Aug. 11. SBC President Willy Rice said “Fill the Earth” is based on Habakkuk 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory, as the water covers the sea.” Calling it Southern Baptists’ prayer, promise and purpose, Rice said he hopes folks would leave the 2027 meeting “renewed in our purpose that we’re going to give every last measure of our devotion to seeing it happen.” Rice told the Illinois Baptist last month that he’s concerned about completion of the Mohler Amendment to the SBC constitution. He repeated that at the Indiana event. “We have had some diffiRICE culties over the last decade,” he said. “And we are working to speak to those and to move beyond some of the present challenges into a more unified and prosperous and fruitful future.”
Hunt appeals again Nashville, Tenn. | A U.S. District Court dis-
missed the last remaining claim in a defamation suit filed by former North American Mission Board Vice President Johnny Hunt against the SBC on Aug. 12. Hunt filed an appeal almost immediately. The court said Hunt was a public figure and that a social media post by then-SBC HUNT President Bart Barber was not malicious. Hunt resigned after charges that he had groped a pastor’s wife at a beachside condo in 2010. Hunt asked for judgments possibly totaling over $100 million. All claims but this last one were dismissed in March 2025. Hunt filed appeals on court actions dating back to 2024. “We will review the appeal and respond appropriately as we work toward resolving this matter,” said Jeff Iorg, SBC Executive Committee president. Hunt filed his original lawsuit in March 2023, centered on his being named in the 2022 Guidepost Solutions report, which looked into allegations of the Executive Committee’s mishandling claims of sexual abuse. —from Baptist Press
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September 01, 2026
IBSA.org
IN FOCUS
Empty pulpits It’s a growing problem, but there’s a solution. BY ERIC REED
W
hen Richard Ulrich offered to teach a summertime preaching class, he expected a handful of men in his congregation would be interested. “I thought we’d have five or six.” He almost sounded like Abraham bargaining with God about a minimum number in order to move forward. But he was surprised. “We had 16 show up the first week, and several more joined later or studied the book along with us.” More than 20 participated. Ulrich’s plan for a short course concluding with a onenight preaching event for the participants turned into two months and three services to give everyone a shot at the pulpit. One meeting was for half the men to bring devotions and offer critique for each other. Then in two worship services, a total of six
more men preached, most for the first time. “I think a lot of them had more gifting and skills than they realized,” the pastor-teacher said. “One of our men who preaches often in other churches said he had been praying for years for God to raise up more men to preach,” he said. For Ulrich, who pastors Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, response to the preaching lab was confirmation of a need in his local association and beyond. Churches need preachers. There aren’t presently a lot of viable options. And churches like his can train men who will preach, and perhaps become bivocational pastors. “The result was amazing,” said Brian Kenney, a retired pastor who served as interim AMS for Sandy Creek Association. “The church P. 8
Supply chain trouble Half of all Protestant pastorates in the U.S. are bivocational. Pastors work two jobs just to get by. Several factors are at work: escalating benefit costs, rising age of pastors, and fewer qualified replacements. That means pastor searches take longer, and many smaller congregations, especially in rural settings, struggle to fill the pulpit.
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Illinois Baptist
Continued from P. 7 ROUNDTABLE(S)— Local associations leaders (left) were trained by Jason Lowe of the Kentucky Baptist Convention to equip pastors and search out potential pastors. In Jacksonville, Pastor Richard Ulrich (bottom photo, center) trained men using H. B. Charles Jr.’s book, “On Preaching.” Several, including Chris Devlin (below), delivered their first sermons.
was so excited to see men being trained and standing in their pulpit.” Incoming AMS Isaac King now has a new list of supply preachers, and as he leans in future pastor searches among his 30 churches, a few possible local candidates. Serving, but staying put One of the more enlightening statements at the Associational Roundtable held August 3-4 at the IBSA Building in Springfield was this: Churches need bivocational pastors now and in the future, but the people who can preach and pastor churches while holding another job already have a job. What does that mean? They are not likely to give up the job that keeps food on the table and relocate, in order to pastor a church somewhere else part-time. So, the solution for a church needing a bivocational pastor is to look nearby. Very nearby. The man willing to work another job while pastoring your church already works in your town—or within easy driving distance. But he might be a member of another church. And he might not yet know that he’s pastor material. That’s where training opportunities such as Ulrich’s preaching lab become crucial. Jason Lowe of the Kentucky Baptist Convention was the special speaker for the Roundtable. He served as an Associational Mission Strategist in Pike County, Kentucky prior to joining the state convention staff in 2023. As he told Illinois leaders, it was in rural Kentucky where he learned that candidates who could become bivocational pastors generally won’t move. That’s why calling local men to serve locally became a better strategy than trying to advertise more broadly. In Lowe’s state, with 2,350 SBC churches, some 250-300 are without a pastor at any one time. “We had a crisis of churches without pastors,” he said. So developing the leadership pipeline was urgent. As an AMS, Lowe saw the need for local associations to become the front line in recruitment. The percentages hold true in Illinois. With over 800 churches in IBSA, more than 10% are without a pastor right now. Most are searching; a few have given up. And the answer for their need needs help recognizing his call to bivocational service. About half of IBSA churches are led by part-time pastors. Call it bi-vocational, co-vocational, or multi-vocational, it means the pastor works more than one job to make ends meet. Or, with the average age of pastors at 54 and rising, many are
retired, drawing a pension, and their benefits are paid by Medicare. Many normative churches can’t afford a full-time staff position to draw the bright young preacher every church wants; and there’s the issue of supply chain. SBC seminaries train 18,000 students per year, but the majority are headed for churches that can fully support them, to plant new churches, or to international mission fields. Recent efforts to “call out the called” focused on nudging young people to hear from God and start the training process that produces degreed clergy. Fresh teaching on “calling” is valuable and urgently needed in younger generations. But it doesn’t meet the need of all churches in all settings in all economic situations. The man sitting in the pew (or chair) in a small- or medium-size church one town over from a vacant pulpit may not know he’s the solution to the pastor shortage. Unless he’s told. Lowe urged AMS's to focus on developing a pipeline for bivocational pastors. Most will not go away to seminary. Even making time for online classes is a challenge. So local training is one solution to empty pulpits. Lowe told the story of Three Forks Association that made training preachers a priority. “In a rural area with a declining population and nearly 90% of the churches employing bivocational pastors, this association recognized that the next generation of pastors were most likely already sitting in their pews,” Lowe said. “This program has proven highly effective not only in identifying potential local pastors, but also in equipping them with the basics of sermon preparation and delivery. Without it, many of the association’s pulpits would likely be empty," he said. They have trained 135 home-grown church leaders. 20 became local pastors. 35 more are providing pulpit supply. The old Baptist model of farmer-pastors is functioning well in the Bluegrass State. “Because of this program's longstanding success, dozens of other
churches and associations in Kentucky have started similar programs,” Lowe said. “We continue to hear amazing testimonies of God’s faithfulness in calling out the called throughout our state.” Gather round Matt Crain is training a cohort of men. He brings them into his sermon preparation at Harvest Church of Southern Illinois in Anna. On Monday nights, Crain gathers a group who have spent an hour or more studying the text he will preach on Sunday. They discuss it and share their insights. “As a pastor it allows me to be close to them, 90 minutes a week, interruption free, all in one room,” Crain said. “I get to pour into them as much as they do me, by bringing their study notes.” Some men are young and exploring ministry. One is a retired missionary to Africa and another is a veteran of biker ministry. Participation is by invitation, but informal. Crain finds the variety in perspectives invigorating. Crain saw a form of team sermon study while serving as a staff pastor at Cornerstone in Marion. His equipping has expanded into other aspects of pastoral work as well. “I like that Jason Lowe came in with a kind of framework, because mine is highly relational, because I’m highly relational,” he said. Crain covers some of the same ground as Lowe, with side trips for leadership, question-and-answer sessions on handling conflict and small group ministry, and discerning calling. “There is no written curriculum,” Crain said, but in the life-on-life discipleship fashion, the men in his
group see up close what preaching and pastoring looks like. Ulrich, likewise, is exploring development of a pastoral skills cohort as a follow-up to his summer preaching lab, with an eye toward pastoral residency. “Part of it is a stewardship of what the Lord has given us,” Ulrich said. A church of about 300 is well positioned to serve other churches in the association. “There are smaller churches that don’t have the guys to call on. If a larger church has the resources and the capability to do that, then there’s the obligation to put to use the men God has given us,” he said. And Ulrich will be happy to see men from his church fill other pulpits nearby, if the Lord calls them out. I could see any of the men who preached in this group in our pulpit on a Sunday morning,” he said, but also in many Sandy Creek churches. “With the Lord blessing and entrusting us with men,” Ulrich said, “we are responsible for blessing other churches that have need.” Supply chain fixed.
September 01, 2026
IBSA.org
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MIDWEST voices
5 things bivocational pastors wish you knew Views from Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Montana, and Washington If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be a bivocational pastor today, it’s doubtful I would’ve believed you. At the time, I was working—bivocationally—with a small parachurch ministry and desperately hoping to be fully funded so I could focus on ministry. It was around that point that a friend asked me: “Why do you think God is keeping you from full support?” It had never occurred to me that God may, in fact, have a purpose in my remaining bivocational. Kids aren’t lying in bed at night dreaming of bivocational ministry. Few Bible college or seminary students set their sights on work outside of vocational ministry. But the National Survey of Religious Leaders indicates 47% of evangelical pastors have some sort of income outside of church work. That number is substantially lower for those in rural ministry, although these differences may be due, at least in part, to an older pastoral cohort which is more likely to rely on pension or retirement income than on a second job. So, if nearly half of evangelical pastors are bivocational, what do they wish you knew?
1. Every bivocational ministry is different.
This might seem obvious, but it’s worth pointing out. Selling real estate and pastoring an established church in a city is different from working as a mechanic and church planter in a small town. Each ministry role, each “secular” job, and each pastor are different. This is important for the pastor to embrace as he evaluates his time and labor, and it’s important for the church to recognize in setting pastoral expectations. An important subset of this is recognizing these differences even as they manifest within a single pastorate. When we planted Remsen Bible Fellowship in 2019, I worked full time for the USPS. About three years in, I left that job, and my wife and I opened a coffee shop in our town. We also joined a mission agency to raise funding. This gave me more hours for ministry, but it also created the new stresses of business ownership and decreased income. The shift in time and stress made caring for members easier but sermon writing more difficult. Don’t assume every bivocational role is the same.
2. Bivocational doesn’t mean wealthy.
A second job may help pay the bills but often still doesn’t quite get there, especially for pastors with a family and/or healthcare costs. Two part-time jobs may well be less than one good job, in terms of income. Serving bivocationally is rarely something pastors do because of the love of money or a desire to be rich (1 T. 6:9-10). Rather, it’s generally a necessity. As Brian Primer, a pastor in Fernwood, Idaho, put it, “bivocational ministry [means]…we more often than not, have the finances we need to buy food and pay the bills.” Don’t let the fact that your pastor has other employment cause the church to neglect your responsibility to financially honor the man who
4. God has a purpose.
"We opened a coffee shop. This gave me more hours for ministry, but created the new stresses of business ownership and decreased income."
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ministers to you the Word of God. Dave Donnerberg, a pastor in Libby, Montana, who served bivocationally for a number of years in Idaho, pointed out to me the importance of 1 Corinthians 9:14: “The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel” (CSB, cf., Gal. 6:6).
3. There’s no such thing as balance.
While finances are a significant issue, the most common pain point I’ve heard from bivocational pastors is the issue of competing priorities. “How do I balance church, outside work, family, and my own walk with the Lord?” Pastor Donnerberg told me, “There is no such thing as balance.” Luke Wolford, a pastor in Mason City, Illinois, concurs: “Something has to give. You can’t do as much ministry as you would like.” When splitting time between ministry and other work, there can be immense guilt when the ministry receives less focus than we would like. There’s a spiritual weight (Heb. 13:17) that is qualitatively different than, say, working at the bank during the day and mowing some lawns on the side. For bivocational ministry to go well, it requires remembering God’s call on your life. Wayne Eve of Plummer, Idaho, has served in both pastoral and non-profit leadership while holding outside work and noted the danger of looking “at both as ‘jobs’ and [losing] track of your calling.”
One of the biggest misnomers about bivocational ministry is that it’s second-rate ministry. But, as noted earlier, nearly half of all evangelical pastors are bivocational. The math on this is pretty straightforward, when you consider that the median church in America has 70 worshipers on a Sunday. Churches of this size simply have a hard time paying a full-time salary, especially at a level which would support a family. Pastors shouldn’t think of these churches as second-rate, nor should the church. Ryan McGhee, a pastor in Park Falls, Wisconsin, put it well: “I wish [our church] realized the economics of pastoring have changed from even 20 years ago, and bivocational pastors are not pastoring failed churches in small areas…I continue to try to help them understand the goal is a healthy church, [not simply one with a full-time pastor].” While many bivocational pastors desire to leave outside employment (understandably so), others see enough value in their bivocational role that they would choose to continue, even if the church could pay them a living wage. Matthew Majewski, a pastor in Lansing, Iowa, noted, though currently bivocational ministry is a necessity, “my church leaders and I have agreed that if it becomes optional, I will still continue some form of work as a means of outreach.” This points to a reality I’ve witnessed in my own ministry many times over. Work outside of a church context opens doors of conversation and investment in the community a pastor may not otherwise have. Bivocational ministry may not be the ideal for many of us, but God uses such ministry in a multitude of ways.
5. This is a labor of love.
Bivocational ministry is a labor of love for Christ and His church. The one investing this way in the advancement of the kingdom for Christ does so out of a deep sense of calling and often at great personal cost. This is nothing new in Christianity. Speaking of the apostle Paul, C.R. Wiley, a pastor in Battle Ground, Washington, points out, “He often selffunded his ministry. If he could do it, so can we.” Like Paul, the bivocational pastor of today pours himself out for the Lord Jesus and his people, “because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings” (1 Cor. 9:23, CSB). ─Will Dole pastors Remsen (Iowa) Bible Fellowship. He and his wife also operate Fat Annie's Coffee Stop in their town of 1,663. Reprinted by permission from Lifeway Research
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A pivotal point in faith development
Students are off to college. Are they taking their faith along? Morgan Ahle grew up going to church on Sundays, attending First Baptist Church of Carlyle. Her mother led by example, and eventually Ahle and her father were baptized on the same Sunday. Growing up in a small Baptist church in a mostly Catholic small town wasn’t easy. But the young woman had a best friend, one of the pastor’s daughters. The Broughtons moved to Carlyle while Ahle was in seventh grade, and the girls quickly became friends. “She really inspired me in my walk with Christ; she pushed me to grow in my faith,” Ahle said. They were fast friends throughout high school. Then tragedy struck. A month before leaving for Maryville University two Broughton sisters died in an accident. “I was really mad at the Lord,” Ahle said. Heading to college, “I told God ‘I want to find people who love you, but I don’t know if I love you.’ I was grieving. “I said, ‘If you want me to love you, you’ll have to work in bringing people because I can’t muster up the courage to love and seek you.’” The new college student planned to major in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and she would compete in high jump and long jump in track and field. But as for a faith-plan, that was not so certain. While visiting different campus organizations the first few days at school, Ahle got burned out on ice breaker questions. “I wanted deep questions, for someone to ask how I was really doing,” she said. Then she noticed students at a Christian ministry were asking those questions and wanted to know her on a deeper level. They were from Cru (formerly called Campus Crusade for Christ). “I was intrigued from the start. I got plugged in with them, and they helped me find a local church,” Ahle said. She started attending Matthias’ Lot, an SBC church in St. Charles, Mo. She grew from attending Bible studies to being a student leader in campus ministry and in her new church. She also served on a six-week mission trip
to the Middle East where 93% of the population has little or no access to the gospel. “I didn’t want to go at first. I thought, There are enough people on that trip that I don’t have to be the one to go,” she said. “But I prayed for God to break my heart for what breaks his. The thought of Muslim girls dying without hearing the gospel, I couldn’t stand that.” Having grown in her faith throughout her college career, Ahle felt called to continue serving God after graduating in 2025. She’s a Cru Campus Intern in the St. Louis Metro area, working to share the gospel and disciple students on college campuses in the area. “The love of Jesus transformed my life,” she explained. “Knowing the gospel, feeling the weight of that and knowing that other people don’t have that has changed my perspective. I want to do everything I can to draw more people to Jesus.” The local church’s role College is a pivotal time for a young adult’s faith. During that time, a student’s faith can flourish, or it can fall off. It’s important to celebrate students who are flourishing in their faith and who emerge from college with a faith stronger than they entered. Daniel Good, Collegiate Ministry Catalyst for IBSA, pastors Cornerstone Church in Savoy, near the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois. He says parents and churches are important partners in bringing young people into adult faith. A lot of Ahle’s story falls in line with what Good suggests to help students flourish in their faith while at school. He said a lot of students’ faith fails because they don’t get plugged into a local church. “For many this is the first time they’ve set their own schedules, and they haven’t built a spiritual routine yet like reading the Bible daily or praying,” Good explained. “That can be a missed opportunity for parents and pastors to ensure they’re teaching high school seniors and building that routine” before they leave home. As a pastor, Good wants his college students to have a good, biblical routine.
The Four Pillars of Discipleship 1. Confident in studying the Word by themselves. 2. Comfortable praying and talking with God. 3. Confident in their ability to share the gospel with others. 4. Can teach all that to others. Ahle learned these points during her college career. She said it took some time, but it’s important for anyone who wants to grow in their faith. While Ahle was very active in a student ministry on campus, she didn’t let it replace her church. “It’s so important to get involved in the local church,” Ahle said. “Cru is great, but it’s an arm in the church. I’m involved in it, but I’m getting so much more from my church.” A 2019 Lifeway study shows the number one reason college students stop attending church is they moved to college, and away from their home church, without connecting to a new congregation: 69% were attending church at age 17, but that number dropped to 40% at 19. Before college starts, Good advises parents to help students find a church. “Help pass along why church is important and what to look for in a healthy church,” Good said. “Don’t let them pick one just because it’s hip and cool.” IBSA can also assist students’ church search, even if they’re attending out of state, Good said.
Good advice for college studentsʼ parents and churches Once classes have started, it’s a good time for parents and churches to check in on kids who have moved to campus. Ask if they attended GOOD church, and what they’re learning, Daniel Good said. “Don’t be overbearing, but maybe say, ‘This is what we talked about in church today. What about you?’” Taking time to hear about students’ experiences at college and the friends they’re making shows that parents are still invested in their young adult’s life. Knowing who students are spending time with can help par-
ents redirect them if they detect bad influences. “It doesn’t matter if they’re 18-22 years old, bad experiences can sneak in and they need to be parented,” Good said. A parents’ visit on a weekend is an easy opportunity to ask “Where are we going to church on Sunday?” Recently, Good said a grad student who didn’t have a church had family visit. The parents asked this question. After a Google search, they and their child visited the church Good pastors. The student returned the following Sunday after the family went home. Parents may want to introduce themselves to the pastor at the students’ new church or a nearby SBC
church. “Let the pastor know they have your student in their care,” Good explained. For churches, Good suggests sending a handwritten letter a few times throughout the year letting students know they haven’t been forgotten and they’re being prayed for. When students are home for breaks, meet up with them to see how their walk with God is going and if they need any assistance. “You may learn that a student isn’t going to church or has stepped away. That can be a hurt and burden on a parent,” Good explained. “When they come home for a visit is a good opportunity to draw them in and minister to them.”
Don’t forget about students when they return for holiday breaks or for the summer. Give them opportunities to plug in at the chrch where they grew up. “The last thing we want is for a student’s faith to backslide while they’re home during a break,” Good said. Students should feel like they still belong at their home church, even after going off to school. College is one of the most influential times in a person’s faith development. Parents and churches working together can give young people making that life-stage transition their best opportunity to live their personal faith into adulthood. ─Kayla Houchin
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There’s a mosaic memorial built into the sidewalk in the Bronzeville neighborhood. While students were on a mission trip to Chicagoland, new church planter Sam Copeland took the groups serving with his planting team to see it. He wanted them to understand the area where he’s planting a new church. Two mornings he took groups on prayer walks and taught them about the history of the South Side. “Since moving here, I’ve been learning about the context about where I want to plant,” Copeland said. “There’s no better way to share the gospel than to make sure you know the people you’re planning to share it with.” Students learned about African American history in Chicago. They did a prayer walk down 35th Street while learning about the 370th Infantry Regiment from WWI, the 1919 Race Riot, and the pain that a history of segregation still causes today. Kendal Sparks, a 19-year-old from Metropolis, said the experience was eye opening. “Chicago is often shown for being dangerous. But Sam showed us there may have been danger that happened, but people can come together to find hope and beauty,” she explained. “You can tell what he truly wants from his church is for people to see that hope and beauty in Christ.” In addition to the South Side, 30 students from central and southern Illinois and a church in Alabama served in Tinley Park and Dekalb.
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Mosaic Students bring gospel light to city streets. BY KAYLA HOUCHIN Chicago | “I’ve always had a passion for helping others,” explained 19-year-old Kendal Sparks. It’s a big reason she returned to Chicago in July. “Seeing that God can move anywhere—and you don’t have to go oversees to see how much the gospel can be shared to a variety of people—is so encouraging.” IBSA’s summer mission trip for students, Go Chicago, brings opportunity to serve for a week in Chicagoland. Students provided manual labor and prayer walks, street evangelism and serving at block parties. Mostly they worked with church planters. “There are so many church planters in Chicago doing important work,” the Metropolis
student said. “In the south we don’t have many (planters), we’re settled in where we are. But up north the gospel needs to spread and bloom.” Near the south side of Chicago, Sam Copeland is working on planting Garden City Church. Copeland and his wife recently moved to Illinois from Roanoke, Va. The new church planter was excited for Go Chicago. “I wanted to find a way to connect to churches in the state,” he said. The annual mission event also gave him an opportunity to increase his team for a few days. Copeland introduced students to his neighborhood in the mornings. During the afternoons, students visited local parks to invite community P. 12
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Continued from page 11 members to a block party that Garden City was hosting. For Sparks’ group it was about perseverance. They went to three parks with little to show from the first two, but the final park held their most rewarding encounters. “My sister and I got to evangelize to a homeless man,” she explained. “He was very receptive and we ended up having an hour-long conversation and explaining the gospel and the gift of salvation. We had a pocket Bible that we had gone through, and we gave it to him. When we walked away and looked back, he was reading it.” The girls asked if there was anything they could pray for him, he said he was really hungry. “That morning we made our sandwiches, like normal, for lunch and we made extra for our group. We took the extra sandwich and extra water and gave it to him,” Sparks said. “There was no reason to make an extra sandwich, it was a God thing.” One group worked at the “summer blast” cooking and serving, while giving Copeland and his planting team opportunity to connect with community members. “We’re a small team; we’re not even meeting regularly to worship on Sundays. We couldn’t have hosted an event with hundreds of people on Saturday without help,” Copeland said. He also said the prayer was invaluable, asking others to join in. “A big aspect is praying for us and with us as we’re starting, as it is with any gospel work.” For Copeland, Go Chicago reminded him how God moved in his life when he was a student. “Some students see God at work and see the potential, so they go to work vocationally. That’s how God calls them.” Copeland and his wife went on a short-term mission trip to Africa, then returned as missionaries. Perhaps that will happen again in Chicago. Rolling up their sleeves “We had such an encouraging first day,” Sparks said, of their work in Tinley Park. “We painted and did yard work, which seems simple in
the moment, but it wasn’t simple for them.” They also helped revitalize the small suburban church, still hoping to serve their area. Mike Miller came to pastor First Baptist Church in December after previous pastor Harold Parsley retired at 98. Miller explained the almost 75-year-old building needed a facelift. “You only get one chance to make a good first impression,” he said. “The adults on the mission trip were honest with me, and it was the same thing I thought. There were some things that needed to be done to help improve the church.” Students worked on landscaping, painting, buffing floors, moving furniture, and anything that was asked of them to help revitalize the facility. “You should have heard the people coming into church on Sunday. ‘It’s so bright, it looks wonderful.’ And it does, they did a wonderful job,” Miller said. “What amazed me was everyone seemed motivated and jumped at
what you asked them to do,” he said. “There was no one dragging their feet or no one who needed extra grace when you asked them to do something.” That excitement can be infectious, after those serving return home. “When you have a team come in and they’re all doing things to serve the kingdom, it stirs up the dust and people start asking questions.” Miller’s heart is already stirring. “I hope we’ve replaced hope and shown God isn’t finished with the church,” Miller said. He also hopes with a more welcoming atmosphere, FBC will become a multigenerational church. For Sparks it’s a reminder that God cares about the entirety of the state. “In our area (Metropolis) we get very lost in the sense of who we have in our state. I think we should care more about Chicago because they’re a part of our state and our association. Being a part of our association means we need to care about our churches across the state.” Accepting cookies Some students learned what it takes to be a church planter. IBSA Mission Team Leader Shannon Ford took two groups to DeKalb to do a demographic analysis of the community. “The goal was to learn about the worldview of people and to discover what they felt a church could do to bless the community,” he said. In several groups of three or four, students asked four questions for the community assessment. They talked with shoppers, shop owners, and people walking in the park. One group had a memorable expe-
WORK HARD, PRAY HARD – Student teams scattered across Chicago for projects such as improvements at church facilities. They also prayed for the city at Millenium park. rience in a cookie shop. “The worker confused the question ‘Have you heard the gospel?’, thinking it was a song,” Ford said. “So, we took it as an opportunity to pull up YouTube and sang along with a song. It offered a unique opportunity to present the gospel.” At the end of the experience students learned that it’s a lot of work for planters and that it’s not something they can do on their own. “During our time in DeKalb we were able to have many gospel conversations, and it gave the students insight on why church planters must do research and have partners for ministry.” Ford hopes Go Chicago encourages the students to plug into church plants in the future, whether that’s volunteering in early plants or joining a plant that’s starting to put down roots.
September 01, 2026
TABLE TALK
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INSIGHT
25 years after 9/11
A lot has changed. And not much.
What if leadership isn’t the main issue? Recently, I’ve been reflecting on something Henry Blackaby said: “The church doesn’t have a leadership problem; it has a discipleship problem.” I’ve found myself thinking about that, especially when talking with pastors of smaller churches who are discouraged because they don't see enough people stepping into leadership roles. What if the question isn’t “Why aren't more leaders emerging?” What if the better question is “How are we doing at making disciples?” It seems throughout Scripture, God is more concerned with who we are becoming than the positions we hold. Leadership matters, and John Maxwell has taught for years that everything rises and falls on leadership. But I’ve often wondered if healthy leadership is the result of something deeper. Could it be that leaders naturally emerge where discipleship is flourishing? As we spend time with God, he shapes our character. He transforms us into his likeness. Before God does significant work through us, he often wants to do significant work in us. Sometimes in ministry, we can see someone’s potential and move them into leadership. We've all seen situations where that doesn’t end well. It’s not because the person lacked gifting, but because the foundation underneath the gifting wasn’t fully formed yet. That doesn’t mean the person won’t lead someday. It may simply mean God is still doing the deeper work of discipleship. Blackaby often reminded us that God is more interested in what he is doing in us than what he plans to do through us. Maybe that’s an encouragement for pastors. We can’t manufacture leaders, but we can invest in discipleship. We can create environments where people walk closely with God and grow alongside other believers. And perhaps, over time, we’ll discover that the leadership we were hoping for was already beginning to develop beneath the surface as God was forming mature disciples. ─Carmen Halsey-Menghini is one of IBSA’s Leadership Development Directors.
By the time you read this, many people will be talking about where they were when the Twin Towers fell 25 years ago. Bells will toll. Long lists of names will be read. We will remember, and never forget. The realization that its anniversary is upon us raises the question— Has anything really changed since September 11, 2001? Some of my memories of that time are admittedly trivial. There was a quick trip to Walmart to buy a bigger TV to see what happened up close, and a drive-through for a sack of Big Macs before McDonalds closed for a week. My wife and her siblings were stuck half-way through the relocation of their parents from South Florida to Mississippi. The airports closed. I would eventually drive from Chicago to the Gulf Coast to fetch her, without the promise of open gas stations along the way. One of her brothers would hitch a ride to his home in California on a bus with a rock-and-roll band, although he never said which one. Those memories are vivid. Even more so is my work trip to New York two months later. My reporting colleague and I interviewed grieving people and firefighters and relief workers and pastors who all told stories of surviving tragedy through faith and ministering in its aftermath. In triage centers and prayer meetings alike, the story was the same: The world as we knew it came crashing down, and everything changed. My colleague and I got within two blocks of Ground Zero. It was still smoldering. I ventured into a nearby church where George Washington once worshipped. On that day rescue workers were sleeping on ancient pews during their brief breaks. The air was still chalky. Dust from that great cloud at the World Trade Center was caked on the black iron fence surrounding the church grounds and graveyard. On our last day there, my co-worker and I agreed to meet up in Times Square after completing our interview assignments. Broadway had just reopened. At the iconic red-and-white TKTS booth, they were selling tickets to Les Miserables for $35. Good seats. We went. It felt patriotic. Somehow emotional singers before smokey rubble on a turntable stage summed up both the French Revolution and our 9/11 experience. Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men? It is the music of a people Who will not be slaves again— Returning to the airport, we stood in long lines, complied with searches, watched as pilots were barricaded into the cockpit, and we prayed that
no terrorists had sneaked onboard. We flew to the relative safety of our Midwest home, thinking a lot had changed. And not much. Now, 25 years later, I’m drawing the same paradoxical conclusion. A whole generation has grown up not knowing a world without a war on terror, worried about every itchy finger in the Middle East, suspicious of people who don’t look like the great mass of Americans. A whole generation has grown up thinking it’s normal for half our Southern Baptist missionaries to serve under assumed identities because their lives are at risk just by being in the countries where they are called, that we can’t see their pictures, and even relatives at home cannot easily text to check on them. A whole generation has grown up with Christians as a religious minority in a pluralistic society, an evangelical movement that alternately rallies and retreats, and a moral majority that is neither. A whole generation thinks the anger, fear, anxiety, intrigue, stealth, and distrust of our times have always been this way. A lot has changed. And not much. Our reporting assignment in the hazy days after 9/11 was to see how churches coped, how Christ’s Body served, how the gospel moved forward, and how God was glorified despite—and through—the aftermath. I remember church planter Taylor Field told me how he bicycled more than four miles through smoke and dust on that fateful Tuesday, from his gritty Lower East Side “Graffiti Church” to the magnet school half a mile from the World Trade Center to find his son. God guided Pastor Field on his rescue mission. I asked if he or his wife, Susan, considered going back home to Oklahoma. Field was on stage at the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando this summer. The family stayed in New York City. He’s still working with the SBC’s Send Relief and planting churches. The world feels different now, even here in the relative safety of our Midwest home, but the gospel of Jesus Christ is unchanged. The call to make him known to 5 billion of the world’s 8 billion people is still our mission. Perhaps it is even intensified in the post-9/11 era. As the revolutionaries sang, Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Beyond the barricade Is there a world you long to see? A lot has changed, but not that much. Eric Reed is editor of Illinois Baptist media.
2026 MAJESTIC FRATERNITY PASTOR’S BIBLE STUDY RETREAT Details Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp; Pinkneyville IL DETAILS Monday and Tuesday; October 5-6 Check in is at noon on October 5th Retreat concludes at 3:30 on October 6th
Payment
This year’s study is the Book of Colossians.
Cost for the two-day session including motel and meals is $81 for double occupancy. This includes 3 meals and conference fee. Make check payable to “The Majestic Fraternity” Mail to: Brent Cloyd 1440 Illinois Highway 15 Fairfield IL 62837 Questions? Call or text 618-599-5059
Dr. Robert Smith, Jr., Retired Professor of Preaching at the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, will be our teacher.
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Redemption is playing in Peoria A church planter’s story comes full circle Peoria | Shepherd’s Gate, a new church plant in downtown Peoria, officially launched with their first worship service Sunday, August 23. About 120 people gathered in an auditorium at the Dream Center Peoria, a local faith-based non-profit surrounded by medical center parking lots and early 20th century storefronts. Caterpillar, Inc. and Bradley University are less than a mile in either direction. Dozens of businesses and homes saturate the blocks in between. The Dream Center is an apt name for the launch site. The dream for Shepherd’s Gate began in planter Jon Watts' heart in Virginia four years ago but has roots in Watts' teen years in those same Peoria streets. “I moved to the Peoria area when I was in high school. I was using and selling drugs out of the house I was living in in North Carolina. So that parent booted me,” Watts said, explaining how a rocky youth led to his passion for this neighborhood. He was sent to live with his mother in Illinois. His struggles with drugs and alcohol continued through two schools in three years, ultimately dropping out. “My senior year of high school I was homeless in Peoria,” Watts said. “Then I came to faith in Christ.” In the years that followed, believers invested in Watts. He met his wife Sarah, at church, and his love for the Lord grew into a ministry calling that led him to Virginia for seminary. But he felt pulled back to the streets where he lived as a teenager. “Downtown is the place in the city that has the most cultural neutral ground,” he said, describing his dream for the new church. “You’ve got business
All Church Training
9/8 – Three Rivers Association 9/15 – FBC Columbia 9/29 – Marion 10/10 – Chicago Region What: Tune-up core ministries. Pastors, ministry leaders, and workers receive training to lead a healthy, growing church. Cost: Free Info: IBSA.org/events Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
September 11-12 For the Pastor & Wife Conference
What: This retreat is for rest, renewal, and encouragement for senior/lead pastors and their wives. Where: Embassy Suites, East Peoria Cost: Free for senior/lead pastors of IBSA cooperating churches. Info: IBSA.org/events Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
September 13-20 Mission Illinois Offering
What: Your church’s MIO giving carries the faith forward by funding ministry at summer camps and to children, youth, and college students. Where: Your Church Info: MissionIllinois.org Contact: MissionIllinois@IBSA.org
DOWNTOWN— Jon Watts returned home with a dream to start a church. Now he is. folks, medical professionals, the homeless population. You’ve got neighboring poorer communities that are around downtown—the college student at Bradley, the affluent family whose dad works at Cat, the blue-collar worker who works for a factory. All of those folks can, in theory gather in a church downtown. “We want to be a church of all kinds of people who follow Christ together, who reach all kinds of people for Christ.” Watts' passion for Peoria led to a connection with Charis Church in Bloomington who introduced him to IBSA Church Planting Director Kevin Jones. The future church began gathering as a core team of committed believers in 2024. Public Bible studies in the form of a community group began meeting in Watt’s home in August of 2025. That living room group gave birth to a second, meeting in another home, earlier this year.
EVENTS October 11 Youth Encounter
What: A one-day evangelism and growth experience for students. Where: South – FBC Herrin Central – Cross Church, Carlinville North – Cornerstone, Woodland When: 3 – 9 p.m. Cost: $15 per person, includes dinner and T-shirt (shirt not guaranteed after Sept. 15) Info: IBSA.org/ministries/students/youth-encounter/ Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
October 24 IBSA Kids Ministry Conference
What: Speakers include Sandra Peoples, Adjunct Professor at Southwest Seminary and disability ministry consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas, and Melita Thomas, VBS & Kid Min Specialist with Lifeway. Breakout options include a sneak peek at Lifeway’s VBS 2027. Where: IBSA Building, Springfield When: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Cost: $15 per person (includes lunch) Info: IBSA.org/events Contact: MichaelAwbrey@IBSA.org
The long road to downtown Peoria culminated in the August 23 service. “Getting to watch a church planter go through this whole gamut of feeling called, living in a different state, being willing to move for God’s faithfulness,” Jones said, “and now seeing the dream to plant a multi-ethnic church downtown, and seeing them proclaim the gospel downtown—that just excites me!” Watts’ story may have come full circle, but his sights are set on the next stories. “It was really encouraging to watch our team enjoy seeing the fruit of the work they’ve done, the prayers they’ve prayed, and how they’ve hoped to see God work,” the planter said. “But we recognize the fruit is not just what happened on the first Sunday. It’s what’s going to happen every Sunday after.” ─ Ben Jones
November 3-4 IBSA Annual Meeting
What: This gathering of messengers and guests from the nearly 900 IBSA churches is the business meeting of the state network. It’s an opportunity to celebrate what God is doing through IBSA and SBC ministries across the state and world. Where: Metro Comm. Church, Edwardsville Info: IBSAannualmeeting.org
November 13-14 Forged Young Men’s Overnight
What: Ignite a fire in young men (grades 6-12) and their leaders with equipping to become the man God is calling them to be. Where: Lake Sallateeska Camp When: Friday 6 p.m. – Saturday 2 p.m. Cost: $35 Info: IBSA.org/events
November 13-14 AWSOM Overnight
What: The premiere event for girls in grades 5-12 helps them grow as disciples of Jesus and see the big picture of God’s church and kingdom. Where: Tabernacle Baptist Church, Decatur When: Friday 6 p.m. – Saturday 3 p.m. Cost: $35 Info: IBSA.org/events Contact: TammyButler@IBSA.org
Networking Calvary Baptist Church of Effingham seeks a full-time pastor. Please submit resume and sermon videos to Search Committee, P. O. Box 722, Effingham, IL 62401. Or email CBCeffingham@outlook.com Herrick Baptist Church seeks a bivocational pastor. Interested candidates should submit a resume, statement of faith, and sermon recordings to Kelli Black, kthompson.ag@gmail.com Wayne City Baptist Church seeks a full-time lead pastor. This congregation of 50-75 worshippers on Sundays is next door to the local school district and has a good ministry with children. A nice parsonage is available. Send resume to waynecitybaptistchurch. org, Search Committee Chair David White.
Search more church openings at IBSA.org/pastor-search
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Illinois Baptist
Mission ILLINOIS Glen Ellyn: back(pack) to school Peoples Community Church prepared 500 backpacks of school supplies for local kids. While Chicago Public Schools' Superintendent knocks on doors to rally kids for the first day, churches all over Illinois turn back-to-school into a season for gospel outreach.
Starting off the semester with a bang!
Bags & baptisms Carbondale: Best start yet
Hearts and Minds ministry to student athletes at Southern Illinois University reported 50 at their fall kick-off, the best opening event in their four-year history. Sports chaplain Chris Duckworth and his wife, Laura, serve students and share Christ.
winkle: Bubble blast Great mounds of suds from the bubble cannon were the hit of the school-start celebration at Winkle Baptist Church. For kids who played in it, the foam sort of took the edge off heading back to class.
First Baptist Church of Atwood had multiple reasons to celebrate. They opened August with a community event, sharing 170 bags of school supplies at a block party. Then they baptized six people at month’s end. Several students wore their “Be Courageous” shirts from Summer Camp at Lake Sallateeska.
We’re the hands and feet of Jesus and can’t wait to see how God works in our community.