10 ways to make the most of your time at the IBSA Pastors’ Conference and Annual Meeting

The IBSA Pastors’ Conference and Annual Meeting are next week (November 10-12) at First Baptist Church in Marion. Find out how to make the most of your time there.

1. Tweet the Annual Meeting. Or Facebook it,  but be sure to use #IBSA15. Share what you’re learning and what inspires you. See something that you may have missed. Tweet the Pastors’ Conference with #BuiltUp.
2. Go to the Pastors’ Tailgate Party. Grab a bowl of chili or chicken and noodles cooked up by an IBSA Disaster Relief feeding team. Learn what they do, why they do it, and how you can be a part of it. It wouldn’t be a tailgate party without subs, sliders, nachos and other delicious treats. You’ll enjoy food, fun and fellowship Tuesday from 4:30-6 p.m. – all for just $5.
3. Pray ahead of the meeting, during, and after it. Ask God to bless the meeting and everyone attending. Pray for the pastors and churches in our state. Pray also for people who don’t know Christ – there are more than 8 million of them in Illinois. The prayer room will be open in Room C1, just inside the chapel.
4. Get the building blocks for church growth – Lego-style. Visit the Church Resources Team in the chapel and pick up resources you can take back to your church to create evangelistic prayer strategies, lead effective witness training, host outreach events, bring a renewed focus on Vacation Bible School, and start new small groups and classes. You might even play a video game build your own masterpiece while you’re there.
5. Network. You’re at a meeting with 100s of other pastors from cities and churches of all sizes, different backgrounds, full-time and bi-vocational, plus some just like you. Take the opportunity to talk with them about what they’ve experienced, achieved, and hope to do. Talk one child of the King to another about how to help and encourage each other.
6. Invest in yourself and your church. Attend the Pastors’ Conference, listen to the speakers, and go the breakout sessions. Take notes to help you remember important points to bring back to your church and community for growing  His Kingdom.
7. Check out the exhibit hall. Want to see what kind of exhibit the Church Planting Team has cooked up this year? Need to know about the services GuideStone Financial Services provides? Interested in the programs of study Baptist colleges and seminaries offer? Plus, there’s an IBSA Dessert Reception in the exhibit hall following the Wednesday evening session. Yum!
8. Women’s Ministry. Ladies, you’re not left out. The Ministers’ Wives’ Conference and Luncheon is Wednesday morning and will feature powerful testimonies. Come by the Women’s Ministry exhibit for all kinds of sweet treats and resources. Join the Women’s Ministry Sampling Party Thursday morning at 7:45 in Room S100. Plus, the LifeWay Bookstore will be right next door in Room S101.
9. Participate in democratic process. IBSA is your association. Vote on new board members, budgets, and resolutions (you can even submit one!). Elect association officers and learn how your denomination works.
10. Welcome newly affiliating churches. Established churches and some that have only recently constituted have gone through the credentials process and will be voted on during the meeting. There are 23 churches asking to join yours in IBSA.