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Archives For October 31, 2015

The Briefing: LifeWay list of top 500 SBC churches shows denomination becoming more urban

Lisa Misner —  November 10, 2015

Lifeway: SBC becoming more urban
LifeWay’s new list of the top 500 Southern Baptist churches shows the denomination is becoming more urban because the American population is becoming more urban. Among other findings the South—and particularly Texas—is the epicenter of SBC megachurches; and of the 20 largest SBC churches, 20% are predominantly non-anglo. Learn more findings.

Feds give Chicago school 30 days to let boy use girls’ locker room
A transgender female student has complained District 211 high school in Palatine has “set her apart from her female classmates and teammates.” The district however has “noted two concerns it had in giving full locker room access to the student: First, a biological male would have opportunity to see girls changing clothes, and second, girls might see the student’s ‘biologically male body.’ OCR said those concerns were ‘unavailing in this case,’ and called them a pretext.”

German Protestant church rejects the Great Commission
The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland says the passage in the Gospel of Matthew known as the Great Commission does not mean Christians must try to convert others to their faith. Their position paper states, “A strategic mission to Islam or meeting Muslims to convert them threatens social peace and contradicts the spirit and mandate of Jesus Christ and is therefore to be firmly rejected.”

Religious liberty key to refugee crisis, leaders say
Religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities are essential to resolving the escalating refugee crisis in Syria and other countries, human rights advocates say. The repressive role of a religious group against other religious adherents can be seen not only in Syria but in Burma, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Nigeria and Pakistan.

High court to hear GuideStone abortion mandate appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court (Nov. 6) agreed to hear appeals by several ministries, including GuideStone Financial Resources, to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that would require certain ministries served by GuideStone to provide potentially abortion-causing drugs and devices or face crippling penalties.

Sources: Baptist Press, Religion News Services, ThomRainer.com

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Your primer for the IBSA Annual Meeting #IBSA15

Lisa Misner —  November 9, 2015

God uses healthy congregations to build his kingdom in Illinois. But what makes a church healthy so that it grows by making disciples? Studies show these five commitments are the building blocks for kingdom growth.

IBSA Annual Meeting1. Can I get a witness?

Numbers to think about:

  • 73% of born again Christians say they have a personal responsibility to share their faith with others.
  • 52% have actually done so in the past year, according to Barna research.

If we believe hope in Jesus Christ is the greatest news a person could receive, why do 31% of adults never evangelize? For many people the answer is they don’t know how. And they lack confidence.

When churches focus on intentionally training believers to effectively share their faith, members start to gain confidence in becoming active disciple-makers.

2. Welcoming newcomers, discipling new believers

Christ-followers need Christian community. “We often fail to realize the importance of new groups in light of a church’s discipleship emphasis,” said Eric Geiger of LifeWay. They “generate excitement…provide a fresh point of focus for the church family.”

Studies show that believers actively involved in a group actually pray, serve, give, and read their Bible more than those not plugged in to regular community.

The Millennial generation, especially, places a high value on relationships­­­–most citing group activities as main reasons they stay connected to the church.

3. Prayer is over all we do

More than 95% of those who pray to accept Jesus have been regularly prayed for by someone else for a significant amount of time, according to the Billy Graham School of Evangelism. Without effective prayer, a church cannot be effective in evangelism. As author and pastor Richard Krejcir said, “Prayer is our key to God’s door. It is…essential in our witnessing. It is the work of Christ through the work of the Spirit that saves.”

When churches put an emphasis on the power of witnessing through prayer, the body experiences great growth individually as well as corporately.

4. Start with the kids!

Vacation Bible School is the single most effective evangelistic tool churches have. LifeWay VBS specialist Jerry Wooley reports nearly 3 million people participated in Vacation Bible School in 2014, and 80,000 children made professions of faith.

In addition, 1 million unchurched individuals were identified.

Young people are most likely to accept Jesus Christ as Savior:

  • 43% of Americans come to Christ before age 13, and
  • 64% do so before their 18th birthday.

So why not bring the biggest need (salvation) together with the best opportunity (VBS)?

Last year, 432 IBSA churches didn’t hold a Vacation Bible School. For them, faithful old VBS is new territory!

And for all churches, there are opportunities and resources to expand VBS to weekends and weeknights, Winter VBS, and joint VBS with other churches in parks, backyards, and apartment complexes.

5. Events connect churches and communities

The call to reach the whole world with the gospel starts right here, right in the community around your church. That’s your Jerusalem.

Although there is no one-size-fits-all outreach event for every congregation, churches with successful community involvement do have one thing in common: they make outreach the priority.

  • Add an additional worship service
  • Send members into the community to meet needs
  • Host a bake sale, volunteer at a 5k, serve at a homeless shelter.

Whatever outreach looks like for your community, do it! Be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Does your church need to make a fresh commitment to any of these areas?

Prioritize these building blocks for your church and visit the Church Resources Team at the IBSA Annual Meeting. They’ll give you resources to take back to your church.

Be sure to attend the evening session at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening, November 11 to learn more even more. Or contact the Church Resources Team for assistance with your fresh commitments to effective ministry.

Each building block has potential in God’s hands to build up your church—and His Kingdom!

Visit www.IBSA.org/IBSA2015 to learn more about the Nov. 11-12 IBSA Annual Meeting and the Nov. 10-11 Pastors’ Conference at Marion FBC. #IBSA15

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Fertile ground for church planting in Illinois

Lisa Misner —  November 5, 2015

New church plants double in 2015

Edgar and Sonia Rodriguez, potential Chicago church planters

IBSA’s northwest church planting director, John Mattingly, talks with Edgar and Sonia Rodriguez, potential Chicago church planters.

Illinois Baptist church planters started 20 new congregations in 2015, an increase of 10 from last year’s number.

“We are very grateful to the Lord for the increased harvest of new churches this year,” said Van Kicklighter, associate executive director for IBSA’s Church Planting team. “At the same time, we feel the burden of knowing that 20 new church plants doesn’t begin to impact the huge number of people in Illinois who need to hear the gospel message.”

In October, Kicklighter and his team welcomed a group of potential church planters for an assessment event that will help determine their next steps in the planting process. Edgar Rodriguez, a candidate from Illinois, said the state’s diversity draws would-be planters.

“Not just in Chicago, but in [all of] Illinois…Individuals are coming in from all over the world, so I think it’s good ground for the gospel and leaders from various places in the world to be trained up and eventually be sent out.”

Thomas Clark wants to plant a new church in Chicago. “This is a place where souls are needing to be saved,” he said, noting that Christ’s blood can have an impact there. “There’s a lot of blood being shed in Chicago, but with the right blood, we can make a difference.”

Tim Swigart

Tim Swigart, who wants to plant churches in NW IL, preaches to a number of IBSA representatives.

New churches are needed outside Chicagoland too. Tim Swigart and his wife are Midwest natives and self-described “farm kids.” They’re exploring planting possibilities in Northwest Illinois, the state’s most unchurched region.

“The motif of ‘planting’ is an apt one in understanding why some years produce a large harvest of new churches and other years a smaller harvest,” Kicklighter said. “As in the parable of the sower, some seed falls on good soil while other seed falls on hard and rocky soil.

“We are seeking to increase the number of people and churches who are sowing in the mission fields of Illinois and the amount of gospel seed that is sown.”

Bryan Coble and his wife, Marci, are two potential “sowers” from Missouri. At the assessment event, Bryan said planters are drawn to Illinois not just to plant churches, but to “make disciples that will plant churches themselves.”

Local churches are key to more church plants, Kicklighter said. IBSA’s Church Planting team has implemented a pray-partner-plant strategy to engage more congregations in the planting process.

“This year the Lord has blessed our sowing and gave us an increased harvest,” Kicklighter said. “Some of this is a reflection of the work of our staff and some is the result of more praying, partnering, and planting churches.”

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

Lisa Misner —  November 4, 2015

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.
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IBSA Annual Meeting targets strong churches

Lisa Misner —  November 3, 2015

5 keys for more baptisms

The popular song “Build Your Kingdom Here” by Rend Collective inspired the 2015 Annual Meeting theme and this “word cloud” of phrases from the song’s chorus. The artwork was designed by Abby Walker of Jacksonville.

The popular song “Build Your Kingdom Here” by Rend Collective inspired the 2015 Annual Meeting theme and this “word cloud” of phrases from the song’s chorus. The artwork was designed by Abby Walker of Jacksonville.

HEARTLAND | When messengers gather for the 109th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Baptist State Association, they will be asked to consider revisions to the constitution and an amended 2016 budget, as well as commitments on behalf of their own congregation to help bring more people to faith in Christ.

“Build Your Kingdom Here,” inspired by a popular Christian song, is the theme for the meeting. It focuses on five commitments local churches can make, with the goal of increasing professions of faith and baptisms.

The Annual Meeting will be held at First Baptist Church of Marion, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, along with three other IBSA churches. There are currently 132 churches in the association founded in 1865 or earlier.

The meeting starts at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 and concludes on Thursday, Nov. 12 at noon. It will be preceded by the IBSA Pastors’ Conference, starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Consider the commitments

In the Wednesday evening session, messengers will hear uplifting reports from Illinois churches that experienced the salvation of lost people through evangelistic prayer strategies, effective witness training, outreach events, a renewed focus on Vacation Bible School, and new small groups and classes.

With Lego-style blocks as a visual device, messengers will be encouraged to consider which of these ministries would likely result in additional salvations in their communities. By pinpointing “Here!” on their own mission field, worship attenders may join a corporate prayer asking God to do a new kingdom work starting in the place they call home.

Official actions

Several items will require action by messengers. A constitutional revision introduced at the 2014 Annual Meeting will require a second vote. The change allows Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services to have its own bylaws, in compliance with Illinois law for non-profit organizations.

A revised 2016 budget will be presented, necessitated by changes in insurance provided by NAMB for some IBSA employees. “It’s unusual to need to consider a revision to the proposed IBSA Budget after the Board has approved it in September,” IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams said, “but in this case IBSA didn’t receive notice until September 24 that NAMB will no longer provide health insurance for jointly funded missionaries, starting in 2016.”

The proposed 2016 budget, as it appears in the Book of Reports, will be replaced by an updated version at the meeting, in an effort to make the revision and vote clearer.

“This decision [about NAMB-provided insurance] and its ramifications have a significant impact on multiple lines of the budget that was approved by the IBSA Board on September 15,” Adams said. “I’m sure both the Board and the messengers will understand and take the necessary actions to help us absorb this latest challenge and change.”

Eating, meeting

The IBSA Annual Meeting will be augmented by gatherings of IBSA Pastors, Ministers’ Wives, Associational Directors of Missions, Church Planters, and Young Leaders. The Pastors’ Conference includes a Tailgate Dinner on Tuesday evening ($5 per person at the door). The Wednesday evening session of the Annual Meeting concludes with a Fall Festival sweets reception. The schedules are posted at IBSA.org/IBSA2015.

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The Briefing: Houston votes on ‘bathroom ordinance’

Lisa Misner —  November 3, 2015

The BriefingHouston votes on ‘the bathroom ordinance’

Today (Nov. 3), voters in Houston, TX go to the polls to cast their ballots for or against Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) —a proposed sexual orientation, gender identity, nondiscrimination law that includes regulations for the use of restrooms and locker rooms in the city limits.

The real reason China is ditching its ‘one-child policy’

After 35 years, China has announced that it will abandon its “one-child policy,” but not because the Chinese leadership has become prolife. According to the Washington Post, “The decision appears to have been driven by concerns that the country’s low fertility rate would create a crisis that eventually could threaten the legitimacy of Communist Party rule.”

University of California seeks to ban free speech

A new campus policy has been proposed at the University of California that seeks to limit freedom of speech so that students and faculty have the “right” to study or work “free from acts and expressions of intolerance.”

Baptist care for Syrian refugees

Southern Baptists have poured nearly $3 million dollars through BGR into relief efforts for Syrian refugees. These resources have helped fund projects in several countries and have been used for things like distributions of food, blankets, clothing and more.

KY Baptist university rekindles gender role debate

Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky., hosted the inaugural Christians for Biblical Equality lectures, named for an organization that advocates equal authority and leadership roles for men and women in families and churches.

Sources: BPnews.net, Christian Post, ERLC.com, Washington Post

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Cubs v. Cardinals and underdogs

Lisa Misner —  November 2, 2015

Nate AdamsHEARTLAND | As I visit churches from one end of the state to the other, I’ve learned that there is one question that can divide a congregation into camps faster than any question of theology or worship style or even politics. “Are you all Cardinals fans or Cubs fans?”

Now I owe a nod of respect to White Sox fans too. But while the Cubs and the Sox are constant cross-town rivals, the competitive focus this year has definitely been the division race between the Cardinals, the Cubs, and yes, the Pirates, as these NL Central teams ended the regular season with the three best records in baseball. And once the Cubs dispensed with the Pirates in their one-game, wildcard playoff, the stage was set for something that, unbelievably, had never happened before, a Cardinals/Cubs playoff series.

Who was I cheering for? Well, I’m one of those unusual guys that likes both teams. During my baseball-card-collecting boyhood years in Southern Illinois, Cardinal stars like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and Orlando Cepeda were my heroes. When we later moved to the northwest suburbs of Chicago, WGN drew me in to the wonderful Wrigley world of Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Harry Caray. We have two great National League teams to cheer for here in Illinois!

But when it came to the historic 2015 Division Series, I had to pull for the Cubs. You see, the Cardinals win a lot. Over the past twenty years, the Cards have only missed the postseason seven times. The Cubs have only made it to the postseason four times. The Cubs haven’t been in a World Series since 1945, and haven’t won it since 1908. That’s the longest championship drought of any North American professional sports team. IBSA was a year old when the Cubs last won the World Series.

Call them “lovable losers” if you must, but I simply call the Cubs perennial underdogs, that I believe one day will win. While I enjoy the Cardinals’ success, there’s this part of me that identifies strongly with the underdog Cubbies.

You see, as a Christian in today’s culture, and even as a Baptist in Illinois, I often feel like an underdog. I often feel that my message, the Gospel, and my life’s values, anchored in the Bible, are not “winning” in the culture these days, no matter how hard I try or how deeply I believe. I often feel like I’m playing on a team for whom winning is always postponed into the future.

Now let me hasten to say that feeling that way doesn’t discourage me, really. And it doesn’t ever truly threaten my commitment to God, to His Kingdom, to the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and yes, to the Baptist family.

It doesn’t matter if the world or the culture considers me a winner. But every now and then, when a worship service is especially powerful, or a mission trip is especially helpful, or I see someone respond to the Gospel and enter eternity—I realize that we are winning. And I remember that being true to the team, the Kingdom, that ultimately wins is so much more important than any measure of temporal success.

I guess that’s why I enjoyed seeing the Cubs win a postseason series, even over the Cardinals, and even though they were dismissed by the Mets in four straight games shortly thereafter. It gave me just a taste of the victory that has always been promised for “next year.” And it encouraged me to keep playing hard and staying faithful to teams that sometimes get labeled lovable losers, but that one day will be truly and eternally victorious.

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

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