Sicily, Italy | “The goal is to get the gospel out,” said Steve Brown, a missionary in Europe serving as a team leader through the International Mission Board (IMB) for 22 years, the last five based in Palermo, Sicily. He recently came up with a new strategy for doing so, specifically designed to appeal to […]
Send Relief, Venezuelan Baptists continue earthquake response
As emergency response continues in Venezuela following June’s earthquakes, Southern Baptists have been faithful in continued prayer and generosity. Last week, International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood joined a team on the ground at the invitation of Elier Romero, general director of the Venezuelan National Baptist Convention (CNBV). Chitwood was joined by Jason Cox, Send […]
At Go Chicago this downstate church loves their upstate counterpart
Metropolis | Kinley Logeman had never been to Chicago before a summer youth mission trip several years back. While it’s in the same state, Metropolis is completely different from its far north neighbor, having less than 6,000 people and sitting on the southern border of Illinois. It was a bit scary for the then 15-year-old […]
This family’s mission is missions
Orlando | Why would an Illinois family of 10 make an almost 1,000-mile journey from their home in Casey to Central Florida (or some other distant location) every year? For the Howards of Casey, the reason is simple: to share the gospel. This family has traveled every June since 2019 to take part in Crossover, […]
Reese (and 161 friends) have a Super Summer
Greenville | This was Reese Lee’s last year at Super Summer. After graduating up to “gray school,” she’s entering college this fall and won’t be able to return as a student. This year’s gray school had 10 members and all of them have been attending Super Summer together since red school, when they were entering […]
Illinois Disaster Relief operates multiple sites after record tornadoes
Jefferson County, IL | Bob Burton watched from the front porch of his Mount Vernon home as a large funnel cloud formed less than a half-mile away. Soon, reports would begin coming in of a tornado striking nearby towns on what had been a lazy Father’s Day afternoon. Minutes later, Burton, Salem South associational mission […]
It’s time for fresh eyes on Chicagoland
Zoom out over Chicago and you will see not only one world class city, or one monolithic metro region with 10 million people sprawled across three states. You will see its component parts: 77 neighborhoods and 200 suburban communities, each with its own food and flavor and ethnicity and team allegiances and politics and faith […]
SBC: Where we stand now
We know what happened in Orlando. The expanded team coverage in this issue of the Illinois Baptist will illustrate the many annual rituals that drew more than 20,000 people to Florida for Southern Baptists’ big family gathering. But one topic dominated discussion going into the convention—What is a pastor and who is called to be […]
News Stories
Former IBSA Pastors Conference speaker, Send St. Louis church planter, announced as historic AMS appointment
Ferguson, Mo. | Michael T. Byrd, Sr.’s background in ministry began as a 19-year-old preacher before moving into the pastorate and associational work, all in his native St. Louis. It’s that experience he’s eager to put into practice as the new executive director of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association. He told Baptist Press that […]
Mindy Cobb’s endless summer
Mindy Cobb moved to Chicago with her husband, Lindsay, nearly 50 years ago to be a part of a church plant and hasn’t looked back. In Longevity, a collection of essays by Nathan Carter, Cobb shared she originally planned to give God one summer of her life, but he wanted the whole thing. Out of […]
New Illinois laws raise concerns for Baptists
Springfield | The spring session of the Illinois General Assembly passed multiple bills that conflict with the biblical values of Illinois Baptists. Some were signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in late June: – HB 4834, the Prescription Monitoring Program, removed testosterone, estrogen, mifepristone and misoprostol from the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program. The law […]
World Cup visitors, America’s 250th celebration reminders of ‘how good we have it’
As World Cup soccer in America ramps up, you’ve probably heard and seen by now enthusiastic European soccer fans gushing all over social media about their trips to the USA. Many are sharing their love for our state parks, the ease of travel, stores like Sam’s Club, Taco Bell, Buc-ee’s, the mysteries of ice machines, […]
BF&M 2000
BF&M Article 18: In the beginning God created… family
At the apex of God’s creative workweek, we find him crafting a man, then a woman, and directing them to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). It might surprise younger Baptists to know that Article 18 wasn’t included in the 1925 BF&M. Or the 1963 version. It was added […]
BF&M Articles 15, 16, 17: Our dual citizenship
Some nations allow dual citizenship. Citizens can enjoy all the rights and privileges of their nation while pledging allegiance to another nation as well, so long as they keep up their obligations (and pay taxes, I suppose). The United States does not prohibit dual citizenship, but if you want to enter the country, you must […]
BF&M Articles 13 & 14: What’s temporary vs. what’s lasting
Those unfamiliar with the biblical use of the word steward may find it helpful to substitute the word manager. The Bible teaches that God owns everything, and that Christians, God’s people, are temporary managers of all that he entrusts into their lives. Managers are not owners. They are caretakers, with delegated responsibility for the treasures […]
BF&M Articles 11 & 12: Let’s talk about Jesus
The first official SBC-sanctioned witnessing training I received was called “Lay Evangelism School.” A leader from the state convention came to our church and taught us how to use a “survey method” to share the gospel on a Saturday morning. Then we went out and did it. We knocked on doors in the neighborhood and […]