We’re headed back to Chicagoland for the annual gathering of Illinois Baptists. Ashburn Baptist Church in Orland Park, one of IBSA’s newer cooperating churches, will host the 118th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Baptist State Association. The schedule for 2024 brings much of the required business action together with worship, preaching, and missions in a streamlined schedule.
Following the two-day event, November 12-13, messengers and guests are encouraged to stay over an extra day for a mini-Serve Tour in five locations and a prayer tour of church plants in Illinois’ largest mission field.
Orland Park is on the southwest side in the Chicago suburbs, with easy access from the interstate. From that perspective, it serves as a gateway to the metro area, including the city itself. The location is convenient for messengers and guests travelling from downstate.
This year’s gathering will feature five preachers, 19 breakouts for pastors and ministry leaders, a celebration marking entrance into the 100th anniversary year of both the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message, reports from national and state missions partners, as well as shorter business sessions.
Among the featured speakers is Jeff Iorg, newly installed in a key SBC leadership role after 20 years leading Gateway Seminary. “We are really excited to give Illinois Baptists an opportunity to hear from the new SBC Executive Committee President,” said Corey Menken, Committee on Order of Business Chair. Iorg is well known in Illinois from his frequent appearances at the Midwest Leadership Summit. He also spoke at the Priority Women’s Conference.
Now he brings his leadership skills to the hub of SBC operations and to encouragement of missions support through the Cooperative Program. IBSA’s early celebration of the century mark for both CP and the Baptist Faith and Message is a preview for national observances that will peak at the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas.
More headliners
Mark Croston, National Director of Black Church Ministries at Lifeway Christian Resources will be the featured preacher in Session 1, which begins Tuesday afternoon. Croston is author of multiple books and articles on ministry leadership. The dynamic preacher is well known to Illinois Baptists, having led breakouts at the bi-annual Midwest Leadership Summit in Springfield.
Tuesday evening marks the opening of business, with the seating of messengers and elections of IBSA President and Recording Secretary. Session 2 will feature preaching by Brian Croft of Louisville, Ky. Croft is Founder and Executive Director of Practical Shepherding. He teaches on pastoral ministry and church revitalization at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Session 3 on Wednesday afternoon will house the majority of business items, including action on IBSA committee and entity reports. The afternoon session will conclude with a message from IBSA President Michael Nave. The Lead Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Marion is serving in his second one-year term as IBSA president.
The final session on Wednesday evening will feature preaching from both Bruce Kirk and Jeff Iorg. Kirk currently serves as IBSA Board Chairman. He is Senior Pastor of Alpha Missionary Baptist Church in Bolingbrook, where he is leading the suburban congregation to a renewed season of community engagement and leadership development.
Music will be led by Jericho Taetz, Worship Pastor at Ashburn Baptist of Orland Park, the host church. Tommy Thompson, Lead Pastor at Ashburn and acting Pastors Conference President, said that their staff and members are excited to host a great lineup of speakers and welcome fellow Illinois Baptists to their campus in the southwest Chicago suburbs.
Breaking out
The 2024 IBSA Annual Meeting schedule also features additional missions and ministry opportunities beyond business and preaching.
Training for ministry. This year will also see the return of breakout sessions to the Annual Meeting. Instead of a morning main session, Wednesday will feature 19 breakout sessions, offering opportunities for a wide range of ministry leaders to grow and learn. The breakouts will be led by main session speakers including Brian Croft, Mark Croston, and Michael Nave, along with IBSA staff and church leaders. Learn more here.
Especially for women. Women in ministry can register for a breakfast event on Wednesday morning, and Hispanic leaders have the opportunity to attend a luncheon. Wednesday will also feature the Evangelism/Multiply lunch. This event celebrates ways God is reaching the lost through IBSA churches. It is open to any messenger or guest. Registration is required for all Wednesday gatherings and can be found at IBSAannualmeeting.org.
Chicagoland Baptists meet. Between the Tuesday afternoon and evening sessions, the Chicagoland Baptists will host their annual meeting and dinner on-site at Ashburn Baptist Church.
“We are looking forward to combining our Annual Meeting with the IBSA Annual meeting this year as it comes to Chicagoland, Nathan Carter, Chicagoland Associational Mission Strategist said. “During the dinner break on Tuesday night, Chicagoland Baptists will be having a banquet to celebrate what God has done among us this past year, look ahead to 2025, and conduct our associational business.”
Stay, pray, serve
And after the meetings end, Illinois Baptists are invited to stay over to participate in either a prayer tour or service tour on Thursday morning. The IBSA Mission team is collaborating with the Send Relief Chicago Ministry Center and the Chicagoland Baptists to provide two experiences to learn more about our Chicago mission field and the local church and ministry partners who serve there.
There’s more information about the program, affinity ministry gatherings, and registration details at IBSAannualmeeting.org.