• Contact
  • Return to IBSA
  • Advertise Through Us
  • Subscribe
  • E-Reader

IBSA News

Illinois Baptist State Newspaper

  • Quick Links
    • E-Reader
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
  • News
    • IBSA
    • SBC
    • Culture
    • Illinois Churches
  • Stories
    • Church Planting
    • Mission
  • In Focus
  • Columns
    • Scott Foshie
    • Eric Reed
    • Meredith Flynn
    • Table Talk
    • Reporter’s Notebook
    • Encouraging Words

Taking prayer on the road in Chicagoland

February 8, 2019 By Andrew Woodrow

“A bus tour is a good way to see the neighborhoods we’ll be praying for,” said Cheryl Dorsey, prayer coordinator for the Chicago Metro Baptist Association. “As we travel between churches, we will review the social and spiritual profile of the neighborhoods, praying en route for those communities.” This was the fifth year Dorsey and […]

Church attendance linked to higher levels of happiness

February 5, 2019 By Andrew Woodrow

Survey: Church attendance linked to higher levels of happiness Church participation leads to more happiness and civic engagement, according to Pew Research’s analysis of surveys from the U.S. and 25 other countries. Religious affiliation without participation does not lead to the same positive outcomes, Pew found. Young adults keep Christian label; fewer ‘devout’ Most young […]

Chicago prayer conference hits the road

January 23, 2019 By Andrew Woodrow

Every January for the past five years, the Chicago Metro Baptist Association has hosted a prayer conference for churches in the region. This year, however, instead of a conference, CMBA will commemorate the day of prayer on a bus tour through Chicagoland. “I wanted to celebrate our fifth year as a milestone,” said Cheryl Dorsey, […]

The Briefing: 66% of young adults drop out of church for at least a year

January 22, 2019 By Andrew Woodrow

Study: 66% of young adults drop out of church for at least a year In a 2017 LifeWay Research survey released on January 15, 66 percent of Americans between 23 and 30 years old said they stopped attending church on a regular basis for at least a year after turning 18. Moving for college was the […]

Trending: Will the church embrace immigrants?

January 11, 2019 By Andrew Woodrow

Editor’s note: Each year, the Illinois Baptist team explores the trends that shaped 2018, and forecasts their effect on the coming year. After illegal border crossings declined in 2017 to a more than 40-year low, the numbers began climbing again in 2018. This included a record-setting number of people from Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico traveling […]

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 8
  • Next Page »

Featured Columns

Scott Foshie and Heartland interns

Foshie: Seeking Spirit-led momentum

Scott Foshie

As a young man starting out in ministry, I was reminded by mentors many times that “serving the Lord is a marathon, not a sprint.” This admonition continues to ring true as we launch into this new season of Illinois Baptist life. While we celebrate many signs of growing Spirit-led momentum in our Great Commission […]

Mark Emerson

Worth every effort

Mark Emerson

When the news came, I was tired—Day 4 of VBS tired. Tired had been the theme of every drive home with my wife that week. Somewhere along the way I had finally asked the question only the overly weary ask: “How long are we going to keep this up?” Months of planning had become weeks […]

Messengers close loophole

Eric Reed

It seemed like no big deal at the time. Messengers quickly voted for a change to the Baptist Faith and Message in 2023, there was no great debate. The motion came up and it kind of slid through—and that’s the problem. In 2026 they voted to prevent that from ever happening again. At the 2026 […]

More Columns

Final claim dismissed in Johnny Hunt lawsuit

Scott Barkley

Nashville | A U.S. district court has once again sided with the Southern Baptist Convention and other defendants in a suit brought by former SBC President Johnny Hunt. Chief District Judge William L. Campbell Jr., of the Middle District of Tennessee issued today (August 12) a final summary judgment on the only remaining claim in the […]

News

Scott Foshie and Hispanic pastors in Chicagoland

Good signs (so far)

Illinois Baptist Staff

Springfield | In church life, some summers are marked by a slump—in giving, attendance or attitude. But not this year, and especially not for IBSA. With the new administration now entering its second quarter, there are notable signs of positive attitudes in the network of churches. Some observations are anecdotal, with stories coming from the […]

IMB missionary dies while serving in the Philippines

Young returns to IBSA team

More News Stories

Mission

World Cup scores for digital witness

Illinois Baptist Staff

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup roared to a close and Spain left holding the trophy, Southern Baptist churches and missionaries around the world prayed for impact that outlasts the hardware. Southern Baptists mission boards joined churches and associations in digital and in-person outreach, as North America hosted the World Cup for the first time […]

IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, elect first woman chair

Metro East church plant hosts multiplication meeting

More Mission Stories

  • News
  • Mission
  • In Focus
  • Columns

Copyright © 2026 · Website by Megaphone Designs