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SBC: Hitch up, head home

June 12, 2025 By Ben Jones

Pastor Jason Lane

Dallas | The curtain dropped Wednesday afternoon on the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, after four days of frenetic activity. Sermons were preached. Songs were sung. Missionaries were celebrated. Swag was stuffed in bags. Ballots were hoisted, and decisions were made. Some likely didn’t fare as well as they had hoped, but all left […]

SBC: Tuesday roundup from Dallas

June 11, 2025 By Ben Jones

Day 1 Summary

Dallas | If Monday sent Dallas SBC messengers out of the chute, then Tuesday would answer the question, Is this bull we’re riding a “dink” (not much action) or an “arm jerker” (hold on tight)? With most of the day’s 10,500 registered messengers (plus thousands of guests) still streaming into the cavernous Hall F, the […]

Dallas messengers celebrate 100 years of cooperation

June 10, 2025 By Ben Jones

CP 100th Anniversary

Dallas | For 100 years Southern Baptists have chosen to give a portion of their tithes and offerings to the Cooperative Program (CP), entrusting that unified giving plan to send missionaries, start churches, educate students, and strengthen churches, near home and around the world. Messengers in Dallas Tuesday afternoon paused their business of voting and […]

SBC: Out of the chute in Dallas

June 10, 2025 By Ben Jones

Darin and Doris Peterson

Dallas | Nearly 10,000 Southern Baptists messengers woke up in Dallas ready to run into the first day of business at the 167th annual meeting of the 180 year-old convention. Over 150 were Illinois Baptists who made the trip to the Lone Star State. A number of matters are expected to produce floor discussion and […]

Illinois Baptists respond to May 16 tornadoes

May 19, 2025 By Ben Jones

Marion | Local churches and Disaster Relief volunteers sprung into action following a devastating tornado that struck Williamson, Saline, and Gallatin counties May 16. An EF4 tornado packing winds in excess of 190 MPH destroyed numerous houses along a 16-mile path south of Marion. Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief State Director Arnold Ramage, who lives in […]

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Featured Columns

Michael Awbrey

Calming an anxious generation

Michael Awbrey

You have probably heard some of the troubling statistics about teens and young adults. The data points are piling up like symptoms for a very ill patient. Since 2010, Anxiety is up 139% among 18–25-year-olds. Depression is up 145% among girls and 161% among boys. Self-harm emergency room visits are up almost 200% for girls […]

Nate Adams

Thank You

Nate Adams

These are the final few paragraphs I will write to my Illinois Baptist family as IBSA’s Executive Director, and I want to express gratitude for so many things. Thank you for welcoming my family and me back to Illinois after almost nine years at the North American Mission Board in Georgia. As I’ve written and […]

Love note: Now I can say we’re time-tested

Meredith Flynn

A few nights ago, I woke up to the sound of wind howling outside our windows. Tree branches bowed and scraped against the side of the house. A loose shutter thumped rhythmically and loudly enough to wake two of the four of us inside. “At least this house can weather the storm,” I thought as […]

More Columns

Calming an anxious generation

Michael Awbrey

You have probably heard some of the troubling statistics about teens and young adults. The data points are piling up like symptoms for a very ill patient. Since 2010, Anxiety is up 139% among 18–25-year-olds. Depression is up 145% among girls and 161% among boys. Self-harm emergency room visits are up almost 200% for girls […]

News

Screenshot: PBS

Chicagoland’s Gaiter, Shannon honor civil rights icons and mentors

Illinois Baptist Staff

Chicagoland | Two pastors from IBSA network churches recently honored leaders in the civil rights movement who served as mentors and role models. Pastor Maurice Gaiter of Empowerment Community Church in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood was invited to pray at a remembrance service for Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Feb. 17 at age 84. “He gave […]

State Department urges Americans to leave 14 Middle Eastern countries

Group of SBC leaders caught amid Iran attacks now headed back to U.S.

More News Stories

Mission

“While we have not yet arrived at the destination we envision, I believe we are clearly headed in the right direction,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood to trustees in the May 22 plenary session. IMB Photo

IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, elect first woman chair

Leslie Caldwell

Richmond | International Mission Board trustees approved 65 fully funded missionaries for appointment during their May 21-22 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. The missionaries approved for appointment will be recognized during a Sending Celebration on Tuesday, June 10, at 10:08 a.m. CDT in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas. The event will […]

Metro East church plant hosts multiplication meeting

Sallateeska baptism demonstrates SBC connections

More Mission Stories

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