Just as messengers at the national convention did in Dallas, Illinois Baptist messengers at the Annual Meeting in Springfield expressed support for the century-old pillars of Southern Baptist work — the Baptist Faith and Message and Cooperative Program — uniting factors in our shared ministry. Several speakers held them up as key to the effective […]
Adams honored before retirement
Springfield | It was a celebration of tears and laughter, as messengers at the IBSA Annual Meeting honored Executive Director Nate Adams ahead of his planned retirement. Two moments stand out. The first was when the elder Adams his introduced his son Noah, now a pastor in Colorado, who was invited to preach. The proud […]
Baptisms rising: ACP shows positive trend in several areas
“IBSA has made a major impact on how we do ministry in the west side of Chicago,” said Maurice Gaiter, pastor of Empower Community Church of Chicago. Last year, Gaiter attended an IBSA-hosted event led by State Evangelism Director Scott Harris that he called “life-changing.” “It has given us the model to make Jesus known,” […]
Passing the baton to a younger generation
When Tyler Sterchi was fairly fresh out of college and interviewing for his first church staff position, the pastor quizzing him said, if Sterchi were called, he would become the next pastor of that church. Twelve years later, it happened. That’s what you call long-term planning. It’s also a well-executed hand-off of leadership, something mostly […]
IBSA Annual Meeting Wrap-Up: Celebrating the roots that make us strong
Think of it as a pep rally before the big game. Both the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message will mark their 100th anniversaries in 2025. A grand celebration for these two pillars of Southern Baptist missiology and theology is planned for the SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas in June, but in Illinois, […]