In his report to messengers at the IBSA Annual Meeting, Baptist Foundation of Illinois (BFI) Executive Director Doug Morrow announced three “strategic shifts” in the entity’s direction including one that will have a major impact on students.
The first is the outsourcing of operations to “allow deep integration with our accounting software,” said Morrow. “This should provide a greater measure of excellence in timely and accurate reporting as well as help with annual audit preparation.”
The second is movement toward faith-driven investing. “The primary principle behind faith-driven investing is the obvious truth that capital investment impacts culture,” Morrow said. “There are many ways to generate a financial return, but since this truly is our father’s world, both the how and the why of a return matters.”
One example he gave would be the difference between investing in a program that provides mortgages for middle income Americans and one that is involved in LGBTQ promotion.
The third focuses on one of its most public, and perhaps most popular, initiatives—BFI scholarships. In response to studies which show many young people walk away from their faith while attending college, beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year, the Foundation announced major changes to its scholarship program “to encourage Christian faithfulness in the students we support,” said Morrow. This includes large increases in scholarship award amounts.
DeWanna Oliver
Associate degree level scholarships will increase from $1,000 to $2,000 annually. While those at the bachelor’s degree level will go from $2,000 annually to $5,000. The maximum scholarship for seminary students, currently set at $2,625 annually, will go to $7,500 per year. “Those of you who partner with the Lord through BFI are being used to make this possible,” declared Morrow. “Please know that we are grateful. Grateful to the Lord for using us.”
BFI awarded 42 scholarships in April, 18 for seminary students and 24 for undergraduates. The total amount of scholarship support for 2024-2025 is $86,200. In the past 10 years, BFI has awarded 392 scholarships to Illinois Baptist students totaling $817,575. Online applications for the next school year go live on January 1, 2025.
As part of the report, DeWanna Oliver, a BFI trustee and member of Crystal Lake First Baptist Church, offered a testimony. “It’s so important to me that we give undergraduate scholarships to students helping them go to college. We are helping them to become men and women who are going lead not only in Illinois but, we believe, around the world.”
“I’m grateful that Illinois Baptists are committed to making scholarships an investment toward the future,” she said. “That’s my future. That’s your future. That’s our hope.”
James Shannon
James Shannon, pastor, People’s Community Church of Glen Ellyn, provided a testimonial about the mortgage loan his church received from BFI. When completing the loan application at a local bank in 2013, he gave his source of income as “my faith and my Father, Jesus Christ.” For his guarantee, Shannon said, “I have one because my Father shall supply all my needs according to his riches and his glory. I put a note down there and I said, ‘Also, my Father owns cattle on a thousand hills.’”
“Now, of course, at that bank, I did not get that mortgage,” Shannon said, smiling.
He shared how the church did get the $830,000 loan through BFI and have already paid half of it down. They’ve also been able to use some of the equity for a new parking lot, two new air conditioners, and carpet for the fellowship hall.
In other business, messengers approved the 2025 BFI operating budget of $477,107. BFI 2025 Board Officers are Pam White, Chair, The Ridge Church, Carbondale; Brent Cloyd, Vice Chair, Northside Baptist Church, Fairfield; and Kyle Edmiston, Secretary, Delta Church, Springfield.