Scott Harris will join the IBSA staff Jan. 1 as evangelism director and administrative director of mobilization. Harris and his wife, Teresa, will relocate to Springfield from Georgia, where he pastored Hopewell Baptist Church in Gainesville. Harris was mentored by Bobby Welch, developer of the F.A.I.T.H. evangelism strategy used in many Southern Baptist churches.
IBSA’s Brad Lovin will continue to serve as missions director, after also serving as administrative director for mobilization since September 2019. He shared with staff that he sensed God leading him to focus more on the area of missions, and had prayed he would provide the right leader for the mobilization role.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to lead the Mobilization Team over the last 15 months,” Lovin said. “It has given me a deeper appreciation for how evangelism, missions, and church planting should work together. And I am excited to continue serving as the missions director on what will soon be a fully staffed Mobilization Team.”
Also in the new year, Bob Evaul will begin serving on a contract as IBSA’s Hispanic church consultant. Evaul and his wife, Carol, served as church planting missionaries in Bolivia and have been involved in Hispanic ministry in Illinois since moving to the state in 2001.
Evaul has served IBSA as a zone consultant since 2016, and will step out of that part-time role as his new assignment begins.
Roger Marshall will serve as IBSA’s zone consultant in Zone 7, relating to Rehoboth, Kaskaskia, Louisville, Olney, Palestine, and Westfield Associations. Marshall retired from First Baptist Church in Effingham in July 2020 after 32 years as pastor.
“Over the years, Roger has formed some wonderful and deep relationships throughout the zone that he will serve,” said Fran Trascritti, IBSA’s administrative director of leadership development.
Joe Oliver concluded his time as a zone consultant at the end of 2020, after more than six years of service in Zone 2. Oliver came to IBSA with decades of ministry experience in Fox Valley Association.
“I’ve been so blessed by the closer relationships with pastors and church leaders in my zone churches,” Oliver said. “The friendships we’ve shared will be long remembered and will continue. My prayer is that these significant relationships have impacted the churches and thus the kingdom.”