When Illinois Baptists convene for the 118th IBSA Annual Meeting, they will experience a condensed, but action-packed event that combines preaching, worship, conference-style training, ministry and affinity groups, and business sessions, across a shorter timeframe.
This year’s gathering November 12-13 in Orland Park will feature five preachers, 19 breakouts for pastors and ministry leaders, a celebration marking entrance into the 100th anniversary year of both the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message, reports from national and state missions partners, as well as shorter business sessions.
The Committee on Order of Business met September 12 in Springfield to finalize the schedule and speakers for the annual gathering of messengers and guests from the nearly 900 cooperating IBSA churches.
The IBSA Board tasked the committee with merging elements of the Pastors Conference and Annual Meeting into a single, streamlined, two-day event, making it more convenient to attend.
“We are really excited to give Illinois Baptists an opportunity to hear from the new SBC Executive Committee President,” said Corey Menken, Committee on Order of Business Chair. “We are excited about the program that the committee, staff, and officers have put together. And we believe that the condensed schedule will make it easier for bi-vocational pastors and church volunteers to attend.”
Croston, Croft, and Iorg headline preaching
Mark Croston, National Director of Black Church Ministries at Lifeway Christian Resources will be the featured preacher in Session 1, which begins Tuesday afternoon. Croston is author of multiple books and articles on ministry leadership. The dynamic preacher is well known to Illinois Baptists, having led breakouts at the bi-annual Midwest Leadership Summit in Springfield.
Tuesday evening marks the opening of business, with the seating of messengers and elections of IBSA President and Recording Secretary. Session 2 will feature preaching by Brian Croft, of Louisville, Ky. Croft is Founder and Executive Director of Practical Shepherding. He teaches on pastoral ministry and church revitalization at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Session 3 on Wednesday afternoon will house the majority of business items, including action on IBSA committee and entity reports. The afternoon session will conclude with a message from IBSA President Michael Nave. The Lead Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Marion is serving in his second one-year term as IBSA president.
The final session on Wednesday evening will feature preaching from both Bruce Kirk and Jeff Iorg. Kirk currently serves as IBSA Board Chairman. He is Senior Pastor of Alpha Missionary Baptist Church in Bolingbrook, where he is leading the suburban congregation to a renewed season of community engagement and leadership development.
Iorg, SBC Executive Committee President and CEO, will deliver the final sermon of the meeting. Iorg is a former church planter, state convention executive in the Pacific Northwest, and long-time president of Gateway Seminary in California. He is well known for his passion for Southern Baptist cooperative missions and expertise in leading change to engage a changing culture.
Music will be led by Jericho Taetz, Worship Pastor at Ashburn Baptist of Orland Park, the host church. Tommy Thompson, Lead Pastor at Ashburn and acting Pastors Conference President, said that their staff and members are excited to host a great lineup of speakers and welcome fellow Illinois Baptists to their campus in the Southwest Chicago suburbs.
Learning, gathering, celebrating, and serving
The 2024 IBSA Annual Meeting schedule also features additional missions and ministry opportunities beyond business and preaching.
Between the Tuesday afternoon and evening sessions, the Chicagoland Baptist Association will host their annual meeting and dinner on-site at Ashburn Baptist Church.
“We are looking forward to combining our Annual Meeting with the IBSA Annual meeting this year as it comes to Chicagoland,” Nathan Carter, Chicagoland Associational Mission Strategist said. “During the dinner break on Tuesday night, Chicagoland Baptists will be having a banquet on site to celebrate what God has done among us this past year, look ahead to 2025, and conduct our associational business.” Chicagoland messengers can register for their meeting here.
Women in ministry can register for a breakfast event on Wednesday morning, and Hispanic leaders have the opportunity to attend a luncheon. Wednesday will also feature the Evangelism/Multiply lunch. This event celebrates ways God is reaching the lost through IBSA churches. It is open to any messenger or guest. Registration is required for all Wednesday gatherings and can be found at IBSAannualmeeting.org.
This year will also see the return of breakout sessions to the Annual Meeting. Instead of a morning main session, Wednesday will feature 19 breakout sessions, offering opportunities for a wide range of ministry leaders to grow and learn. The breakouts will be led by main session speakers including Brian Croft, Mark Croston, and Michael Nave, along with IBSA staff and church leaders.
The Wednesday evening program will also celebrate the beginning of the 100th anniversary year of the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message. Both the SBC program of funding local and global missions and ministry and the denomination’s guiding statement of faith that sets the doctrinal boundaries of cooperation began in 1925. Both will be celebrated nationally in 2025.
And after the meetings end, Illinois Baptists are invited to stay over to participate in either a prayer tour or service tour on Thursday morning. The IBSA Mission team is collaborating with the Send Relief Chicago Ministry Center and the Chicagoland Baptist Association to provide two experiences to learn more about our Chicago mission field and the local church and ministry partners who serve there. Details are being finalized and will be made available soon.
Messengers and guests can find more information about the program, affinity ministry gatherings, and registration details at IBSAannualmeeting.org.