The Spring meeting of the IBSA Board was part business, part celebration, as members adopted reports, welcomed good news from the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services, and gathered for hors d’ouveres and a dedication ceremony in a newly renovated space.
“I look forward to celebrating this special day with you,” IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams told the Board. Calling the renovation of the first floor east wing a “generational improvement,” he noted it will cap an entire building renovation that began in 2011. “Our architect told us it would take about $10 million to build [the IBSA Building] again today.”
The meeting opened with scripture and prayer from board member Drake Caudill, pastor of First Baptist Church of Carmi. “Burnout is real,” he told members. Citing Hebrews 4:12, he shared hope for endurance. “If God’s Word is the foundation of your calling, then God’s Word will sustain your calling.”
BCHFS Executive Director Kevin Carrothers reported on his first three months in office, noting a surge of people needing help. As a society, “we’ve gone from 11% of people experiencing anxiety and depression pre-pandemic to 41%,” he said. “We would serve more people if we had more staff.”
Carrothers expressed gratitude for opening a second girl’s cottage, enabling BCHFS to serve 10 girls on its campus. He also reported Angels’ Cove Maternity Center recently welcomed a healthy new baby, although the mother is experiencing some post-natal complications.
In his report, Adams said 97% of IBSA churches completed an Annual Church Profile (ACP) showing rebounds over 2021, however most categories have yet to reach 2019 levels. The 2022 IBSA Church Needs Survey affirmed IBSA’s strategic direction, Adams said.
In February, Adams met with the Board’s Strategic Planning Committee which approved the 2024 IBSA Goals and Celebration Metrics to be presented to the full Board. They included 15 “church facing” goals and nine that are “network” facing. Adams described church facing as “ministry directly to churches,” while network facing is work “you may not see directly but will make the network more effective.”
Adams called the ongoing refocus and revitalization process “the gold standard for how a church can focus on itself.” Also, he said the newly implemented Next Step Consulting Process continues to be a success already assisting nearly 15% of IBSA churches. However, Adams said the greatest need continues to be “church planting in Illinois and a more intentional process for helping churches hire pastors and staff” as many left during the pandemic.
In other business at the March 28 meeting, the Board:
- Approved the 2022 audit with a clean opinion conducted by Capin Crouse LLP.
- Approved the 2024 budget of $6 million and Cooperative Program ratio of 56.5% to be retained in Illinois and 43.5% to be forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention, which will be submitted to messengers at the IBSA Annual Meeting.
- Heard how the IBSA staff is gearing up to host the Midwest Leadership Summit in January 2024 and preparing to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Program in 2025.
After the adjourning, board members gathered for dedication of the renovated space that Adams called “our living room for Illinois Baptists.”