Nothing is scarier than change. (Well, maybe spiders are scarier, but I digress.) But here is the reality we face. Change is happening all the time, whether we like it or not. The real issue isn’t whether things will change, but how we deal with the change that is inevitable. So, let’s talk about navigating change at IBSA and in church life in general.
This is a season of change at IBSA. After 20 years of service, Executive Director Nate Adams will be retiring next year. Whether we like it or not, time has continued to march on and “young Nate Adams” has become “not so young Nate Adams.” Even as you read this, IBSA has an Executive Director Search Team working hard at the task of finding the next leader for our state convention.
How should IBSA navigate this change? What should we keep in mind as we consider the future? What are some lessons to keep in mind as we face the inevitable changes coming to our beloved organization?
Change can be helpful for organizations of all sizes. I love Nate Adams and am so grateful he has led IBSA so effectively for the past two decades.
He has, I remind you, made many helpful changes to IBSA during his long tenure. He has led us through many changes in personnel and in methodology along the way. He has constantly tried to push our large organization to be effective in our mission of reaching our state with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He would be the first to remind us that change can be helpful. We will always need to consider finding methods that are effective in helping us reach Illinois for Christ. We will always need to evaluate our efficiency. Nate modeled that for us.
I hope the next Executive Director of Illinois Baptists can continue to help us become more effective and efficient. I hope he can help us continue to evaluate and scrutinize what we do. I hope he can help us reach our state and strengthen our churches and start new works and make a greater impact. I hope he has fresh ideas and new insights that lead us forward in our work together.
Change should be intentional. All churches and institutions change. Some change for the better and some change for the worse, but all organizations change.
IBSA won’t be able to recreate the past any better than our churches can. But IBSA can learn from the past to create a brighter future, just as our churches can. We can choose to change in ways that are beneficial and impactful and positive. We can change proactively to reach the next generations.
One of the things the search team is doing is identifying the traits, talents, and perspectives that are needed in our next Executive Director. They are examining the skills sets that are needed and the proficiencies that are required. They know that change in our state association is inevitable, but they want it to be intentional.
The search team wants the next Executive Director to be able to build upon the strong past we have enjoyed and the great potential we see coming. They want someone to help us reach the next generation in our state and to help our churches to band together in this important task God has given us.
Our changes need to be intentional changes that help us fulfill the mission given to us by our Lord Jesus.
I may still find spiders scary, but when I think correctly about the inevitable nature of change that is coming to our association and our churches, I find change less frightening. God has worked in great ways in the history of Illinois Baptists. I am convinced that God is going to work in great ways in our future as well.
So, let’s embrace the work that God is doing. While our methods and personnel always change, our gospel never changes. The solid rock of faith in our Lord Jesus remains firm. We can trust the unchanging God in our ever-changing world.
God has blessed IBSA in the past. We are believing God for his continued blessings on the future. Our future is as bright as the promises of God. So, let’s go together on this great journey of reaching our state, nation, and world with the life-changing gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!
— Doug Munton is pastor of First Baptist Church of O’Fallon. He is serving as IBSA President.