Springfield | Two months ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, SBC President Bart Barber will visit with pastors and church leaders in Illinois. Invited by IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams, Barber will be the featured speaker at a Q and A luncheon with Illinois Baptists April 16 at the IBSA Building in Springfield.
“We are eager to host Barber because I think he has been a candid, honest, transparent spokesperson for the challenging issues that are happening at the national SBC,” Adams told the IBSA Board at their March 19 meeting.
“Several of our churches are expressing concern over what’s happening in this or that SBC entity, or what might happen at the convention or what might be voted on,” Adams said. “I think the opportunity to listen to him and ask questions of him will do a lot of good.”
In an interview with the Illinois Baptist in September, Barber described keeping his eye on the upcoming Indianapolis meeting, and his twin desires to deal carefully with important issues, including the definition of pastor and the role of women in the church, while also bringing as many voices to the microphone as possible.
Barber is especially interested in promoting the future of the SBC’s Cooperative Program on the eve of its 100th anniversary, a concern shared by Adams and Illinois leaders. “I want to rally Southern Baptists around a vision for cooperation that we had in 1925 that is as good in 2025,” he told the Illinois Baptist. “I want to get our hearts and our spirit back into the idea of cooperating with one another, to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Barber appointed the study committee that will report to the convention in June on the outcomes of the Great Commission Resurgence, a 2012 move to further streamline some SBC entities and to refocus their program assignments on evangelistic and missional work. In the decade since, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination has joined the others in a downward turn in membership, while also dealing with claims of sexual abuse in some local churches and the subsequent fallout.
Meeting an SBC President personally is a rare opportunity for many people. IBSA hosted a similar event with Fred Luter in his second term as SBC President in 2013. Luter, and his wife, Elizabeth, were well received by a capacity crowd at the IBSA Building during his historic service as the first African American to hold the top elected SBC office.
Barber’s visit promises some lighter moments, beyond the heavy issues he may discuss. The Farmersville, Texas pastor of a church with 300 in attendance has broken the mold of recent megachurch pastor presidencies. He has also become known for his sense of humor, often from his ranching and the names he gives his cattle. Lottie Moooon, Annie Farmstrong, and Bully Graham have become famous on Barber’s social media page on X (formerly Twitter). And as a St. Louis Cardinals fan who grew up listening to the games from his Arkansas home, Barber recently added Yadier Moolina to the herd in honor of the Cards’ famous catcher.
Adams joked about learning about cows in preparation for Barber’s visit. The team preparing for the luncheon ordered a life-size cutout of a cow for photos with Barber and church leaders. In a state that celebrates the Butter Cow at the annual State Fair, the gesture seemed appropriate.
At press time, there were a few spaces left for the luncheon. Pastors and church leaders should register at IBSA.org/meet-the-president.