Illinois Baptists celebrate roots that make us strong
By Illinois Baptist Staff
ORLAND PARK, Ill. – Think of it as a pep rally before the big game. Both the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message will mark their 100th anniversaries in 2025. A grand celebration for these two pillars of Southern Baptist missiology and theology is planned for the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas in June, but in Illinois, the party started early.
With a new streamlined format to encourage participation, the worship, business and preaching sessions were combined, rather than staging the Pastors’ Conference separate from the IBSA Annual Meeting. Gathering at Ashburn Baptist Church in the Southwest Chicago suburb of Orland Park, 351 elected messengers and 76 guests prayed, praised and handled the business of the state association.
And they heard from preachers.
Cooperation among SBC churches is in danger, warned Jeff Iorg, President and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. He decried growing tribalism in the Convention.
“Is cooperation still the best way for thousands of autonomous churches to work toward the common goal of sharing the Gospel with the entire world?” Iorg asked. “My answer … is a resounding yes!”
IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams introduced the 2025 focus on the centennial celebrations by telling the story of his grandmother, who contributed sacrificially to the $75 million campaign, a precursor to the Cooperative Program aimed at getting the denomination out of debt after World War 1.
“I’m trying to cheerlead again that what we believe about the Bible matters, and how we make disciples matter, and what missionaries we send to the field matters, and what pastors that we train our seminaries believe matters,” he said. “Likewise, the Baptist Faith and Messagehas this wonderful place, and it deserves a rejuvenation of interest in our churches.”
Messengers were given copies of the Baptist Faith and Message in booklet form, which Adams pointed out was remarkably small, considering its importance.
Issues and actions
Iorg’s cautions came on the same day IBSA messengers expressed support for the current denominational positions on women in ministry, in particular the male-only senior pastor interpretation of Scripture. They also called for churches and pastors to strengthen marriages with teaching and counseling.
Those actions were among six resolutions approved by messengers. (See the full list.)
Messengers approved revisions to the IBSA constitution to clarify the difference between IBSA the corporation—which is the umbrella organization that includes the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS) and Baptist Foundation of Illinois (BFI)—and IBSA the association of churches engaged in Illinois mission work.
Executive director’s report
The executive directors of IBSA three operating entities presented their annual reports.
Adams shared about the continued increase in church baptisms, encouraging pastors through the “For the Pastor” initiative, and helping churches to thrive. The emphasis was announced last year to help pastors with personal renewal and spiritual care. Adams led a prayer session for pastors along with IBSA management staff. “May they remember they are called,” Adams prayed. “May they remember they are not alone.”
In his report, Adams told messengers that 10 new churches have been planted in 2024, with the possibility of more by year’s end. He noted churches saw an increase of 30 percent in baptisms in 2023 following a 41 percent increase in 2022.
“After a focused effort by IBSA’s evangelism director, Scott Harris, the number of IBSA churches baptizing zero or one last year was reduced from 629 to 427,” Adams said. “That represents a 32 percent decrease in the number of churches that didn’t see baptisms in their church last year.”
Messengers approved an IBSA budget for 2025 of $6 million, with the ratio remaining steady at 56.5 percent for Illinois missions and 43.5 percent forwarded to the national SBC for international and North American missions, theological education, and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s work in the public square.
There are currently 210 countries in the world and “the population of our Illinois mission field is larger than 131 of those 210 countries,” said Adams. “We truly need each church to be missionary if we are to impact the lostness of our state and your community.” He told messengers the IBSA staff is ready to come alongside them and assist them in their efforts.
“We believe that each church can thrive when it’s healthy,” Adams said, when it grows its leaders, and when it turns inside out on mission into its lost community and world.”
New officers elected
Messengers elected new IBSA officers to serve for a one-year term beginning at the conclusion of the IBSA Annual Meeting. Officers are allowed to serve two consecutive one-year terms.
Doug Munton was elected to serve as IBSA president. Munton is pastor of O’Fallon First Baptist Church. Carlton Binkley, who just accepted the pastorate at Dorrisville Baptist Church in Harrisburg, was the outgoing president. He replaced Michael Nave who resigned Oct. 24 to accept a new position.
Jeff Logsdon, pastor of Island City Baptist Church in Wilmington, was elected vice president.
Matt Philbrick, the current IBSA assistant recording secretary, was elected recording secretary. Philbrick is associate pastor with youth pastor responsibilities at First Baptist Church in Ramsey. Charlene Moe, a member of Chatham Baptist Church, was the outgoing recording secretary.
Nate Mason, lead pastor of First Baptist Church of Effingham, was elected assistant recording secretary.
Arizona Baptists challenged to ‘Connect’
By Elizabeth Young/AZSBC
SURPRISE, Ariz. – With a theme of “Connect,” Arizona Southern Baptists were challenged to connect with God, the mission and each other at the annual meeting of the Arizona Mission Network of Southern Baptists Nov. 14 at Cross Church in Surprise.
AZMN Executive Director David Johnson (left) interviews Ashley Evans, senior pastor of 22nd Street Baptist Church, Tucson, about missions opportunities for Arizona Southern Baptists in Sub-Saharan African. Evans was one of seven Arizona ministers who participated in an International Mission Board vision trip to Sub-Saharan Africa earlier this year. Photo by Lainee Pegelow
The 261 messengers from 161 Arizona churches quickly dispensed with business, electing all three officers by acclamation and unanimously adopting a 2025 operating budget that reflects increased Cooperative Program giving by AZMN churches in 2024. Fifty-one guests also registered for the meeting, bringing the official attendance to 312.
“Our goal is to connect with one another, because we are connected in Christ,” said David Johnson, AZMN executive director. “We also want to connect on mission together in the deepest historical sense of who Southern Baptists are. We began by connecting with mission, and that is what’s held us together for all of these years. … [Arizona Southern Baptists] are a network, and a network falls apart unless it’s connected.”
Roland Pierce, pastor of Broadway Missionary Baptist Church in Phoenix and president of the Arizona African American Fellowship, spoke of being connected as he preached from Ephesians 4:11-16.
“We show unity in diversity as we grow into Christ-like maturity,” he said. “Through our connection, we have to understand that we are in this together.”
Jeff Iorg, president of the Executive Committee of the SBC, listed numerous examples of how Southern Baptists today are “a force for good.”
“Southern Baptists, Arizona Baptists, cooperation around God’s mission is a convictional mindset worth preserving,” he said.
Officers
Newly elected Arizona Mission Network officers are Mark Mucklow (center), senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church at Sahuaro Ranch, Glendale, president; Mathew Mueller (right), lead pastor of Community Life Church, Peoria, first vice president; and Curtis Fahrlender (left), lead pastor of First Baptist Church, Pinetop, second vice president. Photo by Lainee Pegelow
With all three current AZMN officers ending their second one-year terms at the annual meeting, new officers were elected – all by acclamation. Mark Mucklow, senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church at Sahuaro Ranch, Glendale, was elected president. Mathew Mueller, lead pastor of Community Life Church, Peoria, was elected first vice president, and Curtis Fahrlender, lead pastor of First Baptist Church, Pinetop, was elected second vice president.
2025 budget
Messengers approved a 2025 operating budget of $4,329,101, which includes $3,741,760 in anticipated Cooperative Program giving from churches. The Cooperative Program portion of the budget is an increase of $100,000, or 2.74 percent, from the 2024 budget.
The operating budget – with income sources including Cooperative Program giving by Arizona churches, contributions from individual donors, North American Mission Board funding, event fees and interest income – is an increase of $163,061, or 3.91 percent, from the 2024 budget.
For the second consecutive year, the percentage of Arizona’s Cooperative Program giving to the Southern Baptist Convention will not be increased in 2025. Arizona Southern Baptists’ Centennial Vision goal is to give 50 percent of Cooperative Program receipts to SBC national and international missions and ministries outside the state by 2028. Since the launch of the Centennial Vision, the AZMN’s total rise in giving to the SBC is 14 percentage points, and a 40-60 split between the SBC and Arizona, respectively, was reached in 2023.
With the 2025 budget, Cooperative Program funds remaining in Arizona will be distributed as follows: Arizona Mission Network, 40.9 percent; Christian Challenge collegiate ministry, 6.2 percent; Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries, 7 percent; and the Arizona Campus of Gateway Seminary, 6.1 percent. When the value of campus expenses covered by the AZMN is included, Gateway receives an amount equal to ABCS.
Cooperative Program
Roland Pierce, pastor of Broadway Missionary Baptist Church in Phoenix and president of the Arizona African American Fellowship, preaches at the annual meeting of the Arizona Mission Network.
This year, Arizona Southern Baptists’ giving through the Cooperative Program has rebounded after a decline in giving in 2023, Johnson said. Through October, churches had given $3,238,414, which was $148,008 more than the same period in 2023 and $203,614 above the budget expectation.
Next year is the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Program, “what some have called the greatest vehicle of mission support ever known to the evangelical church,” Johnson said. While the Cooperative Program predates the beginning of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, since its founding in 1928, Arizona Southern Baptists have given $147 million to missions through the Cooperative Program, he said. That includes $37 million that has been forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention for national and international missions.
Although 70 percent of AZMN churches give through the Cooperative Program, that means 30 percent do not give anything, Johnson said.
“I know that times are hard,” he said. “I know sometimes it’s difficult for local churches, but I’m telling you, you can be a part of a worldwide mission just by giving a little bit from your church. I would love to see us have 100 percent participation in the Cooperative Program.”
Centennial Vision report
In his annual Centennial Vision report, Johnson shared 2022-2023 statistics. Even though six new churches were planted and two others affiliated with the AZMN, the total number of churches dropped from 462 to 457.
According to the numbers reported by churches that completed the Annual Church Profile, baptisms, total church membership and average worship attendance all decreased. The declines may not represent an overall decline, though, Johnson said, since fewer churches “told us what was going on in their churches” last year. About 50 percent of the churches turned in an Annual Church Profile last year, he said.
Johnson noted that Sunday School/Bible Study average attendance increased. “We always want to be about making disciples, and those are the primary means that our churches use to do that,” he said.
