Illinois Baptist 2019 forecast
Revitalize
in focus
ACP tallies show need for new ministry strategies
Abortion survivor
I’m so glad my mother chose to keep me Table Talk with Heath Tibbetts
New Life
Springfield | Illinois Baptist churches celebrated 3,676 baptisms in 2018, an increase of 6.8% over the previous year. The increase is one highlight of the Annual Church Profile (ACP) reports completed by 97% of IBSA churches, a new record high. Other indicators measured by the ACP reports are leading IBSA staff to focus increasingly on church revitalization and next generation ministry strategies, alongside the priorities of evangelism and leadership development, said IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams. “We are clearly in a time and a culture, especially here in Illinois, where just having church services is not enough to sustain a church’s health, much less reach the lost,” Adams said. “Churches that survive and thrive in
Baptisms rebound in new report P. 6
P. 5
News journal of the Illinois Baptist State Association
Taking prayer on the road P. 8
FEBRUARY 11, 2019 Vol. 113 No. 03
Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Peoria, Illinois Permit No. 325
Online all the time IllinoisBaptist.org
IB
P. 13
Exodus P. 10 LEADERSHIP
The pastor’s unending task Nate Adams P. 2
CAPITOL WATCH
Pritzker expands abortion coverage
MISSION
Plus: pending pot legislation
P. 3
FINANCE
Refuse this free money Dave Ramsey P. 15
Christ on campus P. 11