People of the Book • When is war justified? | B-101, pages 13-14
Volume 109, No. 4
IB Insider
MARCH 16, 2015
Postmodern Martyrs
Nate Adams: Are we giving with the right heart? page 4
Under the Dome: Legislators launch prayer caucus page 2 The blind woman who saw Jesus page 5 Platt outlines new IMB structure page 10 VBS promises jungle adventure page 11
News and updates
The call to live— and die—for Christ in the age of terrorism. Are we ready?
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Pages 8-9.
ACPs show ‘job is getting harder’
IBSA Board hears report on ministry challenges
Springfield | Admittedly, the numbers are not great. But the tally of the 2014 Annual Church Profiles filed by IBSA churches shows the need in Illinois is growing, and the recent call to prayer for spiritual awakening is on target. “The job is getting harder, the climb is getting steeper, the leaders are getting fewer—but the challenge is no less important,” said IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams prior to the report presented to the IBSA Board in its March meeting. In fact, the challenge grows, as does Illinois Baptists’ responsibility in our large and significant mission field. The 2014 ACPs, completed by 95% of IBSA churches, showed declines in several areas including worship attendance (-10.5%), baptisms (-11%) and Sunday school/Bible study participation (-1.5%). Adams expressed concern about the declines, especially in baptisms,
which had increased in recent years. “The actual decline is about 3.4%” when comparing churches that reported in both 2014 and 2013. Several churches that reported baptisms in 2013 were “non-cooperating” in 2014, therefore their tallies were not included in the ACP tally. While total missions giving through the Cooperative Program was down slightly year-to-year, from $6.34 million to $6.1 million, the average percentage of undesignated offerings given by Illinois churches held steady from 2013 to 2014 at 6.8%. The national average was 5.5% in 2013, up from 5.4% the year before and marking the first upward tick in over 30 years. The Board approved a plan to draft the 2016 IBSA budget based on projected CP giving of $6.4 million, and to hold the Illinois/national SBC split Continued on page 2
Planners add more prayer SBC 2015
Nashville, Tenn. | The Southern Baptist Convention’s June meeting will feature an entire session devoted to prayer, according to a schedule released by SBC Life and SBC President Ronnie Floyd. The line-up for the June 16-17 convention in Columbus, Ohio, moves Floyd’s president’s message and most of the business reports to Tuesday morning and afternoon. The evening session is designated as “A National Gathering of Southern Baptists for the Next Great Awakening and to Reach the World for Christ.” The need for “extraordinary prayer” has been Floyd’s main plea to Southern Baptists since his election last summer in Baltimore. “Hopefully and prayerfully we’re going to see the Lord really impact Continued on page 10