June 20, 2016

IBSA.org

SBC: IN FOCUS

Van Payne

High Stakes,
Higher Calling
Facing cultural decline and denominational woes,
Southern Baptists leave St. Louis amazed by grace.
BY MEREDITH FLYNN
sages preached at the Pastors Conference and
through a joint presentation by the SBCs two
mission agencies that highlighted the role of
the local church and individual Christians in
taking the gospel to unreached communities.
And at the heart of the meeting was a show
of humility by SBC leaders, as two men vying
for the denominations presidency met before
their run-off election, each telling the other one
to take the post.
When Baptists dispersed from St. Louis, they
left having unified around a new president, and
having heard a call to urgency for and commitment to the gospel of Christ.
Good thing, because the stakes are historically high.
Grassroots participation
As pastors and churches struggle to navigate
social change and growing lostness, the stakes
are high for people in the pew as well, Floyd
said.
Our pastors and churches need you to be
engaged more on Sundays than ever before,
he preached in his presidents address Tuesday
morning. But we also need you to intentionally integrate your faith on the front lines of
culture. In everything you do, no matter where
you are.

Continued on page 6

Meredith Flynn

St. Louis | The stakes are high, Southern Baptist

Convention President Ronnie Floyd declared
to Southern Baptists gathered in St. Louis. And
perhaps theyve never been higher.
Christians are being martyred around the
world. Refugees are fleeing for their lives. There
are still thousands of people groups unreached
with the gospel, but limited funds required the
SBC this year to reduce its missions force by
more than 1,000.
As followers of Jesus Christ, everything we
believe in and place in high value is at stake,
said Floyd, an Arkansas pastor who finished his
second one-year term as SBC president.
At home, spiritual lostness is growing. Religious freedom is under fire. And the threat of
domestic terrorism looms large, exhibited in
Orlando just hours before Southern Baptists
convened in St. Louis.
The attack on a gay nightclub early June 12
that left 50 people dead cast a shadow on the
St. Louis meeting, and sent Southern Baptists
to their knees in prayer. Because all human beings are made in the image of God, Floyd said,
the attack is against each of us.
Every pastor or leader who prayed from the
platform during the meeting included Orlando
in his prayer.
Baptists commitment to missions and evangelism also were on display in St. Louis, in mes-

AMERICAS CENTER This convention center in

St. Louis was the site of the 2016 Southern Baptist
Convention Pastors Conference and Annual
Meeting June 12-15.

SBC: IN FOCUS

IBSA.org

Illinois Baptist

Continued from page 5

OBSERVATIONS

On Greears surprise move

I think its a huge step showing the SBC how its super
important to be unified together. I think personally its a great
step in humility for J.D. Greear
to step away and withdraw
from the race. I think thats
very telling, it really impacts
me as a younger person.

After the awesome season

of prayer on Tuesday night,
perhaps we are already seeing the blessing of God in this
God-honoring outcome. With
more to come.

Steve Diehl, pastor, Cornerstone

Baptist Church, Champaign

I wasnt expecting what J.D.

Greear did, but I thought it
was an act of tremendous
grace.Hes probably proved
himself to be a stronger leader
of Southern Baptists down
through the years. I thought it
was a good act of grace and a
good act of unity.

Brent Cloyd,
director of missions, Greater
Wabash Baptist Association

Class action
Many thought the election of a new
SBC President would signal whether
it was time for a generation of older
pastors to pass the baton. There were
theological issues at play too: Two of
the candidates for presidentSteve
Gaines, 58, and J.D. Greear, 43
are established leaders of different
theological streams within the SBC.
In the end, age and theology differences gave way to the greater good.
A first vote between Gaines, Greear,
and third candidate David Crosby
of New Orleans forced a run-off between Gaines and Greear. A second

Bill Bangham

Shaun Morecraft, Lakeland

Baptist Church, Carbondale

At the St. Louis meeting, everyday

Baptists were urged to take the gospel to the communities as they live
their everyday lives, and were shown
examples of regular people who are
doing just that.
During his agencys presentation,
North American Mission Board
President Kevin Ezell interviewed
a group of church planters who have
started new congregations in Iowa
college towns and are moving next to
Columbia, Missouri. On large video
screens, meeting attenders heard
from a college student planning to
pay out-of-state tuition so she can be
part of the new church in the state
next door, and share the gospel with
people who dont know Christ.
When you really get to it, we talk
about the gospel more than we actually advance the gospel, Floyd
preached.
If we had just one-fourth of the
passion for evangelism that we have
for American politics, SBC politics,
theological discourse, blogging, and
a whole host of things, we could
change the world for Christ, Floyd
said before adding, I cant be president again, so I might as well be honest.
We must recapture a vision for
evangelism, Floyd preached, starting
in our own towns. This is where it
begins.

WARM EMBRACE Incoming SBC President Steve Gaines (right) is welcomed by outgoing President Ronnie Floyd (left) and J.D. Greear, moments after Greear withdrew his
nomination for the post to avoid a divisive final ballot.
vote was still too close to call, with
Gaines narrowly edging Greear but
not receiving the needed majority
due to 108 disallowed votes. Greear
announced Wednesday morning
there was no need for another vote,
because he was withdrawing his
name from contention.
Through this whole process, Ive
been praying for unity, Greear,
pastor of The Summit Church in
Raleigh-Durham, posted on his website. If we go to a third vote, and
one of us wins by one-half of one percent, it doesnt matter which of us it
isits hard to see how that makes us
a united body.
After announcing his intention to
withdraw, Greear received a long
standing ovation from those in the
convention hall. Floyd asked Greear
to pray for Gaines and for the denomination, and messengers elected
Gaines president by acclamation.
I think it was a transcendent moment for the Convention because it

embodies the spirit of humility that

we as Christians are called to have,
said Kevin Carrothers, pastor of
Rochester First Baptist Church and
president of the Illinois Baptist State
Association. I think it was welltimed. I think it was a God thing. So,
Im excited about moving ahead, and
admire both men and respect their
decisions, both willing to step aside
for the sake of something bigger than
them.
At a press conference after the
election, Gaines said he and Greear
both were sensing the Holy Spirit
moving in the same direction. As
both men considered dropping out of
the race, they met together with SBC
leaders the evening before the third
vote was to be taken.
I looked at him and I said, Man,
you can have it, recounted Gaines,
who pastors Bellevue Baptist Church
in Memphis. He said, No, I want
you to have it. The meeting prompted Gaines to remember Psalm 133:

the meeting in pictures

Meredith Flynn

Meredith Flynn

Matt Miller

Pauline Dawkins Cole of Orlando raises her hands in

worship during the National Call to Prayer for Spiritual
Leadership, Revived Churches, and Nationwide and Global
Awakening at the annual meeting.

Modern-day hymn composers Keith and Kristyn Getty joined the

praise band and choir from Cross Church, the northwest Arkansas
multi-site church pastored by SBC President Ronnie Floyd.

Joined by Baptists onstage and in the audience,

R. Marshall Blalock, senior pastor of First Baptist
Church in Charleston, S.C., prays for racial unity during
the Tuesday evening Call to Prayer.

June 20, 2016

SBC: IN FOCUS

Racism addressed with firm action

Resolution urges no more use of Confederate battle flag
BY LISA SERGENT

Munton elected
It took a little longer than expected for messengers to elect Illinois
Doug Munton as First Vice President. Because Tuesdays business
proceedings ran over time, Muntons
election didnt happen until Wednesday afternoon. The pastor of First
Baptist Church in OFallon, who ran
unopposed, told the Illinois Baptist
the St. Louis convention was in some
ways the most unusual one hes been
to, but also encouraging.
God brought some unity, muchneeded unity, to our Convention.
Thats encouraging for our future.
Im grateful for it, and hopeful because of it, Munton said. The Lord
is obviously at work. He is not done
with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Also elected as officers were Malachi OBrien, pastor of The Church
at Pleasant Ridge in Harrisonville,
Mo., as second vice president; John
Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, to his 20th
term as recording secretary; and
Jim Wells, retired member of the
Missouri Baptist Convention staff, to
a 15th term as registration secretary.
The 2017 Southern Baptist Convention convenes in Phoenix June
13-14.

Meredith Flynn

New leaders, old friends: SBC President

Steve Gaines of Memphis, Tenn. (right,
with his wife, Donna) and First Vice President Doug Munton of OFallon, Ill. (with
his wife, Vickie) take the stage near the
conclusion of the 2016 annual meeting.

Van Payne

How good and pleasant it is when

brothers dwell in unity!
When the leaders are unified in
the Lord Jesus Christ, it brings unity
to the body, Gaines said. As president, he plans to emphasize spiritual
awakening, soul winning, and stewardship.
Greear encouraged his supporters
also to exhibit a unified spirit. The
task for those of you who voted for me
is not to complain that things didnt
go our way, he posted the morning
of his announcement. Its to follow
the example of our Savior, who came
not to be served, but to serve.
Its time for us to step up and get
involved, to keep pushing forward
and engaging in the mission with
those who have gone before us. Its
time to look at what unites us.

IBSA.org

The Southern Baptist Convention

rejected use of an iconic Southern
emblem, the Confederate battle flag
still commonly seen in the South, because it is for many representative of
slavery and ongoing racism against
African Americans. The resolution
states: We call our brothers and sisters in Christ to discontinue the display of the Confederate battle flag as
a sign of solidarity of the whole Body
of Christ, including our AfricanAmerican brothers and sisters.
Its passage by a considerable majority was met with enthusiastic applause.
The vote came after an impassioned plea by Georgia pastor and
former SBC President James Merritt, himself the descendent of two
Confederate war veterans.
Make no mistake, this is a seminal moment in our convention, said
Merritt. I believe God has brought
the SBC to both the kingdom and our
culture for such a time as this. What
we do today with this issue will reverberate in this nation, not just today,
but I believe a hundred years from
now. This is not a matter of political
correctness, it is a matter of spiritual
conviction and biblical compassion.
Merritt proposed an amendment
which strengthened the resolution,
and removed a phrase some had used
about honor(ing) their loved ones
valor. He substituted language to
discontinue the display of the Confederate battle flag as a sign of solidarity of the whole Body of Christ,
including our African-American
brothers and sisters.
The amendment passed. While not
all messengers who spoke supported
the resolution, the will of the Convention was clear: Southern Baptists
have broken with the racism of their
past. After statements in 1995 and
the election of an African American
president in 2013, some expressed
hope the sins of the past are repudiated as well as the flag.

SBC President Ronnie Floyd

chose the St. Louis convention, just
a few miles from Ferguson, Missouri,
as the place to discuss racial reconciliation. Convention week began with
outreach ministry in Ferguson, site
of riots in 2014 following the police
shooting of a black teenager.
Floyd told convention messengers,
America isexperiencing a racial
crisis. Any form of racism defies the
dignity of human life. Regardless of
the color of human skin, God has put
his imprint on each of usRacism is
a major sin and stronghold in America.
Floyd staged a panel discussion,
a rarity in SBC business sessions,
called A National Conversation on
Racial Unity in America, with 10
leaders.
I am absolutely, totally convinced
that the problem in America can be
put totally at the doorsteps of our
churches, said Jerry Young, president of a mostly African American
denomination, the National Baptist
Convention.
Young noted Christ told his disciples to be the salt and light of the
world, and he said Christians are
failing in the task. I challenge you
to know that the problem in America is a problem with the church being what God called it to be.Heres
what needs to happen in America:
Somebody needs to pass the salt and
turn on the lights.
The panel discussed the killing of
nine people at Emanuel AME Church
in Charleston, South Carolina last
year. That racially motivated murder hurt all of us, said Marshall
Blalock, pastor of the mostly white
First Baptist Church in Charleston.
The white community for the first
time began to understand.
Blalock noted, The killer was a
terrorist, he wanted to create fear
and cause hopelessness. But he went
to church where there is no room for
fear, or hate, or hopelessnessOnly

CNN

STARS AND BARRED SBC messengers approved a resolution identifying

the Confederate battle flag as a symbol of
racism and urged its disuse. The action follows removal of the flag in many locations,
such as the South Carolina state capital in
2015.
the gospel can eliminate racism.
Kenny Petty, pastor of the Gate
Church in St. Louis, said incidents
such as the Charleston church shooting and police shooting of Michael
Brown in Ferguson, Mo., exposed an
infection. That wound opened up
and it reeked. Since the shooting,
there has been some healing (in Ferguson), but weve got a long way to
go. We found out that infection didnt
just stop with the culture, it went on
to the doorstep of the church.
What we need is the mind of
Christ, Young said. If we want
to change racism in our churches
and America were going to have to
change our attitude through Christ.
President of the SBCs Ethics and
Religious Liberty Commission Russell Moore called the conventions
action an extraordinary moment.
We watched a denomination
founded by slaveholders vote to repudiate the display of the Confederate battle flag in solidarity with our
African American brothers and sisters in Christ, Moore said.

Illinois Baptist

SBC: IN FOCUS

IBSA.org

Churches lead gospel outreach

on Illinois side of the river

A week of outreach
activities culminated
with 80 VOLUNTEERS,
a BLOCK PARTY, and
a HEALTH FAIR at
FBC Mascoutah. They were
joined by teams from Sedalia,
Mo. and Centralia, Illinois.

night, Josef said Saturday at a block

party culminating the week. And I
think theres absolutely no way that it
wasnt Him.
Through approximately 85 Crossover projects in Missouri and Illinois,
3,984 volunteers reported 8,379 gospel conversations, and 556 people accepted Christ.
Burton started planning for the
churchs Crossover project late last
year. The youth group has participated in World Changers projects
the past several summers, so Burton
planned a mission week based on
that model: community service projects in the morning and worship in
the evening, with evangelism trainingbased on the 3 Circles guide to
starting gospel conversationsin the
afternoon.
When the church started sending
teams to World Changers four years
ago, Burton said, We wanted to
teach the kids that missions can be
local. This year, they decided to stay
even closer to home.
After four years and with the Convention coming to St. Louis, we said,
Lets do something in Mascoutah,
Burton said.
On Saturday, around 80 volunteers
ran two outreach events simultaneously at the church: the block party,
situated mostly under shade trees
offering respite from the heat, and
a health fair with 20 vendors inside
the church building. A small mission
team from Sedalia, Mo., partnered
with the students throughout the
week, and Eternity Baptist Church in
Centralia, Ill., sent volunteers to help
with the Saturday outreach.
Crossover is one part of an Acts 1:8
missions strategy Burton and Pas-

Meredith Flynn

Mascoutah | Three months ago, Josef

Latham was a self-described agnostic struggling with difficulties he
didnt know how to handle. He asked
a friend what he should do, and she
advised him to pray, believing God
would hear him.
Her advice eventually led him to
First Baptist Church, Mascoutah,
where he accepted Christ during the
week after Palm Sunday and was baptized on Easter.
On Friday, June 10, Josef shared
his testimony at a community worship service hosted by the church as
part of Crossover, the evangelistic
outreach held before the Southern
Baptist Convention each year. Mascoutahs youth group spent the week
painting pavilions at a local park and
starting conversations with pool-goers and walkers.
They had some 300 conversations
during the week, said youth pastor
Matt Burton.
I know that the person I was before I was saved, I would have never
ever had the courage to reach out to
these people, to speak like I did last

FACES OF THE FUTURE A week of Crossover events organized by First Baptist Church of
Masoutah in Metro East St. Louis were a year in the planning. Six local associations reported
85 projects, 8,379 gospel conversations and 556 professions of faith.
tor Duane Smith have put in place
mission trips, are going to share the
at FBC Mascoutah. Praise God, the
gospel.
kids have great missions minds,
Josef Latham is already doing that.
Burton said, describing how many
Taking time away to serve with his
students have participated
youth group all week strained
in domestic and internasome of his old relationships,
tional mission projects.
he said, but he had the
Its really exciting
opportunity to encourjust to see the boldage one of his friends to
ness of some of these
pray, just like someone
kids, Burton said.
told him once. And while
Like 11-year-old Grahes still working on how
cie Wood, for whom
to start conversations that
Mascoutah Changers and
lead to the gospel, he was joyBURTON
Crossover was her first ever
ful for the opportunity to share
youth event. At the beginhis salvation story with his
ning of the week, Burton said, she
youth group.
was tentative and shy. But by the last
Its like youth leader Bonnie Bodday, she was approaching people to
iford told him: You are the gospel
ask how she could pray for them.
now. Jesuss love for people made
I have no doubt some of these
manifest in Mascoutah, and a story to
kids, whether theyre in vocational
tell there and beyond.
ministry or not, are going want to do

Recently a Christian himself, Josef Latham, 16, shared

his faith with people at his churchs Crossover block party.

Matt Miller

Meredith Flynn

Adam Covington

A Crossover volunteer shares the gospel with a local man

at FBC Mascoutahs block party.

Mascoutah Fire Chief Joe Zinck lets local residents try on

firefighting equipment during the block party.

June 20, 2016

SBC: IN FOCUS

Fun leads to faith in 85 community

projects across the region
who recently died of cancer. Alan
Lane, a member of the team said Elder was a strong supporter of missions
and evangelism. Last year Lane said,
He told our association were going to
go to Crossover St. Louis. This is part
of our desire to honor him.
People also need to learn how to
share the gospel. Lane said his team
had wonderful conversations with
people as they walked door-to-door,
using the 3 Circles method to share
the gospel. Some they spoke with had
lost loved ones and really needed
someone to talk to.
Another member of the Missouri
team was retired International Mission Board missionary Carolyn
Houts, retired in 2011 after serving
for 35 years in Ghana. She prayer
walked with the team, witnessed to
people, and had a table displaying
items from Ghana. I was coming
to the WMU Annual Meeting and
read about Crossover, Houts said. I
knew I needed to apply to be on the
team and come with them. It was her
first time to participate in Crossover,
which she called a good opportunity.
The Idlewild churchs Hispanic
ministries pastor, Eloy Rodriguez,
said the team came to Illinois because
Were doing what the Lord has asked
us all to do. This is our Samaria. In
Acts 1:8 Jesus instructs his followers
to share the gospel in their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of
the earth.
Their church has made it a practice
to prayerwalk their own community
and others sharing Christ. Were doing what the Lord asked us to do,
bring the Lord to the people, said
Lina Freeman.
The team arrived on Wednesday

night and started canvassing the

neighborhood Thursday. We were
asking people if there was anything
we could pray with them about, Rodriguez said. Many said they had recently lost loved ones. But, one man
said, Last Sunday, I was going to kill
myself.
The man told Rodriguez he had
been in his car and was going to drive
into traffic, put pulled back when he
realized he wouldnt only be killing
himself, but the people in the other
cars as well. But the man said he still
didnt want to go on.
Rodriguez and his team shared the
gospel and he accepted Christ as his

savior. Afterwards, that guy gave me

the biggest hug Ive ever had, Rodriguez said.
Down the street from the block party, the church hosted a soccer tournament, and Saturday night featured
a concert by the praise bands from
Anna Heights Baptist Church and
Iglesia Bautista Latina in Effingham.
A Sunday night concert by the Southern Gospel trio Sons of the Father
capped off the Crossover weekend.
Gray said his goal was to reach
1,000 people through Crossover. By
Sunday afternoon, 12 people had accepted Christ.

It took faith! Beverly Carroll screams on the

zip line during a block party in Fairview Heights.
Her husband, Ronny, serves as director of
missions for the Metro East Association.

75 PEOPLE from

Lisa Sergent

Matt Miller

Catherine Corpus and Lina Freeman of Lutz, Fla., visit with SBC President
Ronnie Floyd.

Lisa Sergent / Matt Miller

Fairview Heights | The walk to the top

was the hardest part, Armando
Fernandez said. The ride down was
easy.
Fernandez, a Crossover volunteer from Idlewild Baptist Church in
Tampa, Fla., was describing the zip
line ride at the Crossover block party
at Sterling Baptist Church in Fairview
Heights. His description was not unlike efforts to share the gospel in the
Crossover evangelism events that took
place on both sides of the Mississippi.
Once you get started sharing the gospel, its easy.
Were in love with the metroplex,
said David Gray, Sterlings pastor.
Its that love that inspired the church
to be a Crossover ministry site. Student pastor Jesse Wilham, worked to
lay the ground work for the evangelistic event.
Preparation is important. Whether
its sharing the gospel story or planning an evangelistic event, the groundwork must be laid. Cooperation from
a number of Christian ministries and
agencies made it easy for volunteers
to be placed in situations where they
could share Christ.
The North American Mission Board
paid for the zip line rides. Five hundred hamburgers and hotdogs were
donated by a local company. A childrens ministry from Chicago provided drinks. The city of Fairview Heights
loaned tents to the church. Gray said
the local Chick-Fil-A even set up a
stand because the manager said they
needed to be part of the event.
People must be willing to share the
gospel. Volunteers from churches in
the St. Joseph Baptist Association in
Missouri came to honor their former
Director of Missions Clyde Elder,

IBSA.org

Retired missionary Carolyn Houts shares treasurers

from her 35 years service in Ghana.

eight churches representing

FLORIDA, ILLINOIS, and
MISSOURI came to help
Sterling Baptist Church reach
the diverse neighborhood
around themsome 20,000
Anglo Americans, African
Americans, Guatemalans,
Puerto Ricans, and
Nepalese for starters.

10

SBC: IN FOCUS

IBSA.org

pulpiteering

Illinois Baptist

Pastors Conference

Share the gospel, finish well

Speakers focus on single passage on evangelism

Suffering goes hand-in-hand with our

call, and God is calling us to embrace it for
his glory and our joy.

Noah Oldham,
August Gate, St. Louis

Derwin Gray,
Transformation Church, Charlotte, N.C.

If God can just get you to remain under

the pressure and not quit, and not give up,
and not back up, and not shut up, but just
keep going in his strength, for his glory,
everything good is coming from that.

James MacDonald,
Harvest Bible Chapel, Chicagoland

God has not promised a future to Southern Baptists, he has promised a future to
his church. The question is: Will we be part
of the future of his church? Or will we ourselves embrace the inevitable decline that
will come if we refuse to change?

Ed Stetzer,
Billy Graham Center, Wheaton

Do the work
The last thing the nations need is the exportation of nominal Christianity from North America, International Mission Board President
David Platt preached in a message on do the
work of an evangelist.
In his post at the IMB, Platt says he sees much
of the broader missions world that is gospel-less
and gospel-lite. Debates about whether or not
to call Jesus the Son of God when conversing LIFT HIGH THE CROSS A giant cross is raised on
with Muslims. Practices that minimize the call the platform during the Pastors Conference. The text for
to Christ in the gospel, assuring people that they the event was 2 Timothy 4:5-6.
can be both Christian and Muslim.
Platt asked, What does that have to do with us? Endurance is the funnel through which all
Missionaries are reflections of the pastors who Christian virtue flows, James MacDonald,
train them and the churches who send them, he pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicagoland
said.
told attenders during the conferences first ses If we preach a small view of God, people will sion. Noting Pauls charge to Timothy to endure
have a small view of the gospel. If we preach a hardship, MacDonald warned pastors about
glorious view of God, people will have a glorious five obstacles to endurance: loneliness, discomview of the gospel.
fort, conflict, rejection, and exhaustion.
Jimmy Scroggins preached on Pauls
He shared advice he received
proclamation that he had poured himwhen his church went through
self out for the task of evangelism. The
a particularly difficult conflict.
West Palm Beach, Fla., pastor opened
Get low and stay low. Lean
his message by describing his diverse
on the Lord as never before.
community. His congregation, Family
Learn everything I can. Be
Church, was named the ninth fastest
loud about the things that God
growing church by a magazine, Scroggins
is teaching me, and silent about
said, which is the way it ought to be, beeverything unfair, unkind, and
cause they live in an area with a lot of people
untrue. And then finally, and maySCROGGINS
who are far from God.
be most importantly, leave the rest
But even with their fast growth, we are not with God.
making a dent in the millions of lost people right Speaking during the final session of the Pasthere within a few miles of our church, he said.
tors Conference, Johnny Hunt also shared ad Looking at recent statistics from LifeWay vice that has influenced his ministry. When he
Christian Resources, its apparent churches was in his 30s, Hunt said, Jimmy Draper, former
across the SBC are facing similar challenges, president of the Baptist Sunday School Board,
Scroggins added. He gave conference attenders told him, If Jesus continues to use you, bring
four steps by which churches and leaders can the next generation with you.
pour themselves out for the task of evangelism, In the passage at the center of Live This,
starting with investing in far-from-God people.
Hunt said, there is a selflessness in Pauls con Scroggins told the audience how, as a pastor in cern for Timothy and the success of the gospel
Kentucky, his church had been winning people ministry after hes gone. We never know when
to the Lord, but they were nearly saved people. the race ends, said the pastor of First Baptist
In West Palm Beach, it was a different story. Church, Woodstock, Ga., urging pastors to obeSome people may say evangelism just isnt their dient action.
lane, he said.
Its not the truth we know that changes us. Its
If your lane does not take you and your church the truth we obey. Were living in a generation
to far-from-God people, change lanes.
of great knowledge. But the question that comes
to my own soul: Is there equal obedience? Hunt
Take them with you
asked.
As they looked at 2 Timothy, Pauls final let- Its not what we know; its what we do with
ter, several of the Pastors Conference speakers what we know.
preached on endurance and legacy.
With reporting by Baptist Press

Meredith Flynn

We are not to be colorblind but colorblessed. People who say we should be

colorblind are people whose color usually
hasnt been a disadvantage to them.

St. Louis | Speakers at the SBC Pastors Conference preached on one passage during the 2016
meeting in the Gateway City, diving deep into
the apostle Pauls instruction to younger church
leader Timothy.
Live This, the theme of this years Pastors
Conference, was taken from 2 Timothy 4:5-6,
when Paul urges Timothy to be serious about
everything, endure hardship, do the work of an
evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Ten preachers unpacked the Scripture passage, using their messages to urge leaders toward greater obedience, particularly in the area
of evangelism, and to be mindful of the legacy
theyre leaving.

June 20, 2016

SBC: IN FOCUS

NAMB debuts relief resources

snapshots

ADAMS LEADS PANEL IBSA Executive Director Nate

Adams (left) moderates a panel on Baptist response to
the Syrian refugee crisis and the Nepal earthquake. He
is joined by Pat Meancon and Jeff Palmer of Baptist
Global Response, missionary Rebekah Naylor, and
Travis Hester of Kingdom Growers Coffee.

Meredith Flynn

Chris Carter

Flanking the stage were two mobile health

units and a resource trailer that NAMB has outfitted to make compassion ministry a possibility
in communities of all sizes. The mobile medical
and dental clinics were mobilized to First Baptist
Church, Ferguson, Mo., during Crossover, and
NAMB hopes to outfit more to loan to churches,
associations and state conventions.
In Ferguson, Crossover volunteers also distributed food, installed smoke detectors in homes,
and held a block party.
We saw dozens of professions of faith in
Christ, said David Melber, NAMBs vice president for Send Relief. One of the most encouraging things to me was to hear our volunteers talk
about how they will engage their communities
with Send Relief through their churches when
they return home.
Also during the luncheon, Ezell noted
this year marks the 50th anniversary
of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, the
partnership with state conventions and
local associations that sends volunteers
into areas affected by natural disasters.
As Southern Baptists, were never
better than when we work together,
Ezell said, adding that thats probably
never better demonstrated than in Disaster Relief.
NAMBs new logo, which resembles
the play button on a DVD player, is
based on the idea of getting people in
motionout of their church pews and
TEAMWORK The presidents of the SBCs two mission boards
into their community, Ezell said. Noting
chat after the luncheon announcing the launch of Send Relief
declining baptisms, he said, Were all
compassion ministries. NAMBs Kevin Ezell (left) and IMBs David
concerned about baptisms, but it starts
Platt also shared their missions presentation during the annual
with every church being on mission.
meeting. A motion by a messenger to explore merger of the two
We have to engage in our community.
boards was ruled out of order for procedural reasons.
With reporting by Baptist Press

11

Miranda Johns

St. Louis | The North American Mission Board

launched a new ministry initiative in St. Louis to
help churches meet physical needs in their communities, and deliver help and hope in the process.
Send Relief, introduced at the mission agencys
annual luncheon during the Southern Baptist
Convention, will focus on a few key areas of need
and work with local churches to send resources
into communities across the U.S.
Absolutely every church can engage in compassion, mercy ministry, NAMB President Kevin Ezell said at the Send luncheon, held in the
Edward Jones Dome adjacent to the convention
center. The packed luncheon had more attenders
than the last St. Louis Rams home game, Ezell
joked in his trademark style.

IBSA.org

STARTING OVER Pastor Scott Nichols tells how

he led the replanting of congregations which became
Crossroads Community Church in Carol Stream, Ill. He
spoke at the NAMB Replant National Gathering.

Adam Covington

Iowa pastor-blogger elected

Promises 2017 conference will focus on smaller churches

REMEMBERING PEARL HARBOR U.S. Navy veteran

Bill McAnay of Wood River, Ill., was honored by SBC
President Ronnie Floyd as one of 2,000 living survivors
of the1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Meredith Flynn

The Midwest pastor elected president of next Voices, had written about a proposed new direcyears SBC Pastors Conference has pledged the tion for the 2017 meeting in Phoenix prior to this
lineup will represent small and medium-sized years conference:
Southern Baptist churches.

All conference speakers will lead Southern
I am both excited and Im terrified. Brutally Baptist churches that are active in SBC work and
terrified, Dave Miller posted on the SBC
affirm the Baptist Faith and Message (2000).
Voices blog following the election. The
No one who has spoken at the conferbudget of this two-day event is pretence in the last five years will speak at
ty much the annual budget of my
the 2017 meeting.
church. The logistics are a little bit
Speakers will represent a divermore complicated than putting
sity of geography, age, ethnicity,
together a church potluck back
preaching style and perspective.
home. But we are in this together
There will be a focus on inviting
and we are going to be looking to
pastors to speak who lead churches
expand our circle. I believe we can do
of 500 or fewer, Miller blogged in
something that will be different. And in
April,
possibly up to 750.
MILLER
a good way.
He also said speakers will preach verse Miller was elected president of the Pastors by-verse through a shorter book of the Bible, or a
Conference with just over 55% of the vote. John segment of a longer book.
Avant, pastor of First Baptist Church Concord The 2017 SBC Pastors Conference is June 11in Knoxville, Tenn., also ran for the post.
12 in Phoenix.
Miller, who is pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa, and edits SBC

SALUTE TO CHAPLAINS Fire chaplain Rob Cleeton

(right) of Medora, Ill. was one of the volunteer and military
chaplains honored during opening ceremonies of the SBC
annual meeting.

12

Illinois Baptist

SBC: IN FOCUS

IBSA.org

Illinois gallery
The St. Louis SBC had a definite Illinois flavor, with
533 messengers from the state making their way to
the Gateway City. The next-door meeting location
gave all an opportunity to gather for a St. Louis
specialtygooey butter cakeand sweet fellowship with family at the IBSA Dessert Reception.
1. Doug Munton, pastor of FBC OFallon and candidate for SBC First Vice President (center) talks with
FBC Machesney Park pastor Heath Tibbetts (left) and
Steve Diehl, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in
Champaign.
2. Cheryl Dorsey of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in
Chicago Heights and Marla Allen of Uptown Baptist
Church chat at the IBSA Dessert Reception in St. Louis.
3. Almost 200 people turned out for the reception, which
opened with prayer led by IBSA Executive Director
Nate Adams and IBSA President Kevin Carrothers
(at the podium).

4. Marshall Baptist Church, pastored by Paul Cooper

(sixth from left) was well-represented at the Southern
Baptist Convention.
5. Catching up on SBC news are (left to right) David
Sutton, pastor of Bread of Life Missionary Baptist
Church in Chicago and president of the IBSA Pastors
Conference; Kevin Carrothers, pastor of Rochester
FBC and IBSA president; Adron Robinson, pastor of
Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and IBSA
Vice President; and Ron Gray, pastor of Connection
Community Church in Chicago.

illinois connections at the sbc ministers wives luncheon

1. Vickie Munton, wife of FBC OFallon pastor Doug

Munton, was president of this years Ministers Wives
Luncheon, which included three tables of Illinois
women and several others seated throughout the
crowded hotel ballroom. 2. Lindsay McDonald, FBC
Casey, (standing) chats with Sarah Jane Drury of
FBC Bethalto. 3. IBSAs Carmen Halsey (center)
lunches with Stevi Smith of Bankston Fork Baptist in
Harrisburg (left) and Stephanie Raczykowski from
FBC Carmi.

3
Photos by Lisa Sergent and Meredith Flynn