2013 May.pdf - International Baptist Convention

Highlights 

Volume 51, Issue 1 Published by the International Baptist Convention May 2013 

Jimmy Martin 

We are Not Home Yet 

Interlaken 2013 

Plan Now to Attend 

Moldova 

Partnering 

in the Gospel

We Are Not Home Yet 

Contents 

Highlights 

Volume 51, Issue 1 

“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but 

having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance. 

And having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on 

earth” (Heb. 11:13). 

Discipleship Focus of 

Leadership Conference .......... 4 

Men’s Conference – 

Only the Strong Survive ......... 5 

Highlights Turns 50! .............. 5 

Learning about Team Leadership 

– A Book with No Words .7 

Make Plans to Attend 

Interlaken 2013 ..................... 8 

Partnering in the Gospel 

with the Baptist Union of 

Moldova ................................ 9 

IBC / BEFG Discuss Legal 

Status .................................. 10 

IBCM Meets in Fort Worth, 

Texas ................................... 11 

IBC Finances Need Your 

Attention ............................. 12 

Executive Council Meets 

at MLC ................................ 12 

News from the Churches ..... 13 

Highlights 

Published by the International 

Baptist Convention 

Am Dachsberg 98, 

60435 Frankfurt/Main, 

Germany, Phone: +49 

(0) 69 9540 8505, Email: 

admin@ibc-churches.org 

www.ibc-churches.org 

Jimmy Martin, General 

Secretary 

Judith Lynn Maxwell, Editor 

Cover photo: 

Judith Lynn Maxwell 

On the Cover: 

Palacio Arabe in Torremolinos 

• The people of God have always been outsiders. 

From Abraham – called to go to a place outside 

of all he had ever known – to Moses – called 

to bring 2 1/2 million slaves out of Egypt to go 

to a land that was promised them – to the Apostle 

Paul – called as a messenger to reach people 

he once considered outcasts, God’s people 

are challenged never to be completely settled 

where they are. 

The place we should consider HOME is a place 

where we have never been. The writer of Hebrews 

recognizes this tension of the saints of the 

Old Testament – “strangers and exiles on earth” 

is his description. Peter referred to Christ-followers 

as “strangers and exiles” also. We are challenged 

not to become so “at home” in our culture 

that we no longer are salt and light to a 

tasteless and dark world. 

IBC churches intuitively understand something 

of what it means to live in a place that is not their 

own. We recognize that, for most in our churches, 

we are indeed “strangers and exiles.” But regardless 

of where we are there is always a pull 

to create what is familiar to us and to associate 

with others who are “like us.” Without knowing 

it, we build walls that Christ died to tear down 

– walls of culture and race and social standing, 

walls of worship forms and preferences. We too 

easily lobby for our way of looking at things and 

doing things because our way seems to be the 

best way. In so doing, we isolate ourselves from 

the very people Christ calls us to reach. We can 

also isolate ourselves from brothers and sisters 

in Christ. We can unwittingly allow what should 

be one of the greatest strengths of the church 

in evangelism – our unity in diversity – to deteriorate 

through misunderstanding, division, and 

lack of genuine love and become a stumblingblock 

to a watching world. Remember what Jesus 

said “By this all men will know that you are 

my disciples, if you love one another.” 

David Pederson, in his helpful book, Expatriate 

Ministry: Inside the Church of the Outsiders, speaks 

with admiration of the Apostle Paul’s church 

planting achievements. Paul traveled more than 

10,000 miles, crossed distinct cultural barriers, 

worked in several large metropolitan areas and 

finished his work in perhaps 15 years with “no 

place left in these regions” (Rom. 15:23). How 

was he able to evangelize all the regions of Asia 

Minor and Greece Pederson suggests God’s timing, 

unbelievable courage, and passion for the 

Gospel, as well as other factors. One key, however, 

was that Paul’s target group was the expatriate 

and cross-cultural community. He did not 

reach every person, but he was able to touch 

larger society by focusing largely on expats and 

diverse people groups who became key to the 

spread of the Gospel. 

We should find encouragement that when 

IBC churches welcome and touch people from 

around the world we are planting Gospel seeds 

that, like the mustard seed of Jesus’ parable, may 

sprout and multiply to every corner of the world. 

IBC churches, as small as 20 or less and as large 

as 750, are finding the world at their doorsteps 

through English-language ministry. An Afghani 

refugee and and wife come to Christ in Bulgaria... 

a Chinese citizen hears the Gospel in Lubbock, 

Texas... a U.S. military member comes to Christ 

while serving in Europe and feels called by God 

to plant a church to reach others like himself... 

an Iranian Muslim finds Christ in Ukraine and devotes 

his life to reaching others from his country 

by starting Bible studies in universities across the 

country. This is the potential of IBC churches – to 

be more than merely oases where English-speakers 

find respite and encouragement, although 

they are that also. IBC churches can be launching 

pads for reaching the world that God is bringing 

to our doorstep. 

Of course there are challenges to being God’s 

people – a spiritual enemy and barriers from the 

outside like legal, language, economic, and cultural 

complexities. There are also challenges from 

the inside like division over leadership styles and 

personalities and worship styles and egos and 

prejudices. 

The IBC, through its churches and our combined 

work together, is touching lives around 

the world with the Gospel. We are not doing it 

perfectly, and we want to do it better, but we 

are making a difference. The real story is people 

changed and churches growing – God’s kingdom 

expanding. Wherever you serve, be encouraged 

that you are a vital part of God’s work. 

Through your prayers and giving and participation 

you are a part of our partnership in Moldova, 

the poorest country in Europe, but a country 

where the Baptist union is seeking to plant 

evangelical churches in every village. Read about 

some of our recent projects there (see page 9). 

I am grateful for the leadership of Bill Tully, who 

coordinates this partnership. You are part of our 

2 | Highlights 05/2013

church-planting partnership with Converge 

Worldwide (CWW). Our LEAD teams, 

which are made up of 4-6 pastors and 

their churches committed to working together 

to plant churches and coordinated 

by Darryl Evetts and our Church Planting 

Ministry Team, recently met with Gene Selander 

and others from Converge. Selander 

announced that Converge churches in 

the U.S. are planning to help us by doing 

feasibility studies in 25 major cities around 

world with the aim of facilitating future 

church plants. CWW has also provided a 

church strengthening tool, ReFresh, which 

can help a church to recapture its Godgiven 

vision and mission. Mason Smith is 

offering assistance to churches interested 

in going through this process of church 

health. 

We continue a vibrant partnership with 

the International Baptist Church Ministries 

Corporation (IBCM). IBCM recently gave 

funds to help with various churches and 

ministries in the IBC. Read about this elsewhere 

in Highlights (see page 11). We are 

also partnering with evangelist Billie Hanks 

and the International Evangelism Association 

to provide Operation Multiplication 

training and resources for IBC churches 

to offer one-to-one training of new believers. 

Recently, we provided some initial 

training for pastors and leaders at the 

Ministry Leadership Conference in Torremolinos, 

Spain. IBCM provided some of 

the materials we used in our training. We 

are happy to talk with pastors and church 

leaders about implementing this disciplemaking 

process. 

Continue to pray for the IBC and its 

churches. The IBC is facing financial challenges 

currently (see Allister McCallum’s 

article, page 12). I encourage every 

church in the IBC to honor its commitment 

to participate financially in our work 

together. At the same time, I say thanks to 

the many churches and friends of the IBC 

from around the world who see the potential 

of cooperating for the sake of the 

Gospel. Another challenge, particularly for 

the IBC office and IBC churches located 

in Germany, is how to best to continue 

our legal standing in Germany. For many 

years we have maintained a healthy relationship 

with the German Baptist Union 

(GBU). They have provided legal covering 

for the office and our churches in Germany. 

Due to changing laws which necessitated 

changes in the GBU constitution, 

each church must now decide whether to 

join the GBU or find another legal covering 

(see article page 11). I am thankful for 

a task force of IBC trustees and pastors, as 

well as leaders from the GBU, who have 

been working on this issue. Pray also for 

our church planting efforts and partnerships 

around the world. 

Every IBC church needs your prayers. If 

you do not regularly receive CareNet, our 

weekly Prayer Bulletin that lists specific 

needs of churches and the IBC, let Lorraine 

Stringer know (admin@ibc-churches.org), 

and we will gladly add you to the recipient 

list. Some IBC churches are struggling 

due to the economic crisis; others due to 

lack of leadership or inadequate meeting 

space; others due to conflict. I am grateful 

for God’s provision of new pastors and 

wives such as Ian and Janice Bell, who recently 

came to Calahonda, Spain, after a 

good and long ministry in England; also 

for young pastor couples like David and 

Kristin Martin, who just arrived in Cologne, 

Germany. Pray that these and other 

new pastors will flourish in their ministries. 

Pray for interim pastors who are 

serving in IBC churches as they seek permanent 

pastors. 

A hallmark of every IBC church is high 

turnover, which means saying hello and 

good-bye often. It also means being exposed 

to more people from more places 

and more cultures and more religious 

backgrounds. Unity in diversity is hard 

work, but it can be a blessing if we realize 

that we belong to a “forever family” and 

that we belong to each other because we 

belong to Christ. 

The writer of Hebrews provides a secret 

to living as God’s countercultural people 

on earth: “Instead, they were longing for a 

better country – a heavenly one. Therefore 

God is not ashamed to be called their God, 

for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 

11:16). Strangers and aliens we are, 

all of us. I am thankful for the opportunity 

to work with some of the most committed 

Christian leaders anywhere, who each 

pay a price to serve the Lord in places that 

are not easy. I am also thankful for partners 

across the globe. 

A missionary family arrived in their 

home country after spending many years 

away. To their surprise, there was a large 

crowd of well-wishers who had gathered 

to greet a dignitary on board the large vessel. 

Banners, balloons, politicians and other 

VIPs, and a large band – all welcomed 

the dignitary home. The missionary husband 

noted that they had served the Lord 

for a lifetime far away from home, yet no 

one was there to greet them as they arrived 

home. It did not seem fair. His wife 

squeezed his hand and reminded him, 

“We are not home yet.” Nor are we. • 

Jimmy Martin 

IBC General Secretary 


Discipleship Focus of Leadership Conference 

• The International Baptist Convention's 

Ministry Leadership Conference 

was held, 15-19 March, in Torremolinos, 

Spain. The weekend conference provided 

pastors and leaders in IBC churches an opportunity 

to enjoy fellowship, relaxation, 

encouragement, teaching, and the weather 

and scenery of the Spanish coast. The 

theme for this year’s conference focused 

on discipleship. 

Keynote speaker for the weekend was 

Gary Preston, pastor and part of the partnership 

with Converge Worldwide. Preston’s 

three sessions answered the questions: 

What is biblical discipleship What is 

a disciple-maker What is a disciple-making 

church 

In his Friday evening message, Preston 

addressed the question "What is biblical 

discipleship" Preston first addressed 

what discipleship is not. Discipleship is not 

a program, is not a production line, and 

is not just for disciples (discipleship begins 

with a non-Christians). A disciple is a learner 

(the Greco-Roman world), an apprentice 

(the Semitic world), and a lifelong 

follower (the practice of Jesus). Biblical discipleship 

is the lifelong process of helping 

people in the power of the Holy Spirit to 

follow Jesus as they learn to be shaped into 

His likeness in belief, behavior, and being 

marked by progress not perfection. 

In his second session, Preston addressed 

the question "Are you a disciple-maker" 

How does one go about disciple-making 

There are common elements of discipleship 

– go, baptize, teach. The challenge, 

Preston said, is to make these natural and 

intentional in our ministry. The marks of a 

disciple include being a follower of Christ; 

obedience to Jesus; fruitfulness in life and 

ministry; love for the Savior, saints, and 

sinners; and reproducing other disciples. 

There are also other elements that differ 

from one disciple-maker to the next. 

These include having the role of coach, 

mentor, or spiritual director. Which of 

these roles and its associated tools depends 

on the disciple and the discipler. 

In his final session, Preston addressed 

the question of "Why the church" The 

church has the task of disciple-making because 

Jesus passed the task to the 12 disciples 

and the disciples passed it on to the 

church. Discipleship occurs through spiritually 

mature disciples who coach, mentor, 

and direct on multiple levels a diverse 

congregation toward spiritual maturity in 

Christ and teach how to reproduce that 

process. The primary task of the church is 

to make disciples. All the other functions 

– teaching, prayer, praise and worship, 

fellowship, and outreach – are secondary. 

We should not sacrifice the primary task to 

perform a secondary function. 

The conference concluded with a daylong 

training session on the discipleship 

materials from Operation Multiplication. 

Led by IBC General Secretary Jimmy Martin 

and OM consultants Willi Daiker and 

Mark Wagner, the seminar introduced the 

participants to the materials. Some of the 

materials are for discipling new believers 

while other material is used to train others 

to be disciplers. 

During the Sunday morning service, 

IBC President Scott Corwin looked at three 

themes found in the pastoral epistles of 

Paul (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). One of 

the key responsibilities we have as leaders 

is to train new leaders. New leaders need 

to be well-equipped but more importantly, 

they need to be people of character. We 

also have the responsibility of preaching 

and teaching. But, as leaders, we need to 

make sure God's Word feeds and nourishes 

our souls as well, Corwin said. Leadership 

will bring suffering. We suffer personally 

but we also carry the burdens of the 

people in our churches, Corwin said. Life 

is indeed difficult, but we do it in the light 

of the hope of Jesus Christ. 

Fifty-five people representing 26 IBC 

churches attended the conference in addition 

to the speakers and IBC staff. • 

Left: Gary Preston 

Top: One affinity group discusses antitrafficking 

opportunities in Europe. 

Bottom: A team from Frontline Community, 

Ramstein, leads the music times. 

Photos by Judith Lynn Maxwell 


Men’s Conference: Only the Strong Survive 

• The 2013 Men’s Conference was 

held 18-21 January in Lenk, Switzerland. 

David Dykes was the keynote speaker. In 

his messages “Only the Strong Survive,” 

he addressed the questions: “Are you 

strong enough to finish the race” “Are 

you strong enough to beat the giants” 

and “Are you strong enough to take the 

heat” The musical worship times were 

lead by Doug Pierce and band. 

Three seminars were also held for those 

who were interested: “The Grace Course” 

led by Roger Reber, “Resolution for Men” 

led by David Packer, and “The Battle Plan” 

led by Kent Dickerson. Austin Salisbury, 

associate pastor in Copenhagen, led the 

evening youth activities. 

One hundred fifty men and 28 youth 

representing eight churches attended the 

conference. 

• 

Photos by Alexander Gill 

A group from Copenhagen enjoy a break 

from skiing. 

Highlights Turns 50! 

• In Germany, it is tradition to celebrate 

birthdays ending with a 0. And so, 

we celebrate the fact that this year Highlights 

turns 50! 

The first edition was published in February 

1963 and was nameless. The first editor 

Lewis Krause offered a few suggested 

names (including The Overseas Baptist and 

the ABCE Informer) but the name selected 

was Highlights. The first two editors, Lewis 

Krause and Don Rose, were also the associational 

missionary (the fore-runner to the 

general secretary). The third editor William 

Guess later was named the executive 

secretary-treasurer for the convention. My 

guess is that our current general secretary 

is glad this tradition has changed. 

The first two years were single page editions, 

typed and copied on colored paper. 

In February 1965, the paper increased to 

four pages, and in May 1965, the first 

pictures were included. When Don Rose 

took over as editor, he introduced a more 

traditional newspaper look to the paper. 

This format remained for the next 13 

years. The masthead (the heading that 

says Highlights) changed in 1978 when a 

graphic of the world was added. This was 

changed to the IBC logo in 1980. Sometime 

in the 1980s, single color was added 

to the paper. The most striking change 

happened in 2002 when the newsmagazine 

grew to 16 pages in full color. 

Through the years, for the most part, 

the editor of Highlights has been a volunteer. 

They have served as editor while also 

serving as pastor’s wife, pastor, homemaker, 

personnel specialist in the military, 

and software production coordinator. 

They have struggled with no news from 

the churches, communicating with a German 

printer, and changing technology. I 

want to say thank you to those who have 

served in the past (and I hope I haven’t 

missed someone): 

Helen Ruchti, 1971-1974; Larry Yoder, 

1974-1975; Art & Faye Palmer, 1975- 

1976; Velma Merritt, 1976-1978; Bea 

Guthrie, 1978-1980; Julie Tanner, 1980; 

Richard Walker, 1980-1982; Robert Catudio, 

1982-1985; Neal Schooley, 1985; 

Elizabeth Merritt, 1985-1986; Glenn Dyer, 

1986-1987; Dorothy Baker, 1987- 

1989; Deane Langdon, 1989-1990; Debbie 

Baird Buie, 1990-1991; Becky Walter, 

1991-1992; Jack Walls, 1992-1995, 1999; 

Deonne Beshear, 1999-2001 

I served as editor from 1995-1998 and 

began my second “tour of duty” in 2002. 

During the convention’s Jubilee celebration 

in 2008, I asked former editor Deane 

Langdon for some of her favorite memories 

from her days as editor. She wrote: 

“One of the special things about editing 

Highlights was the opportunity to meet 

many of the pastors and their families as 

well as lay people in the churches. We 

still visit with one family who now lives in 

Tennessee. Seeing ways the people cared 

about and helped one another cope with 

being so far away from their larger family 

was a special joy. Learning to work with 

a German printer who had difficulty deciding 

that I really did mean ‘and’ so it 

was not necessary to change that word to 

‘und’ was an interesting experience. He 

was so understanding when I asked him 

to go back to my original. My year of editing 

the newsjournal was a great experience 

for me. After 30 years of writing for 

[the Baptist Sunday School Board] I was 

able to continue writing but from a different 

perspective.” I’m sure others who 

have served share her feelings. 

In 1963, the name Highlights was selected 

because its purpose was to share 

the highlights from the work and ministry 

of the churches and the convention itself. 

Some things never change. 

• 

Highlights in 1963 

and 2002. 

Judith Lynn Maxwell 


Learning about Team Leadership 

A Book with No Words 

By Gary Preston, Converge Worldwide Partnership 

• What can we learn about team leadership 

from a book with no words That 

was the question on people’s minds as I 

distributed pages torn from a book that 

contained only pictures at the LEAD Team 

Meeting, 14-15 March, in Torremolinos, 

Spain. 

Over the next 15 minutes the group discovered 

valuable team-building principles 

and techniques from those wordless pages 

of the book Zoom by Istvan Banyai. As we 

arranged the Zoom picture narrative from 

a rooster to a cruise ship to a city street to 

a desert island, we uncovered some valuable 

lessons about working as a team rather 

than as individuals. 

Following that exercise in teamwork, I 

engaged the group in processing some of 

what we learned. To begin with, we discovered 

there are benefits to teamwork 

that exceed those of working alone. 

Benefits of Teamwork 

For starters, teamwork is fun. It’s more 

fun to succeed together than alone. When 

you succeed alone, you mostly celebrate 

alone. Sure, you can share your individual 

victory with others, but their enjoyment 

of your victory is mild compared to their 

enjoyment when it’s their victory too. I 

remember being struck by that aspect 

of teamwork when I saw the U.S. women’s 

gymnastic team celebrate their team 

gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. 

In comparison to their individual medals, 

the joy of the team gold medal far surpassed 

any individual accomplishments. 

After a one-on-one interview with a single 

team member, that member’s face lit 

up like a bright star when her teammates 

gathered around, and together they told 

about their team gold accomplishment. 

Teamwork is also more productive. As 

someone unknown to me once put it: 

“Teamwork divides the task and doubles 

the success.” Or as Ken Blanchard expressed 

it, “None of us is as smart as all of 

us.” The idea of synergy results from effective 

teamwork as the success of the team 

eclipses that of its individual parts. It’s the 

old saying that 1+1=3 when a good team 

is involved. Teamwork brings a blend of 

perspectives and strengths to any task so 

that the team can accomplish more together 

than the individuals can separately. 

Teamwork motivates beyond what we 

experience when working individually. It’s 

a fact that people will generally work harder 

for a good team than for themselves. 

We saw that in the U.S. college basketball 

tournament, known as March Madness, 

when an unknown and unheralded 

15 th seed team from Florida Gold Coast 

University defeated perennial powerhouse 

Gonzaga and became the first 15 th seed 

team in the history of the tournament to 

advance to the round of 16. When asked 

how they managed to pull off such a feat, 

the humble team from FGCU simply acknowledged 

that they love each other and 

played together as a team, which motivated 

them to play beyond their individual 

levels of skill. The motivation we get from 

being part of a healthy team produces a 

spiritual and relational vitality that cannot 

be underestimated. 

No doubt there are many more benefits 

of teamwork in ministry, but, unfortunately, 

most pastors and people in ministry 

never experience them because few 

of us are fortunate enough to serve on a 

healthy functioning team. The result is 

that far more often we experience the 

consequences of no teamwork. 

Consequences of No Teamwork 

Every-man-for-himself Culture 

Far too often the absence of teamwork 

in the church creates an environment in 

which each person or staff member or 

ministry leader looks out for themselves. 

It’s the “silo approach” to church ministry. 

We may stand in the same field, but 

we stand there on our own and each of us 

takes care of our own silo, even if it is at 

the expense of someone else’s silo. Since 

no one “has my back” in this setting, it becomes 

okay to achieve a measure of success 

at someone else’s expense. 

Chronic Morale Issues 

Lack of teamwork also leads to divisions 

and mistrust among ministry partners. 

When that occurs, it breeds unhappiness, 

unfulfillment, and frustration among team 

members. So people huddle together to 

discuss their displeasure and someone, 

often the pastor, becomes the target of 

this discontent. It’s like the water jug I saw 

some kids carrying when I was in Uganda 

last year. Their jug had a small hole in the 

bottom corner, so as they rushed from the 

well to the cistern they complained all the 

way about why the jug repairman hadn’t 

taken care of fixing this jug before they 

were sent off with it to fetch water. 

Lower Productivity 

When there are morale issues, there 

is also less motivation to produce outstanding 

results. The consequence is that 

staff and ministry leaders begin to do just 

enough to stay afloat and keep them one 

step ahead of the poorest performer. It’s 

the old saying that when a bear invades 

your camp, you don’t need to outrun the 

bear, just the slowest runner in the camp! 

Low productivity results when good ideas 

get sidelined because people begin to ask, 

“What’s the use” 

High Turnover and Low Recruitment 

If not corrected, the absence of teamwork 

and the consequences it brings will 

usually lead to a high turnover rate among 

workers, staff, and volunteers. People will 

decide that life is too short to spend much 

more time going it alone when they could 

be flourishing in a healthy team environment. 

The result is a “grass is greener” 

syndrome in which people begin to slip 

away as they look for more productive 

and profitable places to serve. The other 

consequence that as word gets out about 

the lack of teamwork, few people are willing 

to step in to replace those who depart. 

Of course, for each of the foregoing 

negative consequences of no teamwork, 

there is a corresponding positive consequence 

that occurs when healthy teamwork 

replaces unnecessary individualism 

or dysfunctional team dynamic. 

Finally, our Zoom exercise at the outset 

led us to talk about the techniques or 


uilding blocks that produce a healthy 

team dynamic. 

Building Blocks of Teamwork 

Cross Train 

It’s now common for athletes at every 

level to engage in training in sports other 

than the one the athlete competes in with 

a goal of improving overall performance. 

This training method is called cross training. 

The advantage is that an athlete benefits 

from the particular strength of each 

training method, which in multiple combinations 

addresses the athlete’s weaknesses. 

The U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan 

Lochte utilized cross training in his preparations 

for the London Games by undertaking 

workout routines designed for the 

World’s Strongest Man competitions. The 

result was an amazing five medals in the 

2012 Olympics. 

In the context of church ministry team, 

cross training refers to the willingness of individual 

team members to become a “Jackof-other-trades.” 

It means experiencing 

the ministry areas and responsibilities of 

other members of the team. So, for example, 

the lead pastor who attends the worship 

team rehearsal and watches the worship 

pastor/leader engage in her primary 

area of ministry is cross training. The lead 

pastor isn’t learning how to lead the worship 

team, but is cross training in the sense 

of making an effort to experience and appreciate 

what another team member does. 

I’ve gone with our youth pastor and 

his core of teens to distribute peanut butter 

and jelly sandwiches to the homeless 

in our city during the summer. We give 

out sandwiches, apples, and water, then 

engage in conversation as people are receptive, 

often concluding a conversation 

by asking, “Is there anything you’d like 

us to pray about for you” Most of the 

time our new friends are more than willing 

to share with us and allow us to pray 

for them right there. I do this cross training 

because I want to experience firsthand 

what my teammate is engaged in and to 

show him that he matters to me. 

Ministry cross training deepens team 

members’ appreciation for one another 

and helps us understand one another’s 

challenges and needs. It also teaches us 

how the various positions we play on the 

team interact and affect one another and 

build trust and camaraderie among team 

members. 

Collaborate 

Collaboration means that we talk and 

listen together as a plan is formulated. It 

involves the ideas and input from all the 

team members and utilizes some of those 

from each person as a plan takes shape. 

When a plan is developed through authentic 

collaboration, each team member 

feels valuable, and everyone discovers 

they play an important role on the team. 

Collaboration is more than just listening 

and talking, but it also involves utilizing 

some of the ideas that are contributed. 

A wise team leader will often defer to the 

idea of another team member, even when 

that idea may differ from the leader’s, just 

to make the point that team members are 

valuable members of the team. 

Communicate 

In an article in the Harvard Business Review 

titled “The New Science of Building 

Great Teams,” the authors discovered that 

the key to the high performance of a team 

lay in the manner in which it was communicating. 

They concluded that the pattern 

of communication is the most important 

predictor of a team’s success. 

Communication in a team takes many 

forms, of course. It may be positive... 

catching people doing things right and 

commending them for it. It may be negative... 

willing to hold team members accountable 

for under-performance. It is formal 

– at meetings and events; it is also 

informal – in the hallway or at a rehearsal. 

Good communication is always honest, 

straightforward, kind, gracious, and 

truthful. That’s a challenging combination 

of factors that make communication good 

and productive for a team. 

One of the aspects of good communication 

I’ve learned over the years is to say 

“Yes” instead of “No” whenever possible. 

I’ve tried to develop the ability to say yes 

to people as often as I can, rather than saying 

no. So when a team member asked me 

if he could exceed his allowed budget for 

a project he was working on, I told him, 

“Yes, if you can figure out a way to do it 

and still remain within your overall spending 

limits for the year.” 

Another area of good communication 

on a team is learning how to accept and 

offer a critique. No one likes to be criticized 

harshly or repeatedly. Good communication 

mixes authentic praise with necessary 

critiques that need to be offered to 

team members. Healthy communication 

styles also allow me to hear critiques from 

team members and learn from them, rather 

than becoming defensive or vindictive. 

LEAD Team members use a book with no words as a team-building exercise. 

Celebrate 

Team celebrations enable teammates to 

share in the success of one another and 

the team. Corporations learned this long 

ago, and it gave rise to the sales goal rewards 

of a cruise or resort vacation. Ministry 

teams may not be able to celebrate 

to that extent, but they can still find ways 

to raise a glass of something to their combined 

successes. 

Teams that look for their various successes 

to celebrate are teams that enjoy 

being together and have fun with one another. 

Such celebrations can be informal, 

like celebrating a teammate’s ministry success 

with a handwritten note or a helium 

balloon at the next team gathering. It can 

also be formal, recognizing that success 

and hearing a bit of the story during the 

Sunday worship gathering or a write-up 

with photos in the newsletter. The success 

of our celebrations will be measured 

by the energy and enthusiasm they generate 

in team members. 

Developing teamwork takes persistence 

and intentionality. It doesn’t happen automatically 

nor does it happen quickly. But 

the payoff far exceeds the effort required, 

and it pays dividends long after the planning, 

meetings, events, and celebrations 

have finished. 

• 


Make Plans to Attend Interlaken 2013 

Blackaby 

Cranford 

Dreessen 

Fuller 

Jackson 

Jonas 

Packer 

Marsh 

Sheveland 

• Interlaken Summer Experience 2013, 

6-11 July, is almost here, and there is plenty 

to be excited about! In the last edition of 

Highlights you read about our key speakers 

Richard Blackaby and Saleim Kahleh. But 

we have also lined up top-notch seminar 

leaders. Below you will find some examples 

of our teachers and the classes they 

have to offer: 

John Fuller is a vice president of Focus 

on the Family and co-hosts the awardwinning 

“Focus on the Family” daily radio 

program. Fuller’s work in media has called 

for a great deal of creativity, and he plans 

to teach a seminar called “Creative Endeavor: 

Communicating with Excellence.” 

Fuller will be doing a second seminar 

called “Using Influence Wisely,” which 

draws on his years of experience as a leader 

and executive as well as a father and 

husband to look at how each of us can 

“proactively leverage our influence well 

for the Kingdom.” 

Jerry Sheveland has served as the President 

of Converge Worldwide since 2002 

and was a pastor before that. He has also 

taught numerous courses at Denver Seminary 

and Bethel Theological Seminary. 

Sheveland will be teaching a discipleship 

model taken out of Mark’s Gospel. 

This practical study of Scripture promises 

to be engaging and equipping. 

Allen Jackson is the founder and director 

of the Youth Ministry Institute at New Orleans 

Baptist Theological Seminary where 

he serves as associate professor of youth 

education. Years of experience ministering 

to youth and studying adolescent development, 

as well as raising a family of 

his own have prepared him to be a wellequipped 

teacher on parenting and family 

issues. Come to his class ready to learn 

some new things and bring your questions 

with you, as he would love to answer 

them and discuss issues that are concerning 

you. 

Bob Marsh’s experience is vast, from 

serving as a pastor to being a board member 

of the International Mission Board to 

being a trustee for the New Orleans Baptist 

Theological Seminary, Mercer University, 

and Mobile Baptist College. He has 

also served as church consultant for the 

IBC and been an interim pastor in many 

of our churches. Bob will be teaching a 

course on the prayers of Paul in his letters 

to the churches. 

Paul Dreessen pastors IBC San Jose, Costa 

Rica, and has a heart for missions. He 

will be teaching a class entitled “What’s 

the Difference,” which will look at how 

Christianity differs from other world religions 

and cults. 

Glenn Jonas is chairman of the Department 

of Religion and Philosophy at Campbell 

University. He will be teaching a seminar 

entitled, “How We Got Our Bible,” 

looking at the history of the Bible. 

Jonas will teach a second seminar on 

“Jeremiah: The Weeping Prophet,” examining 

the background and text of the book 

of Jeremiah and considering how words 

that were spoken so many centuries ago 

have relevance to us today. 

Lorin Cranford spent 35 years as a New 

Testament professor at Southwestern Baptist 

Theological Seminary and at Gardner- 

Webb University. He is now “semi-retired” 

in San Jose, Costa Rica, where he serves 

at the IBC church there. Cranford’s classes 

are always meaty. This year he will be 

teaching one class entitled “The Life and 

Ministry of Christ” in which he will take a 

close look at Jesus of Nazareth, Teacher 

and Savior. He will teach another class on 

Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which will 

dive deep into the text. 

Blackaby is our morning speaker, but he 

will also be teaching a seminar during the 

week on “Spiritual Leadership,” based on 

one of his best-selling books. From consulting 

with CEO’s to leading Blackaby 

Ministries International to being the president 

of a seminary, Blackaby has extensive 

experience both leading and helping others 

to develop their skills as a leader. This 

class is sure to give you practical insight into 

how you can better lead, whether that 

is in your family, a corporation, the military, 

or some other setting. 

Lana Packer is an author, speaker to 

women’s groups, mentor, and pastor’s 

wife at IBC Stuttgart. Packer will lead a 

seminar for women looking at the ways 

that women in an international setting 

have to opportunity to not only experience 

and impact the world but to also uncover 

new facet about themselves. 

This gives you a taste of the variety of 

seminars and quality of leaders that will 

be at Interlaken this summer. The above 

list, though, is by no means exhaustive. 

Be watching our Facebook page (www. 

facebook.com/internationalbaptists) or our 

website (www.ibc-churches.org/interlaken) 

for more info over the next couple months. 

We encourage you to sign up right 

away for this year’s Summer Experience 

and make sure you have booked your 

lodging as rooms in Interlaken tend to fill 

up in July. 

I look forward to seeing you there. • 

David Fresch 

Interlaken 2013 Coordinator 


Partnering in the Gospel 

with the Baptist Union of Moldova 

Editor’s Note: As part of its partnership with the Baptist Union 

of Moldova, three teams of pastors and church members 

from the International Baptist Convention participated in an 

evangelistic mission trip to Moldova, 18-24 February. Two of 

the teams shared their experiences. 

• As the details of this mission project 

began to emerge, I felt that God was asking 

me to participate. He had something 

there for me personally, and I was hoping 

for possibilities for our church in Copenhagen 

to also get involved in the future. 

I really didn’t know what to expect, but I 

knew I would be in a formerly communist 

Eastern European country where the love 

of Jesus needed to be shared. 

A few pastors from the IBC and their 

church members were able to participate 

in this first project. We went at our own 

expense but were also graciously hosted 

by the local pastors. A couple of translators 

also volunteered their time and money to 

help make sure that the messages were 

understood and that communication was 

possible between the local and international 

pastors. I was paired with Pastor Ilie 

(Elijah) to serve in Leova, where his church 

is, and in the nearby villages of Sirma and 

Beştemac, where there are mission points. 

With finances from the IBC Global Missions 

Offering, the local churches prepared 

care packages filled with almost 

16 kilos of cooking oil, rice, flour, beans, 

and canned meat to distribute among 

the poor and the elderly. They also boxed 

and wrapped children’s gifts to distribute 

to handicapped children and the children 

of the poorest in the village. During 

the week, our teams went from home to 

home, trekking through muddy “roads” 

and distributing the packages and gifts 

while visiting with the families and sharing 

God’s love. The local pastors also used the 

occasion to invite the people to the church 

meetings later that day or week. For many 

people, this was the first time anyone had 

ever assisted them with food. 

My translator and I stayed the whole 

week in Pastor Ilie’s humble two-room 

farmhouse with his wife Pascha and their 

three teenage children. Their two oldest 

children are boys who help a lot around 

the farm, but their daughter was born severely 

handicapped and requires continuous 

care. They live off the farm (complete 

with goats and chickens) along with 

a small income from his shoe repairing 

skills and the small contributions from 

his church. They are certainly not rich by 

western standards, but we were always 

amply fed with delicious meals. I was very 

thankful also for their modern bathroom, 

their warm water, and Internet connection! 

During the week, I preached or taught 

a total of nine times through a translator. 

Twice at the city councils where we distributed 

the care packages to the elderly, 

twice at local junior high schools, twice 

at the mission points, and three times in 

the church in Leova. We visited countless 

homes where some invited us in, but 

most greeted and thanked us at the front 

door. The other IBC teams also did a lot of 

preaching, teaching, and visiting, and the 

overall response was surprisingly positive. 

Our teams met together toward the end 

of the week to share God-stories and to 

pray together for the people of Moldova. 

I praise God that He could use me to 

bring His love and a message of hope to 

the Moldovans. My heart is filled with 

wonder and my mind is filled with ideas 

of how our church in Copenhagen could 

be involved in a church partnership with 

Pastor Ilie and his church in Leova. 

God is at work in Moldova and is asking 

us to be involved in one way or another. I 

certainly want to participate in the future 

with His work there. 

Erik Nielsen 

Copenhagen, Denmark 

We recently traveled to the villages of 

Moscovei, Lapatica, and Lucesti, Moldova, 

in partnership with the IBC. We ministered 

to the local congregations and communities 

through evangelism and food distribution. 

We are thankful to Pastor Vasile Lupu 

(Moscovei Baptist Church) and his family 

for hosting us. The Apostle Paul spoke to 

the church at Philippi encouraging them 

to keep their joy in the midst of great difficulties. 

We are happy to report that we 

met many people who have the joy of 

the Lord despite their circumstances, but 

there is much work to be done as many 

there do not understand the joy of the 

Lord because they have no relationship 

with Him. We would like to encourage the 

congregations of the IBC to get involved 

on mission in Moldova as the spiritual and 

physical needs are great. We are blessed to 

be a part of this partnership, and we were 

deeply touched by the love and hospitality 

shown to us. 

Scott, Sandy and Tanner Chadwick 

Sofia, Bulgaria 

• 

GMO money helped purchase food for an 

outreach ministry in Moldova. 

The Chadwick family visits villagers in 

Moldova. 

Erik Nielsen (l) distributes a food packet to a 

village near Leova. 


IBC/BEFG Discuss Legal Status 

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from a letter sent to IBC 

churches in Germany. We share it here as a matter of information 

and prayer. 

• Perhaps you are aware that, for the past 

1½ years, some of the IBC trustees and 

several IBC pastors have met on several 

occasions with leaders of the Bund Evangelish-Freikirchlicher 

Gemeinden (BEFG or 

German Baptist Union – GBU or “Bund”). 

The two issues we have addressed have 

been (1) the future status of the IBC as 

an office and (2) the future status of IBC 

churches in Germany. 

Historical Notes and Legal Necessities 

The IBC’s Constitution has, for many 

years, held that our convention is a 

“Werk” (essentially an Associate Member) 

of the GBU. Since 1996, the IBC and its 

churches in Germany have operated, from 

a legal standpoint, under the protection 

of the GBU. The agreement gave the IBC 

and its churches in Germany the highest 

legal status available. The status is basically 

as a Public Corporation (K.d.ö.R.) with 

the highest level of protection and significant 

benefits that go beyond other types 

of legal status – Registered Status (Verein 

or “e. V.”) and Unincorporated Association. 

The status is important for the IBC 

and for each church because it affects legal 

liability, tax and personnel risks, ability 

to own land and/or property, and other issues 

that the IBC and its churches face. Although 

the agreement was intended for a 

determined period of time, the GBU honored 

that agreement long after it should 

have expired. 

German laws have changed. The GBU 

changed its constitution in 2003 to keep 

up with the laws. Under the new constitution, 

several things have changed that 

have direct impact on the IBC and its 

churches: 1. Organizations (such as the 

IBC) can no longer belong as members 

of the GBU and 2. Churches must belong 

individually to the Bund (or another 

K.d.ö.R. organization) if they wish to keep 

the K.d.ö.R. status. 

Churches that do not wish to be or become 

part of the Bund will have to make a 

decision whether to join another K.d.ö.R. 

organization or operate fully independent 

as an Unincorporated Association or Registered 

Association (e. V.). The IBC does 

not have any experience with any other 

K.d.ö.R. (e.g., the Freie Evangelische 

Kirche) in Germany. Operating as an Unincorporated 

Association or a Registered 

Association comes at increased levels of 

risk for the leadership and the church and 

should therefore only be considered if the 

risks have been fully analyzed and the organizational 

form endorsed by a church’s 

members. 

Options 

How to move ahead. The Bund has 

sought to help us through this challenge 

in every way. After our last meeting, we 

have come up with one possible scenario. 

With regard to IBC churches in Germany, 

they are welcome to apply for Associate 

Membership with the GBU. This 

membership is normally for three years. At 

that time the church and the GBU would 

decide if they wish to continue as a Full 

Member or discontinue the relationship. 

The Associate and the Full Member are 

basically the same except for a few voting 

rights. And as a Full Member, a church 

still had the freedom to leave the Bund at 

a later stage, if they wish to do so. The application 

for membership should be made 

by the church and submitted to the Bund 

during or before October 2013. This gives 

time for memberships to be considered 

and voted on at their General Meeting in 

February 2014. 

This means that all IBC Germany 

churches that are not Full Members of the 

Bund currently must apply, as a membership 

through the IBC is no longer an option. 

Churches that are already Full Members 

will stand as they are. 

With regard to the status of the IBC, 

it would change from that of a Werk of 

the Bund to a Netzwerk (Network). The 

Germany IBC churches could do this as 

they form an association of international 

churches (the IBC) for legal purposes. The 

IBC would not be an official member of 

the Bund but would be able to take advantage 

of the K.d.ö.R. status of its member 

churches, and so receive the same legal 

benefits and protection under the law. The 

details are currently being worked out. 

Financial Considerations 

The Bund recommends to its churches 

that they contribute 58 Euro per member 

per year. They realize that IBC churches do 

not benefit from all the services the Bund 

offers as we are English-speaking churches. 

Thus, the IBC was able to come to an 

agreement with the Bund that our churches 

should pay 25 % of the recommended 

contribution – 14.50 Euro per member 

per year. 

Like your contributions to the IBC, these 

contributions are on a voluntary basis. 

Each church can come to a agreement 

with the Bund independently. 

Responding to Specific Questions and 

Concerns 

Why the Bund Evangelisch-Freikirchlicher 

Gemeinden Historically, IBC’s right 

to exist and own property in Germany 

was secured through our agreement with 

the Bund Evangelish-Freikirchlicher Gemeinden 

(German Baptist Union – GBU). 

Since the GBU is recognized as a church 

(K.d.ö.R.) that gives the convention and 

member churches the highest possible legal 

rights and protection that is beneficial 

for employers, employees, finances, property 

ownership, et al. The administrative 

services of the GBU have benefitted many 

of our churches as well. 

Are there other options for the IBC Yes, 

there are other options, however, continuing 

our IBC relationship with the GBU 

makes for a simple and seamless transition 

to the next phase of our relationship. 

We’ve enjoyed a long history of good cooperation 

and fellowship, along with the 

GBU’s legal covering, protection, and services. 

Is it possible for the IBC to form its own 

K.d.ö.R 

Although we may do further investigation, 

our research so far has indicated that 

becoming a K.d.ö.R. would be costly both 

in the process and the actual functioning, 

and it is highly unlikely that we would 

be able to gain this status as a group of 

churches. 

Three major points to be considered: 

1. There must be a relevant number of 

church members in relation to the population. 

2. The existence of the church must appear 

to be enduring. 

3. The German ministries of culture and 

education are very reluctant to grant 

the status of a Corporation under Public 

Law (K.d.ö.R.) at this time. • 


IBCM Meets in Fort Worth, Texas 

• The annual meeting of the International 

Baptist Church Ministries (IB- 

CM) was held on 2 February at Southwestern 

Baptist Theological Seminary in 

Fort Worth, Texas (USA) with more than 

70 people in attendance. Approximately 

70 people also attended a banquet held 

on Friday night before the meeting. The 

group included former pastors and wives 

and church members from many IBC 

churches, as well as friends of the IBC and 

former staff. 

IBCM was founded in 1997 as a nonprofit 

corporation, whose primary goal 

was to provide financial support to English-speaking 

Baptist churches affiliated 

with the European Baptist Convention 

(now the International Baptist Convention). 

In the last several years, IBCM’s support 

has expanded to churches in Latin 

America and Asia. 

During the business meeting, new 

members to the Board of Directors were 

elected: Linda Bolton, Jim Erwin, and Dan 

Marshall. Treasurer Tim Taylor reported 

that designated contribution to churches 

was almost $2.5 million, given to 35 different 

churches by 520 contributors. 

IBC General Secretary Jimmy Martin 

reported on the opportunities and challenges 

of the IBC at the current time, using 

this year’s theme of the convention, 

“Growing Healthy Churches through... 

PARTNERSHIPS.” He recounted some of 

the work of the convention through its 

churches and partnerships. In Moldova, 

the poorest country of Europe, the IBC 

has been blessed to work with deeply 

committed leaders, pastors, church members, 

and church planters. Through our 

partnership with Converge Worldwide, 

we planted two churches in 2012 and 

are developing a strategy for the future. 

Martin shared some of the goals for the 

future related to church planting, discipleship, 

church health, and church leadership. 

He also requested prayer for struggling 

churches and missions vision. Laurie 

Martin shared about the women’s ministries 

in and through the IBC. 

At the Board of Directors Meeting which 

followed the general meeting, Terry Carter 

was re-elected as president of IBCM. Other 

officers include Dan Marshall (former 

IBC pastor in Dubai, UAE), vice president; 

Jim Erwin (former pastor in Bremen, Germany), 

secretary; and Tim Taylor (accountant 

in McKinney, TX), treasurer. 

Grant requests totaling $9,100 were approved 

for the following: 

• $2,000 to ICF Portimao, Portugal, for 

moving locations and community outreach 

• $2,000 to Grace Fellowship, Stukeley, 

England, for preparation for new pastor 

and community outreach 

• $500 for IBC Ministry Leadership Conference 

for discipleship materials 

• $1,500 to LifeBridge, Panama City, Panama, 

to launch a professional website and 

weekly rent of theater 

• $1,100 to IBC Sofia, Bulgaria, for laptop, 

TV, computer, and lectern 

• $2,000 to IBC for pastor travel. 

The IBC is blessed to have friends who support 

us in their prayers and participation 

in various ways. May the Lord bless those 

who serve with the IBCM. For more information 

on the work of IBCM, go to their 

website: www.ibcmworld.org. Karen Runyan 

serves as the IBCM administrator and 

can be reached at karen@ibcmworld.org.• 

Jimmy Martin 

Carsten Lotz 

Oberursel, Germany 

Pastor’s Profile 

Wife: Melanie 

Children: Philipp, Titus, and Calvin 

Years at current IBC Church: 2 

Brief profile of your church: The International 

Christian Fellowship is truly an international church with more 

than 52 different nations represented within our community. 

We say quite often that we belong together because we belong 

to Jesus. Christ-centered, Gospel-shaped, diverse, and 

dynamic are a few of the adjectives I would use to describe ICF. 

Ways you are involved in the IBC: Northern Europe LEAD 

Team, Church Planting Ministry Team, IBC/BEFG relationship 

task force 

Other ministry interests: helping people see how the Gospel 

affects all of life (personal, relational, and cultural); Biblical 

studies especially the Gospel of Luke/Acts and the doctrine of 

the Holy Spirit; and Christ-centered Biblical Theology. 

Personal interests and hobbies: Reading (I aim to read a 

book a week), spending time with family, exercising, cooking, 

and laughing a lot. 

Life Bible Verse: Acts 20:24 

Brad Belcher 

Budapest, Hungary 

Pastor’s Profile 

Wife: Kathy 

Children: Kelly (19), Abbie (17), and 

Leanna (12) 

Years at current IBC Church: 1 

Brief profile of your church: The International Baptist Church 

of Budapest is truly an international church where on any given 

Sunday one can find 20-25 nationalities represented. We 

have launched small group ministries this year to encourage 

fellowship and digging deeper into God’s Word. We have an 

active children’s program and youth group. We just celebrated 

21 years as a church. 

Ways you are involved in the IBC: Church Support Ministry 

Team 

Other ministry interests: Pastoral counseling, teaching and 

preaching, and mentoring young men to live rightly for the 

Lord 

Personal interests and hobbies: Family, football, travelling, 

and reading 

Favorite/Life Bible Verse: Ezra 7:10 (ministry) and Psalm 37 

(life) 


IBC Finances Need Your Attention 

YOU, yes you, need to read this! 

• I don’t normally approve of gimmicky 

attention-grabbing headlines, but I’m 

afraid that as the IBC’s Treasurer I do need 

your attention, for just a few minutes, on 

a subject that sends many people to sleep 

– finance! 

The majority of us members of IBC 

churches are living and working in a country 

which is not our own and our expatriate 

churches enjoy the comfort of 

belonging to the IBC. [I use the word 

‘comfort’ both in its modern sense (gentle, 

warm, cosy support) as well as in its 

biblical sense, as seen in Isaiah 40:1, (literally 

con fortis, with strength).] 

I’m sure we all value enormously the 

work of our general secretary and his support 

staff, as well as the huge amount of 

voluntary work undertaken in the various 

ministry teams. This vital IBC role of comforting 

obviously costs money – which we 

have to raise ourselves. We don’t expect 

member churches all to make the same 

equal contribution but we do ask for equal 

sacrifice. Is that too much to ask It is a sad 

fact that in 2012 more than a quarter of 

our member churches contributed financially 

nothing at all to the convention. The 

financial position of the convention is not 

disastrous, but neither could it be called 

healthy. The accompanying chart, showing 

the basic figures over the 12-month 

period from March 2012-February 2013, 

illustrates this: 

The blue line shows the level of the 

budget we set for the year, based on the 

known costs of running the convention 

and the requests from the ministry team 

leaders. 

The purple line shows our average 

monthly income. As you can see, it is consistently 

below our budget, which is not 

good because it means we are not able to 

fund all the expenses we have considered 

necessary to meet the ministry plans. 

The red line shows our average monthly 

expenditure. For most of the time the 

red line (expenditure) is higher than the 

purple line (income), which is not good 

because it means that we spending more 

than we are receiving. This means that we 

have an accumulating deficit, which is currently 

funded by drawing on reserves. The 

green line shows the status of our deficit, 

taking 1 January 2012 as zero. Clearly, it 

is not going in a good direction. 

Fortunately, we do have reserves to 

draw on because of the generosity and financial 

sacrifice of our predecessors, but 

our successors will not enjoy this benefit 

if we do not match the sacrifice of those 

who have gone before us. 

I know that times are tough economically 

and that the expatriate communities 

served by our churches are much smaller 

than they once were, but we all need 

to consider how much of the Lord’s money 

we need for ourselves. For example, if 

each of the current ‘non-giving’ churches 

would give just €200 per month each, 

our deficit would be very quickly wiped 

out. Do you know what proportion of your 

church’s income is given to the IBC If not, 

ask your pastor or treasurer – they both receive 

a quarterly statement from the Budget 

and Finance Ministry Team. I would 

also encourage any individual friends of 

the IBC, who regularly read Highlights, to 

consider a one-time gift. For U.S. taxpayers, 

they can give through the IBCM and 

receive charitable giving credit. For further 

details visit the IBCM website: www. 

ibcmworld.org. 

• 

Allister McCallum 

IBC Treasurer 

Executive Council Meets at MLC 

• The Executive Council of the International 

Baptist Convention met 16 March 

as part of the Ministry Leadership Conference 

in Torremolinos, Spain. The council 

heard reports from General Secretary Jimmy 

Martin and from the ministry team coordinators 

and regional coordinators who 

make up the council. 

The council accepted the request of 

Brackley Baptist Church to withdraw from 

the convention. Brackley is a predominately 

British church, and they want to 

align more closely with the British Baptist 

Union. 

Martin, in his General Secretary’s report, 

reminded the group that God will 

accomplish His plans; it’s His timing. We 

have to trust His promises. We trust the future 

because God has been faithful in the 

past. We have to obey God’s last word to 

us until He gives another direction. The 

challenge of our churches is to trust when 

things are going well and when they are 

not. Martin shared of several churches facing 

particular challenges at this time. 

The council also heard an update about 

the developments with the German Baptist 

Union (GBU). Currently, the IBC Office 

has its legal representative through 

the GBU. German law changed and so the 

GBU had to change its constitution. As a 

result this has affected the IBC Office and 

the IBC churches in Germany. (For more 

information, see the letter sent to the IBC 

churches in Germany, page 10). • 


News from the Churches 

Ramstein, Germany 

• From an early age, Mike Walk’s heart 

was called to full-time ministry. So it was no 

surprise that in 2001, Mike found himself 

working as a youth pastor as he pursued 

his seminary degree. What did come as a 

surprise, however, is when God prompted 

Mike to join the U.S. Army in 2003! 

With an obedient heart and in what 

seemed like a blink of an eye, Mike’s vocation 

and location changed dramatically. 

Mike encountered Frontline Community 

at his first duty station in Landstuhl, Germany. 

It was there that he found instant 

friends and purpose in ministering to military 

families for several years. 

Prompted by the Lord, Mike left active 

duty life in 2010 and returned to the 

United States to finish his seminary degree. 

In 2012 he graduated from Liberty 

Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master 

of Divinity degree. Meanwhile, back in 

Ramstein, Germany, Frontline Community 

continued to grow. Weekend attendance 

grew each week past 550, and Pastor Darryl 

Evetts needed some staff to help minister 

to the rapidly growing Frontline family. 

Mike and his family’s hearts stayed 

closely knit with many families within the 

Frontline Community. So, in January of 

2013 it was a natural fit for the Walk family 

to join Frontline once again, only this 

time as a full-time associate pastor. 

Today, Mike, his wife Jen, and their 

three little ones Elliot, Carson, and Emmeline 

are a perfect fit for the predominately 

“young family” demographic of Frontline 

Community. It’s already clear that families 

connect with their life stage and that the 

Mike and Jen Walk and family. 

Walks will have a huge impact on the military 

families of the Kaiserslautern Military 

Community for Jesus Christ. 

Mike says, “My heart never really left 

Europe and the military families here!” It is 

obvious by their love and dedication that 

God is richly blessing Frontline Community 

by bringing the Walks back to serve and 

live in Ramstein, Germany. 

• 

Jana Shankle 

Naples, Italy 

Sharing a meal helps build relationships. 

• On the last weekend of February, a 

half-dozen Americans joined a group of 

more than 100 Italians at a men’s retreat 

at the base of the “Gran Sasso,” one of the 

highest mountains in Italy. The songs were 

in Italian, and fortunately so was the food. 

Only the messages were translated, but 

the new friendships crossed the boundaries 

of language and culture. 

Being part of a bi-lingual international 

church with Italian leadership can be 

a challenge. It would be so much easier 

to get to know people if we all spoke 

the same language. At the same time, we 

would stand to lose out on seeing how 

God is at work in the lives of Italian brothers 

who are truly following Christ in a land 

that looks more and more Christian in tradition 

only. Sharing a meal and a message 

and trying to find earplugs capable 

of blocking out the snoring helped us to 

form bonds of friendship which have united 

our hearts as brothers in Christ. Here’s 

to hoping we can do it again soon – arrivederci! 

• 

Tim Faulkner 

Madrid, Spain 

• The Challenges of Social Ministry in 

Times of Economic Crisis 

The Body of Christ at Immanuel Baptist 

Church, Madrid, Spain, is a preview of “every 

tribe and tongue and people and nation” 

(Rev 5:9). Our congregation has a large 

component of immigrants who, as such, 

are most hard hit by the economic crisis. 

While many existing social resources are 

being depleted and budgets are severely 

overtaxed, IBC’s Social Ministry team 

has sought new ways to help the neediest 

among us, mainly by looking inward, instead 

of out. Taking the model of the early 

church a step farther, members are offered 

creative ways to share. 

There is a “Blessing Board” on one wall 

of the sanctuary, where specific material 

needs (diapers, clothing, or a small appliances) 

are posted on suns. Anyone can 

take a sun, supply the necessary item, and 

leave it in the hamper under the Blessing 

Madrid members help each other through 

job-specific workshops. 

Board. The team then matches each donation 

with the person(s) in need. Donors 

and recipients remain anonymous. 

Non-perishable foods may be donated at 

any time and are distributed as needs are 

identified. There is also a Service Exchange 

Board where people can post their professional 

skill or service (tutoring, alterations, 

or violin lessons, for example) and 

contact information. The idea is that instead 

of looking elsewhere, we check first 

to see if a brother or sister in the church 

can provide the service we are in need of. 

The blessing is reciprocal. 

Better than meeting immediate needs is 

enabling people to do that for themselves. 

The number of unemployed continues to 

rise, so volunteers share their expertise 

in job-specific seminars and workshops, 

such as an on-going computer skills training 

class, a workshop on how to create a 

CV, or practice sessions to make a good 

impression at a job interview. Other more 

domestic workshops deal with organizing 

a family budget and nutritious meal preparation 

using the non-perishable foods 

that are typically donated. 

As Paul reminds us, we can excel in 

faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness, 

and love, but we still need to “excel in the 

grace of giving” (2 Cor 8:7). 

• 

Julia Justice 



Prague, Czech Republic 

• We were delighted to baptize two 

students on 3 February. Both Florence, 

a fifth-year medical student from Malaysia, 

and Joshua, a second-year mechanical 

engineering student from India, come 

from Christian families. Their baptism was 

a confirmation and declaration of their 

commitment to Christ and a decisive step 

in their walk of faith. 

Florence’s parents, who were visiting 

Europe, attended the baptism as did Joshua’s 

mother, brother, and uncle, who all 

live and work in Prague. 

In their testimonies each shared how 

God had His hand on their lives from the 

very beginning. Doctors had recommended 

to Florence’s mother to have an abortion 

because of life-threatening cysts in 

her womb, while Joshua was lactose intolerant 

as a baby. Both are now fighting fit 

and a testimony to God’s grace and goodness! 

Florence, the IBCP worship team coordinator, 

finished her testimony by singing 

a song of her own composition. • 

Gareth Morris Pastor Gareth Morris baptizes one of two 

students. 

Aalborg, Denmark 

Koinonia Fellowship 

• As Easter approached, we at Koinonia 

International Fellowship, Aalborg, 

Denmark, started taking a closer look at 

the cross and its meaning. More specifically, 

we looked at the episode with the 

two criminals who were crucified together 

with Jesus as presented by Luke (Luke 

23:39-43). During three consecutive Sunday 

services in March, we had three devotionals 

together with questions and applications. 

The passage from Luke 23:39-43 

holds several applications which deserve 

to be examined separately and meditated 

on. In the devotionals we took a closer 

look at the attitudes of the two criminals 

towards Jesus, at the way they addressed 

personal sin through their attitudes and 

words, and at how they understand Jesus 

and salvation. 

The first criminal was spiritually dead. 

His understanding of sin goes hand in 

hand with his understanding of his personal 

sin. The second criminal knows that 

he deserves death because of his sin. He 

can see that Christ is sinless. He knows 

now that Jesus is sinless yet he still sees 

Him on the cross, dying. The criminal also 

hears Jesus’ forgiveness from the heavenly 

Father for those who crucified Him. The 

criminal can acknowledge that through 

Christ there is forgiveness for the sins that 

result in death. All these pieces are put together 

in verse 42, when the criminal calls 

Jesus King: “Jesus, remember me when 

You come into Your kingdom.” 

I challenged the group: “How do we 

celebrate Easter and the resurrection of 

Jesus Christ this year Are we still dead in 

our sins Are we ready to die to sin as Romans 

6:2 tells us” We concluded by asking 

ourselves these questions: 

• What is our attitude towards Jesus Our 

humility is a condition for us to receive the 

grace of God (James 4:6). 

• Do we believe that salvation is all through 

faith, and not through deeds of man (Romans 

4:3). 

• Do we have saving faith The second 

criminal had saving faith as did the Roman 

centurion (Luke 7:2-10). 

• Do we believe in the immediacy of salvation 

and do we live according to this 

truth (Luke 4:21; 19:9; John 3:16-18).• 

Marius Padurean 

San Jose, Costa Rica 

• The last several months have been 

exciting at IBC, Costa Rica. We have continued 

to grow in our attendance, and we 

are starting to face some new space issues. 

Our current schedule of two worship services 

and two Bible studies simultaneously 

has served us well. However, we are seeing 

some parking issues and our second 

service is often full. We praise God for the 

increase, and we continue to pray for His 

leading as we look for solutions to these 

wonderful problems. 

In February, we had our annual Missions 

Fest which highlights the various 

ministries and missions that we support. It 

was a blessing to see all the different ways 

God is at work in Costa Rica and around 

the world. We have had the wonderful 

opportunity to see two English-speaking 

churches launch this year. The Tamarindo 

Church, which is an IBC-sponsored church 

at the coastal city of Tamarindo, launched 

in January. The Horizon Church in Jaco, 

another coastal city, also held their first 

services. Both churches are healthy and 

are reaching their communities. 

In March we had our annual men’s retreat. 

We had 50 men attend, and they 

were challenged with the theme “The 

Man I Ought to Be.” It was a great time 

of fellowship, worship, Bible study, and 

outdoor activities. We look forward with 

anticipation to several big outreach events 

in April and May. 

• 

Paul Dreessen 

Missions Fest highlights various ministries 

– including this one – that IBC Costa Rica 

supports. 



Calahonda, Spain 

• Ian Bell was installed as the pastor 

of Good News Baptist Church, Calahonda, 

Spain, during a special service on 17 

March. IBC General Secretary Jimmy Martin 

participated in the service and gave a 

charge to the church and to Bell. 

Members pray for the Bells in five languages 

represented in the church. 

Before coming to Spain, Bell served as a 

Baptist minister in a number of churches in 

the UK. His last appointment being Senior 

Pastor of Romford Baptist Church in London. 

He was born in County Durham in 

the North East England. He read mechanical 

engineering at Heriot Watt University, 

Edinburgh, and then practiced as a chartered 

engineer in the oil and chemical industries 

before being trained as a Baptist 

minister. He read theology at Regents Park 

College, Oxford and Westminster College, 

Cambridge. 

Ian is married to Janice and they have 

two children – Richard who is married to 

Amy (children Isaac and Ollie) and Laura 

who is married to Joe (daughter Eloise). 

Ian’s hobbies include golf, genealogy, and 

astronomy. 

“My ministry here in the Costa Del Sol 

Ian Bell 

will be very different 

to previous 

ministries,” 

Bell said. “However, 

it’s sometimes 

good to move out 

of one’s comfort 

zone. Ministry in 

Spain will be particularly 

challenging 

because like all 

countries in Western 

Europe Spain is becoming increasingly 

secularized. Many, particularly young people, 

are ignorant or have a very distorted 

understanding of the Christian message. 

The challenge facing the Church today is 

to present the ancient truths of the Christian 

gospel in an attractive and engaging 

way.” 

• 

Brussels, Belgium 

• The International Baptist Church, 

Brussels, Belgium, has several on-going 

ministries that reach out to the community. 

English Classes 

The English classes ministry is an outreach 

program serving the community 

around the church and beyond by offering 

instruction and practice in the English 

language. We have approximately 40 students 

ranging from high-school students 

to retirees. Through the reading of Scripture 

with the students, praying for them 

at the end of each class, and holding two 

special evangelistic events every year, we 

are planting the seeds of faith and trusting 

that the Lord will work in the hearts of 

those who attend the classes. 

Serve the City 

The Serve the City (STC) team aims to 

inform the IBC congregation about opportunities 

to get involved, support, or 

learn more about STC initiatives serving 

the poor and disadvantaged in Brussels. 

Every month STC organizes a Volunteer 

Day which gathers 100 plus volunteers 

from all over the city to serve those who 

are less fortunate. People from IBC actively 

participate in all the monthly volunteering 

days. These days are specifically designed 

to address the needs of certain groups in 

need. In January it was Homeless Focus 

Day, in February Victims of Abuse Focus 

Day, while in March volunteering day was 

called Splash! in conjunction with World 

Water Day. 

No less than 15 projects are organized 

for every Focus day to give volunteers an 

opportunity to choose a place to serve according 

to their interest – whether it is doing 

arts & crafts with kids at a children’s 

house, feeding the homeless at the Brussels 

train stations, playing board games 

with elderly at hospitals and elderly houses, 

or painting walls at centers where families 

in difficulty live. 

Alpha Class 

The IBC Alpha Team consists of four 

persons. Between September 2012 and 

February 2013 we organised an Alpha 

Course, which took place at the church. 

The course material was the Alpha DVD 

set with a series of talks on the basics of 

the Christian faith by Nicky Gumbel, the 

founder of Alpha Class. In this context, we 

had 10 regular sessions, with an average 

attendance of 10 people. In addition to 

watching the DVD, the meeting included 

a light dinner and a group discussion on 

the night’s theme. 

We also held an extra session during 

the month of December focusing on the 

essence of Christmas, with a clearly evangelistic 

content. For that event we invited 

Gor Khatchikyan, a guest speaker from 

The Netherlands. On that evening the attendance 

was significantly larger. 

For each of the evenings we provided 

a transport service between the Craainem 

metro station and IBC. The food provision 

functioned well, and it was supported 

mainly by the organisers and by other 

church members. We had participants 

from within IBC, but also others who had 

either heard of our course or were encouraged 

by IBC members to join. The participants 

showed great interest in the subjects 

of the talks, and we always had good discussions. 

• 

IBC Brussels members participate in Serve 

the City initiatives to help the poor and 

disadvantaged. 



Aviano, Italy 

Sam Owens (r, standing) distributes shoes to in children in an orphanage in Timisoara, 

Romania. 

• On 26 December Aviano Baptist Church 

Pastor Sam Owens, his son Al, and a family 

from a neighboring church in the town 

of Aviano departed on a short mission 

trip to Timisoara, Romania. This trip was 

inspired by Pastor Owens’ acquaintance 

with Pastor Catalin Covaci of International 

Grace Church, Timisoara, a church added 

as an associate member of the International 

Baptist Convention at the last Annual 

Convention Meeting in Berlin. Owens and 

Covaci talked on several occasions during 

the ACM about mission opportunities 

in and around Timisoara. Covaci assured 

Owens that there were enough needs for 

everyone to find an opportunity to serve 

in that community. 

Knowing that some members of ABC 

had a desire to be involved in some kind 

of mission activity and that most wanted 

to be involved with children in some way, 

Owens contacted Covaci, asking about 

specific needs in orphanages in Timisoara. 

Covaci provided the name and contact 

information for Onesimus House, an 

orphanage run by an umbrella organization 

called “Jesus the Hope of Romania” 

(JHOR). 

Owens contacted the home and was 

told that the greatest need at the moment 

was for good, strong, warm shoes and/or 

boots for the residents for the winter season. 

He asked for a list of specific sizes by 

name and, upon receiving this list, he took 

this need before the members of ABC. He 

was overwhelmed by the immediate and 

enthusiastic response. By Christmas Eve 

new winter footwear had been purchased 

for every one of the 25 residents of the orphanage. 

Along with the shoes came bundles 

of good, clean used clothing and toys 

for the children. It was delivery of these 

items to the needy residents of Onesimus 

House that prompted the three-day trip to 

Timisoara. The donations were generous 

enough to fill a full-sized van to the roof 

and to fill the entire luggage compartment 

of a large hatch-back car. 

Because of rain and fog all the way from 

Aviano to Timisoara the trip over, normally 

about 10-11 hours, took 15.5 hours. “Seeing 

the joy on the faces of those young 

people when we called them by name 

and presented them their new shoes, chosen 

especially for them, made the arduous 

trip more than worthwhile,” Owens said. 

At Onesimus House the team met Pastor 

Laurentius Timis, director of the orphanage. 

Timis was overjoyed to know 

that Christian people of whom he knew 

nothing had been moved by the Lord to 

help meet the urgent needs of the young 

people under his care. He assured the 

team that even if some of the items donated 

did not exactly fit the residents of 

the orphanage there were other avenues 

in the city to ensure that every item would 

be used by someone. 

Before they departed Timisoara on 28 

December, the Owens were introduced 

to other pressing ministry needs in that 

area. Mariana Cocar is currently serving 

as director of a ministry called “The Esther 

Foundation,” a work started approximately 

20 years ago to help women with 

unwanted pregnancies to avoid abortions. 

In the past 13 years, the Esther Foundation 

has successfully saved the lives of more 

than 1,400 babies. Their ministry sees an 

average of three to six successful deliveries 

each month. There is now a serious need 

for a large apartment where some of these 

expectant moms – many are single girls 

kicked out of their homes when they became 

pregnant – will have a safe place to 

stay during their pregnancies. 

Catalin also took the Owens to the 

neighboring town of Lugoj and introduced 

them to the “Bread of Life Foundation” 

and its founder Gabi Olariu. This 

foundation was launched for the purpose 

of taking the gospel to the poorest section 

of the city of Lugoj, of founding a church 

among them, and of trying to meet some 

of their daily needs. 

The abject poverty and squalor of the 

living conditions in this section of Lugoj 

made a lasting impression on the Owens. 

The residents live in one-room hovels with 

no running water and no electricity There 

is a small alcove that serves as a place to 

prepare food. 

Despite these conditions, Olariu, with 

the help of two pastors, has been able to 

establish a church. The foundation has also 

acquired a run-down building with no 

roof that is slowly being renovated. Once 

finished it will provide a worship center, 

classrooms for after-school students, a 

laundry, showers, a fellowship hall, and a 

funeral parlor for the area residents (currently, 

the body of deceased family members 

must be kept in that one-room dwelling 

for three days before it can be buried). 

Upon returning to Aviano, Pastor Owens 

provided ABC with photos and information 

concerning four ministries in Romania, 

asking the people in the church 

to prayerfully consider adopting one of 

those ministries as a personal mission project. 

Those who the Lord leads to adopt a 

ministry are being asked to pray for that 

ministry, give financially to support it, and 

to attempt to raise further support from 

Christian friends, relatives, and former 

churches in the U.S. In a country where 

the normal salary for working people is 

about 250 EUR a month, it won’t take 

much to make a large difference. 

Aviano Baptist is planning a return trip 

to Timisoara, depending upon the availability 

of volunteers from among the 

mostly military congregation. The hope is 

that this will be a longer mission project 

that will involve preaching and evangelizing, 

discipleship, and anything else that 

the Romanian Christians ask them to do. 

In Timisoara Owens was greatly impressed 

by the overwhelming needs of 

the people, the deep dedication of the 

Christian workers, and the severe lack of 

resources for accomplishing the work they 

want to do. 

• 

Sam Owens

2013 May.pdf - International Baptist Convention

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