SPRINGFIELD, Ill. —  The Executive Director Search Committee of the Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA) has begun fielding candidates for its next Executive Director. Committee chairman Jeff Logsdon, pastor of Island City Baptist Church, said they will be seeking resumes from qualified candidates until Sept. 15.

The Committee is searching for the successor to current Executive Director Nate Adams, who has served Illinois Baptists in the role for more than 19 years. In February, following the IBSA Board Committee meetings, Adams announced his retirement would come “in about a year.” At that time, he stated that Board leadership had requested an overlap period with his successor to allow for a smooth transition.

“Nate has led us well over the years and has helped churches navigate through many changes in society and Southern Baptist life in the past two decades,” Logsdon said. “The ability of many churches to bounce back following the COVID pandemic is just one recent example of the results of his leadership over the years.”

The IBSA Executive Director leads the Springfield-based staff in their service to the nearly 900 cooperating churches of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Their stated mission is to deliver network value that inspires each church to thrive in health, growth and mission.

The 11-member search committee, which includes men and women from IBSA’s Board of Directors and Association Officers, has approached its assignment with a listening posture, Logsdon said. They have spent significant time in prayer, both together and individually, and have gathered input from Illinois pastors and IBSA staff through surveys and listening sessions.

“We are just now finishing the process of collecting information with two more listening groups scheduled,” Logsdon said. “We are transitioning into collecting resumes from candidates who are interested in the position. We will allow several weeks for potential candidates to respond as we gather information about them. Early in the fall we anticipate conducting actual interviews.”

More information, including a candidate profile and contact to submit a resume, is available at IBSA.org/executive-search.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in the Illinois Baptist.)