Making Essential Decisions Together

While business meetings are often associated with length and monotony, we have streamlined the process in recent to ensure efficiency without getting bogged down. We also want to create an open environment that welcomes input and fosters a robust decision-making process.

During our business sessions, we held several important votes. Tim Trudeau’s re-election as BCI President for a second term demonstrates a commitment to consistency in leadership. We also elected key officers—Eric Trout as 1st Vice President, Grady Adkins as 2nd Vice President, and Jerome Risting as Secretary—ensuring that we have a strong team leading us into the next year.

Approval of our 2024 budget underlines the collective support for where we’re headed financially. During the Annual Meeting, Messengers approved a $1.3 million budget for 2024, an 8% increase from last year. The portion of Cooperative Program giving that will be forwarded to SBC national entities remained at 75%, representing no change from last year. Additionally, Messengers approved a few updates to the BCI constitution and discussed several issues that have been in the news lately concerning other SBC entities. We also talked openly about concerns, like spending down savings and responsibly stewarding the finances generously contributed by BCI churches to facilitate ministry in Iowa and to the ends of the Earth.

What Pastors Are Saying

One of our pastors, Matt Heerema from Stonebrook Church in Ames, shared, “For the past three years with BCI, I always look forward to the BCI Annual Meeting. It’s a great time to connect with like-minded folks from across the state. The breakout sessions keep getting better, and even the Business Meeting segments feel valuable. It’s reassuring to know we have a say in our cooperative efforts, even when everything is going well!”

In reflecting on the experience of leading one of the breakout sessions, Jonathan Meyer, Senior High Pastor at Grace Church in Des Moines shared, “Thank you for the opportunity to share with the other Pastors and Team leaders. What a great weekend! Our Discipleship Breakout was well received, and the feedback from those that attended was awesome. I loved that we added the Pastors Conference and breakouts this year – it makes the gathering more personal and more than just a report.” Jonathan’s sentiments highlighting the Annual Meeting as 

From Meetings to Momentum

Our 2023 BCI Annual Meeting was more than just a meeting—it was a pivotal time to connect, learn, and actively contribute to our cooperative efforts to bring the gospel to every part of our state. As we look back on key decisions, shared stories, and strengthened connections, we’re excited for the gospel momentum to continue until our next gathering. The 2024 BCI Annual Meeting will be held on November 1-2, 2024.