Connect26 State of the Fellowship Address

Following is a manuscript of President Kevin Stone’s State of the Fellowship Address from Connect26:

This is my presidential address, also called the “State of the Fellowship” address. If you read my report, you know what happened between April 2025 and March 2026. Now let’s talk about the state of our Fellowship. Where are we today, what are the events that have shaped that, and where are we headed?

So, what is the state of our Fellowship? My answer is this: we are not without challenges, but we are in a season of remarkable grace. Many of our churches are healthy and engaged. Our shared ministry is being used more than ever. Our financial position has improved beyond what we expected. And even in a time when many churches across North America are facing serious questions about viability, God has positioned us not merely to survive, but to strengthen one another for the work ahead. 

Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. That is a verse that describes our situation very well. There are so many areas in which God is exceeding what we might have imagined a few years ago.

I would like to start by talking about our Fellowship churches. Not our organization, but the churches themselves. Because our purpose statement for many years has been “Joining our hands to strengthen His church.” That means we can accomplish more together, but I also believe it means each member church will be strengthened by the mutual support, encouragement, and accountability we provide.

So first, what is the state of evangelicalism in North America? I think I would say that this is a period of uncertainty and change for churches, and the long-term trend is clearly one of decline in Christian affiliation in both of our countries. ​

​It is a bit more complicated to measure how our two nations compare because the United States and Canada have different organizations who use different ways of measuring religious identity, but the overall picture is clear.

Across North America, Christian affiliation has declined significantly. In the United States, about six in ten adults now identify as Christian, while roughly three in ten identify with no religion. In Canada, just over half of the population identified with a Christian religion in the most recent census, while more than one-third reported no religious affiliation.

The numbers become way smaller when you consider identification as an evangelical. A Pew study showed that around 23% of US adults are evangelical protestants, while in Canada, the EFC estimates the number of evangelicals to be around 10-12% of the population. 
So, we are serving in a very different world than that in which most of our churches were founded. The culture simply does not reinforce the values of the church. Church attendance is no longer automatic. Giving is no longer automatic. Volunteer service is no longer automatic. Christian commitment is not the norm anymore – it is the exception. 

The good news is that the evangelical church has shown resilience compared to other church groups. Studies show that while there has been decline among evangelicals, it is not as sharp as the decline among mainline protestant churches. Further, Cardus found that among Canadian Christians, only 15% attended services weekly or more often overall; among mainline Protestants it was 7%, but among evangelical Christians it was 59%. 

Finally, I would note that the median church size in the United States was recently measured at about 70 people. That is worth remembering. Over the past several decades, we have watched the rise of the megachurch model, with large staffs, strong programming, polished technology, and regional influence. We thank God for every faithful large church that is preaching Christ and making disciples.

But church health has never required size alone. And in a time when many people are weary of institutions, skeptical of celebrity leadership, and hungry for transparency and community, there is a real opportunity for churches like many of ours: churches where people can be known and valued, where pastors are accessible, where doctrine is clear and unwavering, and where discipleship happens through ordinary relationships.

A church does not have to be large to be strong. But it does have to be alive.

We should not only be asking how many people we have. We should also be asking “Are our churches alive? Are they gathering? Are they giving? Are they discipling? Are they caring for their pastors? Are they sending and serving? Are they bearing witness to Christ in their communities?” I believe that the answer for most of our member churches would be “yes.” And we should be grateful.

Many churches across North America are asking whether they can remain viable. Many are struggling with declining attendance, aging membership, shrinking volunteer capacity, pastoral fatigue, and financial pressure. We face some of those same pressures, and we should not minimize them. But by God’s grace, many of our churches are not merely trying to keep the doors open. They are worshiping, discipling, supporting missions, caring for one another, and seeking to be faithful in their communities.

As we work together, I believe we can help one another maintain healthy ministry and help each other thrive, rather than simply surviving. I am grateful that God has provided us with a fellowship of churches that faithfully serves their communities – believing that the Bible is sufficient for the task before us, and that its unchanging wisdom will guide us as we seek to disciple our flocks and reach others with the Gospel. 

Which brings me to our Fellowship. How is our shared organization doing? 

I have seen increasing engagement from our member churches over the past several years, and I believe this past year involved the best engagement we have seen in my tenure. Gary’s certification in the Working Genius benefited several of our church leadership teams. Churches hosted FEBC Fusion events, Worship Workshops, and many less formal engagements. We were very involved with several churches who were navigating difficult issues and pastoral transitions. 

To be more specific, Gary and I worked to provide our formal gatherings, including Connect25, 3 retreats for pastors and wives, and 2 retreats for just the wives. We provided a formal onsite workshop such as Working Genius, a Worship Workshop, or Fusion 14 times. And we provided help to church leaders to address a specific issue about 75 times.  That does not include countless casual contacts to discuss ministry and offer encouragement, support, and prayer. 

Those 75 engagements included everything from help navigating a crisis to pastor search support to theological concerns, worship advice, administrative help, and many more. Churches are reaching out for support, and your support for the FEBC is making that level of care possible.

But as I said in my report, this is a family. What I am describing is not like subscribers calling a customer support line. It is far more like family members reaching out to one another in times of need. I even see increased connection between our member churches, where support is being offered and received without our intervention. This is the type of healthy Fellowship family we wish to cultivate.
And the goal of all this connection goes back to the point I made earlier. As many churches struggle to determine what comes next, we want our churches to thrive. That is why our Vision Statement remains “Strengthening our churches with timely resources that strengthen their leaders.”

And I believe the churches and individuals within our Fellowship understand just how important this ministry is, and how important it is to be part of a healthy family amidst the social decline I alluded to earlier. As a result, your faithful giving continues to amaze us. Yes, God provides everything we have, and we give him all the glory for that. But we know that your churches and many of you as individuals have allowed him to use you to provide for our needs in amazing ways.

To illustrate, I’m just going to use the same numbers I did last year, but with one added line.

In FY2022, we transferred about $92,000 from our unrestricted reserves to pay the bills. This was about $20,000 less than we budgeted, so we felt pretty good about it. 

But in FY2023, when the economy really tanked, we drew over $185,000 from unrestricted reserves. We had budgeted to spend $139,000 from reserves. It appeared that the plan was no longer sustainable. 

That’s when we sold our office, moved the magazine to online only, and did everything else we could think of to reduce costs – including trying to lay off Gary before the delegates said, “let’s move him to a support model.”

So, in FY2024 we budgeted to transfer $120,000 from reserves even though we were making cuts mid-year.

But through God’s provision, we ended up only transferring about $5,000 from unrestricted reserves. This seemed amazing, but those numbers were influenced by selling our building, and Gary was not fully supported, so we were concerned about how FY2025 would turn out.

For the first time since we expanded our ministry by faith in 2019, we saw a net income. We gained over $14,000 in unrestricted funds. We had budgeted to transfer about 60,000 from unrestricted reserves. As some of you recall, I was quite moved by how God had exceeded any of our expectations. 

And then came FY2026 – the year that ended this past March. We budgeted to transfer about $50,000 from unrestricted reserves. But instead, we received about $68,000 above our expenses.  

This includes many factors, such as investment income, but even if you take away those extra factors, giving from churches and individuals exceeded our expenses for the first time in a long time. Both churches and individuals are giving more. Our family sees the importance of connection and is investing in it. Praise God!

Our overall position was further improved as we received governmental authorization to remove the restriction from the US Building Revolving Loan Fund. This moved almost $100,000 from a restricted fund that had gone untouched for decades to the general fund, where it can be used if needed to further our ministry. 

I do not want to leave you with the impression that all our financial issues are fixed and we can become complacent. As you know, the cost of everything continues to rise – meaning we will need increased income to do the same things year after year, just like your local church and your own family. Further, there are things we cut from the budget back in 2024 that we would like to restore in the future. We are always considering how we might serve you better. 

Even if we adjust nothing, our position is somewhat fragile. Our investments provided good income last year but could do the opposite in the future. We received donations from individuals that may not happen again. We trust God to provide, but each of us needs to be committed to helping this family succeed.

As you know, we recommend that each member church provides 4% of its total annual budget to the FEBC to support this ministry. This number puts us in good shape, but it cannot happen without diligence on the part of your leaders to adjust giving as your budget changes. 

God has provided in amazing ways, and I believe he will continue to provide! Thank you for your faithfulness.

God has also provided pastors. Finding a new pastor is not as easy as it once was. Fewer men are entering ministry, and fewer still are attending seminary. Every search is a reminder that there aren’t as many candidates as there used to be, and yet God provided a new lead pastor for six of our churches last year.

As I mentioned in my report, family life comes with ups and downs. Every family goes through painful moments. This past year, Community Bible Church of Omaha decided to end their affiliation with the Fellowship. There was no spiritual issue or stated disagreement. The leaders at CBC stated that they value what our Fellowship has to offer, but they believe they are not a good fit for this family. 

While I would have hoped for a different outcome, this was not entirely unexpected. About eight years ago, after I first stepped into this role, I met with the elders at CBC, and they shared that they were evaluating their relationship with the FEBC and considering whether they would remain. In more recent years, their financial participation in our shared ministry had already changed, so this decision will not create a new financial burden for the Fellowship. But CBC was a meaningful contributor to our Fellowship for decades, and we mourn the loss of that relationship. Among many other things, I will miss hearing Pastor Chuck’s laughter at our meetings.

One huge loss will be the involvement of Doyle and Marilynn Lester. Marilynn grew up in this family, as her father was on staff with the FEBC as our Administrator for 27 years. But Doyle and Marilynn have continued that legacy as faithful servants on our Commission on Global Partnerships. They have been an anchor to this team, serving for the past 16 years, and instigating recent initiatives such as the Global Partner Preparation Handbook and a website that encourages local churches to offer great support to missionaries. We will miss Doyle and Marilynn and all that they have to offer.

I have recently learned that Iglesia De Cristo Mahanaim, our Spanish-speaking church in Omaha, is also planning to leave the Fellowship. This is not entirely surprising, as their connection to the FEBC has always been largely through their relationship with CBC. But it is another disappointing loss.

But despite the pain of these losses, the prospect of new growth within our Fellowship is very real. Our friends at CBC Wolf Point reaffiliated with us last year, which was affirmed by the delegates at Connect25. And while various efforts are underway to identify viable settings for a church plant, the most likely venue for growth remains the addition of existing churches who share our beliefs and long for the type of family we offer. About three or four years ago, I began highlighting the importance that you let me know if you thought another church might be a good addition. 

Last year I was thrilled to report that I was in contact with six churches who might consider joining us. This was far more interest than I had seen in any previous year. But during the year since, I had contact with 14 such churches. And while these discussions take time and consideration on both sides, we are making progress. About a month ago, I was able to visit with Fellowship Baptist Church in Parry Sound, ON. I was able to explain who we are and get to know who they are, and I can tell you that I feel that they would be a great addition to our family. Pastor Joshua Stone is here from Parry Sound this morning. If you haven’t already met Joshua, take a moment to introduce yourself later. Later this year, I am scheduled to meet with another church in Halbstadt, MB. Please be in prayer as I continue to work with these churches to explore their interest, that God would grant discernment and wisdom for the churches and for us.

So, to summarize the state of our Fellowship - we have churches who are struggling, but the majority of our churches seem to be growing and effectively serving their communities. And we have seen minor setbacks as a Fellowship, but God has abundantly blessed us – from financial resources that far exceeded our projections to increased engagement and interest from our churches to increased contact with prospective new family members.

Our staff continues to do great work. If you have a wonderful experience here at Connect, it is the work of Crystal Klassen, our Convention Coordinator. If your experience is not so good, that is my fault. Janet Rosenquist, our Office Administrator, continues to keep the office running smoothly and provide helpful communication with our member churches and others. Our two national Financial Secretaries, Janet Rosenquist and Annie Bueckert, have continued to streamline our financial processes, and they provide top-notch accounting and reporting. 

Gary Krehbiel, our Ministries Coordinator, continues to provide caring service. After developing FEBC Fusion a few years ago and Working Genius last year, he continues to engage with churches with these and all our other resources, as well as being a friend and sounding board to many of our pastors and leaders. 

And our newest staff member, Sarah Stutler, who is the editor of the Fellowship Focus, has worked to develop relationships and institute methods that will make our online magazine more beneficial to you than ever. 

I am also very privileged to work with the FEBC Board of Directors. Each man is Godly, faithful, and wise, but to see them bring their unique personalities together into one team is always a great blessing. They have patiently worked through mundane but important tasks such as updating documents and more difficult and consequential tasks like reviewing doctrinal positions. There is typically not instant agreement on an issue, but there is always a sense of respect and mutual care worthy of the spirit that Christ calls us to. I appreciate these men very much. 

This is an exciting time to be part of the FEBC. We are positioned to receive new churches that are looking for a Fellowship that stands firm on the Word of God. We are positioned to consider how our ministry might expand, after years of figuring out how to make ends meet. 

And our greatest desire is to serve you well. We want this family to be healthy and connected. But we need your help to do that. The churches leaving our Fellowship are a reminder that without care and effort, the relationship will not survive. Let’s work together to keep this family healthy - and that starts with connection.

I say this every year, but we are eager to help you with anything at all. If you have a ministry issue you are struggling with or just want to kick around ideas, reach out to Gary or me. We have seen a lot over the years and have likely worked through what you are facing, but if not, we will know who to call. 

Connect with one another. Reach out to a sister church leader and ask how they are doing. You may feel like you have little to offer, but I know you can offer prayer. Our prayers for one another are powerful and critical to healthy ministry. 

Connect with your congregation. The people in the seats at your church likely know very little about the FEBC. They don’t even receive the paper magazine as a reminder anymore. We need you, the leaders and delegates of our churches, to tell the others at your church that the FEBC is a worthwhile organization to support and a valuable family of which to be a member.

As we invest in this family, we are investing in healthier churches across North America, and we are investing in a family that will be there when help is truly needed.

God has already done more than we asked or imagined. So let us move forward with gratitude, humility, diligence, and faith — joining our hands to strengthen His church.

As Paul is closing his letter to the Philippians, he says this in chapter 4, verses 19-20: "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Vision Update:
Our Vision Statement is “Strengthening our churches with timely resources that strengthen their leaders,” and we continue to work diligently to fulfill it. This past year was marked by several very difficult situations for churches, and Gary and I were privileged to walk with those churches and offer as much support and encouragement as possible. 

Along with those heavy issues, there were many other opportunities to connect with and assist churches. As I mentioned earlier, we provided assistance in about 75 separate situations over the course of the year. I am very encouraged at how many of our church leaders have decided to reach out when help is needed.

As I have mentioned before, the first thrust of this Vision Statement was to develop off-the-shelf resources that could be used by any of our churches at any time. This is an effective way to strengthen churches without physically being present with them. But as the vision has borne fruit and so many churches are reaching out for assistance, it has taken our focus and kept us from developing many new resources. 

That is a good thing, because connecting with and helping churches was the main goal of this vision, but we also do not want to abandon developing new resources.

Perhaps you have an idea for a resource that you feel would bless our churches, and it is something that you could put together. This Fellowship is not about a staff serving churches. It is about churches serving one another. Part of that service is accomplished by supporting a staff – but let’s not forget that churches serving one another is still the main point. Let me know if you have an idea for a resource that you could help develop.

I believe our emphasis over the next couple of years must turn to this aspect of our vision. I would like to see greater resourcing between member churches, greater ownership in supporting and serving one another, and some creativity among our member churches when it comes to how we might strengthen this family.
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At the same time, I encourage you once again to continue reaching out to Gary and me when you think maybe you could use a hand. We want to support your church as much as possible. As many of you have already discovered, if we do not have an official resource for something, we can still provide you with great support that is grounded in decades of ministry experience and bolstered by many other fellowship leaders who have likely gone through whatever you are facing.

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