Two Louisiana Baptist bodies have selected 85 persons as nominees
to serve on state convention boards
and committees.
The Louisiana Baptist Convention Committee on Nominations and
Committee on Committees agreed on their lists of nominees during meetings earlier
this fall. The 85 nominees will be presented to messengers at the 2000 Louisiana
Baptist Convention on November 14-15 in Alexandria. Nominees must be approved
by messengers before they are eligible to serve as board trustees or committee
members. (Two vacancies still must be filled prior to the annual meeting.)
Two Louisiana Baptist bodies have selected 85 persons as nominees
to serve on state convention boards
and committees.
The Louisiana Baptist Convention Committee on Nominations and
Committee on Committees agreed on their lists of nominees during meetings earlier
this fall. The 85 nominees will be presented to messengers at the 2000 Louisiana
Baptist Convention on November 14-15 in Alexandria. Nominees must be approved
by messengers before they are eligible to serve as board trustees or committee
members. (Two vacancies still must be filled prior to the annual meeting.)
This year’s nominees represent the range of Louisiana
Baptist life and come from churches across the state.
The 85 proposed committee and board nominees represent 80 churches
and 33 local associations. Only five churches have two persons each on the lists.
Indeed, convention bylaws stipulate that a church may have no more than two
persons serving on committees and boards at any time. If all the proposed persons
are elected, just 28 churches will have two persons each serving on committees
and boards.
Breakdowns show 83.5 percent of the nominees are from churches
with less than 1,000 resident members. About 95 percent of Louisiana Baptist
churches fall into that category. (All church figures used in this article are
based on reported totals that are to appear in the 2000 LBC Annual)
In the cases that percentages are available, 58.9 percent of
the nominees are from churches that give at least 10 percent of their undesignated
receipts through the state Cooperative Program. Fifteen nominees are from churches
that give 15 percent or more through the Cooperative Program. Just 10 nominees
are from churches that give 5 percent or less.
Also, 65.9 percent of nominees come from churches that baptized
10 or more people in the recent church year. Seven are from churches that baptized
50 persons or more. Twenty-nine are from churches that baptized less than 10
persons.
In the most recent church year, reported figures indicate the
80 churches represented by the nominees gave about $3.8 million through the
Cooperative Program. That represents 11.4 percent of the churches’ undesignated
receipts and an average of $75.25 per resident member.
Based on totals from the 1999 LBC Annual (the last available
statewide figures), Louisiana Baptists overall give about 10 percent of undesignated
church receipts through the Cooperative Program (about $50 per resident member).
This year’s nominees include 64 persons proposed by the
Committee on Nominations to serve on six boards – the Executive Board,
Louisiana College, the Louisiana Baptist Message, the Louisiana Baptist Children’s
Home, the Baptist Retirement Center and the Louisiana Baptist Foundation. The
2000 Committee on Nominations is chaired by Jesse Wascom, pastor at Emmanuel
Baptist Church in West Monroe.
The nominees represent 61 churches. In figures reported for
the most recent church year, the churches baptized 1,526 persons, one for every
24.4 resident members. The state average is about one baptism for every 27 resident
members. The churches also gave $2.6 million through the state Cooperative Program,
about 10.5 percent of undesignated receipts and an average of $70 per resident
member.
The nominees include 33 persons nominated to first terms of
service and 31 nominated for second terms. More than four-fifths (84.4 percent)
are from churches with less than 1,000 resident members. Nominees include 42
pastors and 22 laypersons, 58 men and six women.
Meanwhile, the Committee on Committees has nominated 21 persons
for seven committees – convention arrangements, credentials, Louisiana
Baptist history, moral and social concerns, nominations, order of business and
resolutions. This year’s Committee on Committees is chaired by Scott Holder,
pastor at Forest Glade Baptist Church in West Monroe.
The 21 nominees represent 21 churches. In the recent church
year, they baptized 409 persons, an average of one for every 32.3 resident members.
The churches gave $1.2 million through the Cooperative Program, representing
14.6 percent of undesignated receipts and $90.02 per resident member.
All but three of the nominees are proposed for first terms
of service. Those three were elected to fill partial terms and are now nominated
for full terms. Four-fifths (81 percent) of the nominees are from churches with
less than 1,000 resident members. Nominees include 15 pastors and six laypersons,
19 men and two women.
Overall, the Committee on Nominations and Committee on Committees
lists include 57 pastors and 28 laypersons. If all are elected, there will be
a net loss of six laypersons serving on boards and committees. With election
of this year’s nominees, laypersons will fill 105 of 243 board and committee
posts (43.2 percent) – with two posts still to be filled to bring the total
to 245. Every board and committee will have at least two laypersons serving,
with five having a majority of laypersons – Louisiana College, the Louisiana
Baptist Foundation, the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home, the Louisiana
Baptist Message and the Committee on Louisiana Baptist History.
This year’s nominees also include a total of 77 men and
eight women. If all are elected, there will be a net loss of three women on
convention boards and committees. With election of this year’s nominees,
women will fill 28 of the state board and committee posts (11.5 percent) nominated
and filled thus far. All but the Committee on Resolutions will have at least
one woman serving. Only four will have more than four serving – the Executive
Board, the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home, Louisiana College and the
Committee on Nominations.
Once all denominational vacancies are filled, every one of
the 47 Louisiana Baptist associations will be represented on at least one board
or committee. For 11 associations, their sole representation comes in having
one person each serving on the Executive Board. Thirty other associations have
between two and eight persons each serving. The other six associations have
10 or more persons each serving on boards and committees – North Rapides
(10), Concord (12), Carey (17), Northeast (19), Judson (20) and Northwest (31).
Overall, these six associations account for 109 of the board
and committee posts in the state (44.9 percent). However, last year, the associations
also accounted for 40 percent of the state’s resident members, 36 percent
of its baptisms and 46.1 percent of state Cooperative Program gifts.
– C. Lacy Thompson, LBM Associate Editor