By Baptist Message staff
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists has voted to align with the Conservative Baptist Network of Southern Baptists.
During LACOSBE’s annual meeting through Zoom on Monday, Jan. 18, the 12 members in attendance — of the 15-member body — unanimously approved the motion.
The Conservative Baptist Network is a broad-based grassroots movement of Southern Baptists of all generations who are committed to the sufficiency of Scripture for all facets of life and application. According to Brad Jurkovich, Conservative Baptist Network spokesperson and pastor of First Baptist Church, Bossier City, its 57-member Steering Council includes more than 7,000 pastors and laypeople from across America, including well-known figures such as former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, past New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, past SBC President Charles Stanley, and 2021 SBC presidential candidate and immediate past SBC Executive Committee Chairman Mike Stone.
“We share the same approach to evangelism and theology as the Conservative Baptist Network,” LACOSBE President Gary Bowlin, a graduate of LSU and NOBTS who now lives in Summit, Mississippi, told the Baptist Message. “The evangelists in our organization want to continue to reach the lost and want to join arms with the Conservative Baptist Network to accomplish that mission Christ has given us.”
In other business, LACOSBE members elected a new slate of officers: Bowlin, president; Luke Hockenjos of Haughton, vice-president; Deborah and Natasha Pearson of Beaumont, Texas, secretary-treasurer; and Clark Stewart of New Zion Baptist Church in Covington, pastor-advisor.
Bowlin thanked Louisiana Baptists for their support of evangelists, and asked for continued prayers and encouragement.
“We have a great comradery between our evangelists,” Bowlin said. “Pray for open doors of ministry. There has to be a lot of pastors reluctant to schedule a lot of meetings because of the COVID situation and the gift of the evangelist needs to be used to draw the net.”
For more information about LACOSBE or to contact an evangelist visit lacosbe.org.
