Submitted by philip on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 10:17 Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Woodstock, Ga., spoke at the SEND North America Church Growth and Revitalization Conference at First Baptist Pineville recently. Hunt told more than 150 pastors that leadership was key in the revitalization and growth of a church. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – In a day when an average of 890 Southern Baptist churches are closing their doors each year and nearly 72 percent of the convention’s churches are either plateaued or declining, reversing this trend is vital, Johnny Hunt said. “There are many that we need to help nurture back to health,” according to Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Woodstock, Ga. “That is what this initiative is all about. Some need more help than others. Some need to lend their help. If we all participate in this, we will see the Lord do a great work.” Hunt was the main speaker at the SEND North America Church Growth and Revitalization Conference, which was attended at First Baptist Pineville by nearly 150 pastors, church staff members and laypeople. The one-day conference was sponsored by the North American Mission Board and Louisiana Baptist Convention. Among the reasons churches die, … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 10:19 By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer A large number of Louisiana Baptist churches are planning to host events in association with the annual National Day of Prayer on May 1. Created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the US Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, the National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. Jay Johnston, state coordinator for the Louisiana National Day of Prayer Task Force and associate pastor at First Baptist Covington, stressed the importance of Christians coming together to pray. “This day provides an opportunity for pastors and church leaders to bring government leaders, business and community leaders together to pray for the United States and her leaders as well as for each other,” Johnston said. “The National Day of Prayer provides us an opportunity as United States citizens to pause in the midst of busy lives to give thanks to God for the vast richness and blessings of this land, to praise God for His marvelous work, to confess our sins and to turn from our ways to the ways of Christ as well as asking God for wisdom and guidance … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 10:23 By Marilyn Stewart, Regional reporter LAFAYETTE – “Giving beyond our walls” is a passion the younger generation feels deeply, said Steve Horn, Louisiana Baptist Convention president and pastor of First Lafayette. And when they realize that giving through the Cooperative Program does exactly that, “They get it,” he said. Horn, who served as chairman of the Cooperative Program subcommittee for the President’s 2020 Commission, wants to help church leaders increase Cooperative Program giving – one of the KAIROS action steps outlined in the final report of the 2020 Commission. KAIROS is an acronym for Key Actions In Reaching Our State. The 2020 initiative adopted by messengers to the LBC annual meeting in November, seeks to reach every generation and every people group in Louisiana with the Gospel by the year 2020. While new members and young people often aren’t familiar with the Cooperative Program, Horn said an opportune moment is when a member comes to him with a burden for a particular ministry. “So then I can say, ‘I’m glad you’re interested in that. Now let’s talk about what we’re already doing.’ When you give [through CP], you’re giving to those types of … [Read more...]

By Jeff Iorg, President of Golden Gate Seminary I  recently met with a group of national ministry leaders who work quietly, but seriously, to make disciples – primarily among young men. One of our agenda items was discussing the issues related to helping Christians stand for their values when their convictions are labeled hate speech and may be prosecutable offenses. We discussed several options – all of which were focused on avoiding needless controversy and diminishing our efforts. No matter how hard we worked, or how creative the options we proposed, we kept coming back to the same conclusion. We now live in a culture where expressions of historic Christian convictions about morality are illegal. And, no matter how much we wished for a different conclusion – the reality is Christians are paying fines and may be going to jail in the United States for voicing their convictions in public places, in workplaces, and in educational settings. The larger question for many American Christians is, “Should we avoid this at all cost?” The global church laughs at our timidity. Harassed and/or persecuted Christians around the world have been grappling with these issues for years. One pastor friend told me, “When they held the gun to … [Read more...]

By Erich Bridges, IMB Global Correspondent I saw my friend James at a church supper after being out of touch for several years. It was like we'd never been apart. We talked, laughed, hugged, sang and prayed together. I met his wife for the first time and celebrated with them over the way God had healed wounds in their marriage and family. It was a great evening; we didn't want it to end. We said goodnight, promising each other we'd meet again soon. A few weeks later, James was dead. Chronic illness caught up with him. He hung on for days in the hospital, but his body was worn out. This life seems so strong and sure for a season -- and then it's over. We try to escape death, delay it, appease it, fight it and deny it. "Do not go gentle into that good night," the poet Dylan Thomas advised. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Rage all you want; death will come for you one day. But darkness, its close companion, is a choice. "There was the true Light, which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. … But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name," the … [Read more...]

By Richard Land, President of Southern Evangelical Seminary I believe the vast majority of Americans are disappointed in the degree of racial division, mistrust and misunderstanding that still plagues our society. And I further believe that disappointment and discontent stretch through all ethnic groups and generations. In the wake of the tremendous, revolutionary victories won over institutionalized racial segregation in the 1960s, most Americans expected and hoped for far more rapid progress toward Dr. King’s dream of a nation where people were “judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Alas, while legalized racial segregation was dismantled rapidly in the wake of the 1964 Civil Rights legislation, racial prejudice has lingered like a stubbornly antibiotic-resistant virus that just refuses to die. Why? The Bible tells us that man is fallen and sinful (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23). Thus racism is pandemic because people are always tempted to think more of themselves than they ought to think (Romans 12:3) and less of people who are different. Ultimately, racism will be tamed not just by the law, but by the kind of inward spiritual change wrought by the transformative power of the Gospel of … [Read more...]

By Nate Adams, Executive Director of Illinois State Baptist Association Our youngest son, Ethan, recently mentioned to his mom and me that he had heard a couple of great new Christian songs he really liked. We asked what they were, hoping that we had been listening to enough Christian radio to perhaps recognize them. Imagine our surprise when the songs he named were 100-year-old hymns. We couldn’t help but show our disbelief. “Have you never heard those hymns before?” we asked. “Have you not been in churches that sang either of those?” Perhaps he had, we decided, but apparently not often, or not at a time that he remembered. As we then reviewed the churches our family attended since Ethan was born, we realized that each of those churches had a contemporary worship style, or at least a blend of contemporary music and hymns. As a reult, hymns that I know by heart, sometimes even by page number, have become almost lost treasures to my son. Music is just one example of the things in church life that sometimes need to change or evolve over time in order to stay relevant to new generations. However, as my son’s new love for old hymns illustrates, sometimes we let treasures that have lasting value slip away simply because we have … [Read more...]

By Kathy Ferguson Litton, NAMB consultant for ministry to pastor's wives During a recent spin class I introduced myself to a new, unfamiliar instructor. “Hi, I’m Kathy.” Warmly she says, “You’re Kathy Litton aren’t you?” It’s a reminder that I am often known and observed by others. Not just in a relatively small community but on social media, in my business dealings and on airplanes. I am watched as the pastor’s wife at church, while I am playing racquetball or opening a checking account. What I post or tweet or what’s in my grocery cart does not go unnoticed. None of us respond identically to a ministerial environment. The more private souls despise it. Others have their egos stroked by the attention yet enjoy complaining about their constant celebrity. At times this quirk of our culture can be legitimately painful. Yet, there are a couple of benefits here: I get to put the Gospel on display. And I am made accountable. Can I be a sports fan and not make an idol out of it? Do Ed and I have conflicts and learn to hammer them out for our good? When my son bit kids in the nursery – what was my reaction going to look like? Does my behavior reflect a servant or one who wants to be served? If I lose my cool at the service … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 04/21/2014 - 09:13 Ladies such as these enjoyed an afternoon tea that preceded the Louisiana Woman’s Missionary Union annual meeting at First Baptist Lafayette. The tea celebrated the 125th anniversary of WMU. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE – The recent Woman’s Missionary Union annual meeting was not just a time to reflect on missions efforts in the state – it was a time to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the organization as well as the 100th birthday of Girls in Action nationwide. “WMU’s one passion – missions – has been our purpose for these 125 years,” said Janie Wise, Louisiana Baptist Convention women’s missions and ministry strategist. “It has led us to teach the stories of what God is doing around the world, to listen for God’s call, to tell the Good News in every way and to live missional lives that shine for Christ in all we do. Our challenge is to keep that one passion – missions – our one purpose in these next years, to new generations.” More than 230 Louisiana Baptist women participated in the celebration at First Baptist Lafayette, which included a reception honoring the GA anniversary, music, reports, testimonies from Louisiana, North America and … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 04/21/2014 - 09:16 ON THE MOVE Tom Higginbotham new as interim pastor at Don Avenue Baptist Church, Denham Springs. Rick Edmonds from Calvary Baptist, Shreveport to Louisiana Family Forum. Jerome Stockert from Ethnos Baptist Church, Bossier City to Arkansas St. as student pastor. REVIVAL/HOMECOMING Little Pass Baptist Church, Charenton: Revival, April 27-30, Sunday 11 a.m. and 6 p.m;   Monday thru Wednesday 7 p.m. Evangelist: Joe Aulds. Music: Little Pass Praise Band. Pastor: Chris Holloway. Horseshoe Baptist Church, Mer Rouge: Spring Revival, April 27-30, 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on April 27, 7 p.m. for April 28-30. Evangelist: Paul Carter. Pastor: Bob Lonadier. First Baptist Church, Slaughter: Revival, April 27-30, Sunday 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Monday-Wednesday 7 p.m. Nursery will be provided. Speaker: Clark Fooshee. Music and Worship: Justen Taylor: Pastor: Basil Wicker. San Patricio Baptist Church, Converse: Revival, April 27-30, 6:30 p.m. Evangelist: Leon Manshack. Pastor: Delman Rogers. Temple Baptist Church, Jena: Revive Us Again, April 27-May 1, 6 p.m. on Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Speaker: Kenny Moore. Worship: Mark Lanier (April 27 & April 29), East Jena Baptist Church (April … [Read more...]