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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Bivo Mark Crook equips his church to follow God’s lead

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer VIVIAN – The bivocational pastorate was an idea unknown to the search committee of Trees Baptist Church when they first interviewed Mark Crook in June 2010. But once they and the congregation discovered how the position would benefit both Crook and Trees Baptist, they knew this was God’s direction for revival in the church and future tremendous growth. “I think that many do not understand the term or at least define it in different ways,” Crook said. “I explained to [the search committee] that I would still be on call 24 hours, 7 days a week, however the bulk of my salary would be paid by my full-time employer which would free up some funds to add additional staff in the future. They issued the call and 42 people were present to vote for me as their pastor.” Since that day he was called to serve as pastor, Crook has seen God move in mighty ways at the Northwest Louisiana church. When he first arrived, attendance on a Sunday averaged between 30 and 40, a far cry from the 110 who once attended every week for worship services. Six of the 12 deacons felt led to leave the church and those remaining members were heartbroken over the loss of family and friends who felt God leading … [Read more...]

Experienced Gaspard has learned the dos, don’ts of being a bivo

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer OPELOUSAS – When it comes to serving as a bi-vocational pastor, Gregory Gaspard knows the dos and don’ts of ministry. A bi-vocational pastor for all but the past six years of his 23 years at Unity Baptist Church in Opelousas, Gaspard has enjoyed seeing nearly a quarter-century of planted seeds grow into a harvest of mission-minded members. “In my 23 years here, I have never looked for something bigger and better,” he said. “I have embraced this church, taking it as a serious calling. We’ve enjoyed the great fellowship of people here and seeing them reach out to our community through outreach.” Gaspard’s path to ministry began in 1973 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in his native Eunice, two years after marrying his wife Elizabeth. While at Emmanuel Baptist as a layperson, Gaspard taught Sunday school and Royal Ambassadors, in addition to serving as a deacon. His involvement there prepared him for his eventual call to the pastorate. He made that decision public in 1989 and became interim pastor at Prairie Home Baptist Church in Eunice. “Serving with the different ministries stirred up in my heart that desire to pastor a church,” said Gaspard, who became pastor of Unity Baptist … [Read more...]

Louisiana College hosting Bi-Vocational/Small Church National Celebration

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Hundreds of Ironmen will convene upon Louisiana College next week, but not for a grueling 140.6-mile triathlon. Called by some as the Iron Men of the Southern Baptist Convention, these bi-vocational ministers, pastors of smaller churches and their wives will meet for the annual Bi-vocational and Small Church Leadership Network National Celebration. Scheduled for June 26-27 at LC, the theme for the annual conference is “God Has A Plan For You And Your Church.” The focal scripture will be Jeremiah 29:11. Philip Caples, Vice President of Integration for Faith and Learning at LC and director of this year’s conference, said the school and the Louisiana Baptist Convention are trying to connect with bi-vocational pastors in the state to encourage them to come to the event because of the much-needed training it will provide for their congregations. “One reason that we are excited about this opportunity is because Louisiana College wants to be a resource for all churches in our state,” said Caples, a member of the Bi-vocational Small Church Leadership Network. “However, with approximately 70 percent of Louisiana’s Southern Baptist churches having less than 100 in worship … [Read more...]

NOBTS among seminaries urging tax-exempt protection

By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - Southern Baptist educational leaders are among 74 signatories to a June 3 letter urging Congress to pass a bill protecting the tax-exempt status of schools in the event the U.S. Supreme Court approves same-sex marriage as a civil right. If the Court establishes gay marriage as the law of the land, educators are concerned there may be legal precedent to withdraw tax-exempt status to schools that uphold the biblical truth that marriage is between one man and one woman. "It is out of concern that schools adhering to traditional religious and moral values could lose tax-exempt status that we urge support for the Government Non-Discrimination Act, which would ensure that the federal government cannot discriminate or take action against private entities because they act in accordance with a moral or religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman," the letter reads. "This bill, introduced in the 113th Congress with more than 100 House and Senate cosponsors and which will be introduced soon in the 114th Congress, would protect against government discrimination of those who believe in natural marriage." Christian educators are concerned after an April 28 exchange … [Read more...]

Baptist relief teams practice for preparedness

By Kristen Camp, North American Mission Board ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) - When a major disaster strikes in North America, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responds to provide help, healing and hope to survivors of the disaster. But what happens when there isn’t a major disaster? Occasionally, SBDR engages in a disaster simulation. SBDR’s most recent exercise occurred May 19 when SBDR staff and volunteer leaders simulated a hurricane hitting Charleston, S.C. “We simulated the hurricane to show the volunteers what they would have to do to support a large operation like that,” said Fritz Wilson, executive director of disaster relief for the North American Mission Board, of the May 19 exercise involving four SBDR staff members and 12 volunteers. “We even sent emails to everyone over the weekend giving updates about landfall to make it seem as real as possible -- as if it was live.” The response team came into the simulation as if it were 24 hours after landfall. At this point, SBDR would begin to move in, learn of specific needs and put teams into place to start ministering. SBDR participates in such simulations about four times a year. In mid-June, they additionally were slated to be part of a national mass care … [Read more...]

Calvary Baptist sanctuary update

By Joe Dupree, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA -- A place to begin again. The saying of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria is bringing new meaning to its proud slogan. Why? The church is currently constructing a new sanctuary that, when finished, will seat 1,558 congregants on any given Sunday. Calvary Hall is also getting a 31 percent expansion as well as a new dedicated bridal suite and 250 percent expansion of restroom facilities. Additionally, there will be a new entrance to the Calvary campus along Mohon Street. This new entrance will feature a large, covered driveway and drop-off. It will also provide a more efficient and safer access for traffic flow along the street. “Throughout Calvary’s 92 years, God has led us several times to take visionary, bold and courageous steps,” said Pastor David Brooks concerning the progress of Calvary’s growth. “The motivation for these steps has always been to reach non-believers and lead all believers to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” He went on to say the new worship center positions Calvary to be able to share the good news of Jesus Christ in a relevant manner for many decades to come. The estimated finish date of this new project is slated for … [Read more...]

Public apologies spur church discipline warnings

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Public apologies by two U.S. megachurches for a lack of compassion in the exercise of church discipline have prompted some Baptist pastors to underscore the need for humility and congregational polity during the attempted restoration of wayward members. Most American churches have not exercised biblical church discipline for a century, Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, told Baptist Press. "Because we have so little practice with it, along the way, as we seek to restore it, people are going to make mistakes. This kind of humility required to apologize for making a mistake, I think, is going to be needed and needed in large quantities in order to be successful in getting to a healthy place with regard to what church membership is." Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Dallas, a Southern Baptist multisite congregation, apologized during worship services May 30-31 for a domineering approach by elders in some church discipline cases, the church confirmed to BP. Christianity Today reported on one case in which the church's leaders initiated the discipline process when a woman ended her marriage after discovering her husband had viewed child pornography for years. She … [Read more...]

Religious liberty wins hiring case at Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in favor of a Muslim job applicant provided what religious freedom advocates hailed as a wider victory for people of faith. In an 8-1 decision, the high court ruled June 1 an employer cannot make religious exercise an element in hiring decisions. The justices' opinion favored a federal agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), over a clothing retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, in a case involving the refusal of a store in the chain to hire a young Muslim woman who wears a headscarf. The court's seven-page decision -- brief by the standards of the justices' majority opinions –- said the federal law in question "does not demand mere neutrality with regard to religious practices -- that they be treated no worse than other practices. Rather, it gives them favored treatment, affirmatively obligating employers not 'to fail or refuse to hire or discharge any individual ... because of such individual's'" religious exercise. The Supreme Court "got this one right," said Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). "The court recognized an important truth: People should not be discriminated against because … [Read more...]

Pastor protection bill passes Texas House, Senate

AUSTIN, Texas (BP) -- Passage of the only surviving religious liberty bill in the 84th session of the Texas Legislature gives pastors some legal protection against litigation should they refuse to preside over a same-sex marriage. Senate Bill 2065, the Pastor Protection bill, passed overwhelmingly May 21. With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to rule by the end of June on whether states must recognize same-sex marriage as a constitutionally protected right, conservative Texas legislators filed bills that would, if passed, provide legal standing for citizens, businesses and clergy against an anticipated wave of legal action. But the lack of support from state leadership and the legislators' self-imposed censorship in the wake of protests at Indiana's capitol in April left stymied all other legislation that would have given a legal defense for those opposed, on religious grounds, to same-sex marriage. The lone religious liberty bill to be debated, SB 2065, passed the House of Representatives 141-2 on its second reading, garnering even the support of two gay representatives. The next day it passed unanimously, 142-0, earning the votes of its two earlier opponents. On May 25 it was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott who has said he would … [Read more...]

2016 VBS to ‘submerge’ kids in God’s Word

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Next summer, kids will have the opportunity to dive past the surface and go deeper into God's Word with "Submerged," the 2016 Vacation Bible School theme from LifeWay Christian Resources. The theme helps challenge a culture consumed with celebrity -- one marked by the image of beauty and popularity, LifeWay VBS specialist Jerry Wooley said. "It's a value system that's unrealistic and an impossibility to achieve or maintain," he said. "During Submerged, kids will discover it's not what's on the surface that matters, but the internal truth that only God can see." Each day of next year's VBS, students will explore the way Jesus saw people and examine the truth of the key verse,Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way." "This is an adventure that will take us not only to the depths of the ocean," Wooley said, "but to the depths of our hearts as well. We will be challenged to let God not only search our hearts, but reveal the truths of our hearts as well." VBS remains one of the most effective evangelistic events for churches. Using the most recent statistics available, Wooley said nearly 3 … [Read more...]