By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer
WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – During a Sept. 26 meeting, Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board members approved the 2024 Cooperative Program giving plan and were updated on the ongoing work by the Convention’s four entities.
BUDGET REPORT
Board members approved the business and finance committee’s 2024 financial plan based on Cooperative Program contributions of $18,080,569, an increase of $502,560, or 2.86 percent. Cooperative Program projections are based on actual receipts from August 2022 through July 2023.
The allocation formula for distributing Cooperative Program gifts between Southern Baptist Convention and Louisiana Baptist causes changed for 2024, 62.87 percent forwarded to support ministries in the state (a decrease from 63.26 percent in 2023) and 37.13 percent forwarded to fund national entities (an increase from 36.74 percent in 2023).
The budget will be presented to messengers for approval during the 2023 LBC Annual Meeting.
ENTITY REPORTS
Louisiana Baptist Foundation President Jeff Steed said $36.95 million in ministry support overall has been realized since the July 2020 launch of the LBF’s Vision200 (impacting the Kingdom with $200 million through the LBF in 20 years or less).
Steed shared that the LBF recently launched ChurchBizCube.net to offer a well-rounded approach to those they serve with the main goal of furthering the Gospel’s outreach. This toolkit consists of six “sides” of a cube: expanding a church campus, add new church plant/satellite campus, emergency savings fund/insurance reserves, increasing gifts now and later, increasing efficiencies/maximizing impact, and stewarding cash reserves.
“Thank you for the honor to be a partner in ministry with you and your church to board the Kingdom, one dollar at a time, one ministry at a time, one life at a time,” Steed said.
Baptist Message Executive Editor Will Hall said that as Louisiana Baptists celebrate 175 years of ministry together in the state, the Baptist Message is celebrating its 136th year as a partner with them.
He said the news service was established to help promote the work of and contribute to fostering unity among Louisiana Baptists, and he declared the Baptist Message remains committed to those mission priorities.
To make his point, Hall highlighted the Baptist Message’s primary role during the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, which was held in New Orleans, in providing coverage of the two key evangelistic events, Crossover and Serve Tour, that preceded the business meeting and heavily involved Louisiana Baptists.
He also pointed out that a special edition Baptist Message newspaper that was distributed to SBC messengers highlighted the 175-year legacy of Louisiana Baptists’ soul winning in the state.
Moreover, Hall said this focus on evangelism is a regular feature in each issue of the newspaper.
“While we report the news and try to give the facts so that people can be informed about different events that impact us as Louisiana Baptists, I hope that you see and I hope you agree with me that our focus is to establish, to promote, to encourage a culture of evangelism here in our state,” he said, referring to the initiative announced in May by LBC Executive Director Steve Horn. Office of Public Policy Hall, who also serves as the director of the Convention’s Office of Public Policy, gave a report about Louisiana Baptists’ efforts to influence moral issues, social concerns and religious liberty matters in the state.
He shared that four 2022 LBC resolutions were translated into public policy during the 2023 legislative session:
— HB648, authored by Rep. Gabe Firment, a deacon with the First Baptist Church, Pollock, prohibits physicians and therapists from performing surgeries or providing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children because minors are intellectually and emotionally incapable of giving informed consent to these irreversible procedures. This bill was largely influenced by 2022 RESOLUTION 2: ON PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM THE PERMANENT PHYSICAL HARM OF SEX CHANGE SURGERIES AND DRUGS.
— HR14, co-sponsored by Rep. Dodie Horton, a member of the First Baptist Church, Haughton, and Rep. Valerie Hodges, put into policy “RESOLUTION 1: ON THANKING GOD FOR THE SUPREME COURT’S PRO-LIFE RULING IN DOBBS V. JACKSON,” by implementing the resolve statement that asked the legislature to designate June as “Sanctity of Preborn Life Month.”
— SR96, championed by Sen. Beth Mizell, a member of the First Baptist Church, Franklinton, requires the formation of a Louisiana Department of Health task force “to study acute and long-term adverse health events related to medical marijuana.” This aligns with “RESOLUTION 3: ON PROTECTING LOUISIANA’S YOUTH FROM THE HARMS OF MARIJUANA.”
— HR71, advanced by Rep. Laurie Schlegel, based “RESOLUTION 4: ON A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THOSE EXPERIENCING MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, RELATIONAL AND ADDICTION ISSUES,” formed a subcommittee within the House Committee on Health and Welfare “to study the mental health crisis plaguing the citizens of Louisiana and the resources available to assist individuals with a mental health diagnosis in this state.”
Additionally, Hall said, Louisiana Baptists responded to the emerging church insurance crisis by taking the lead in calling for a legislative solution. Sen. Katrina Jackson responded to contact from the Office of Public Policy by setting up a Zoom townhall meeting of church leaders with Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. Likewise, Sen. Robert Mills, a member of First Baptist Church, Bossier City, with Jackson as co-sponsor, pushed through S.B.147 which authorizes a church self-insurance program.
Finally, Hall urged Executive Board members to “vote YES on Amendment 2,” a statewide ballot measure to protect the freedom to worship in Louisiana, an issue championed via SB63 by Sen. Mizell.
“You are making a difference,” Hall said. “Louisiana Baptists are making a difference by shoring up the state’s cultural foundation for the future generations.”
Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries President and CEO Perry Hancock said the entity served 6,800 children and adults this year and that multiple faith decisions were made.
He said the LBCHFM has seen four trends impacting children’s homes across the country and has adjusted to accommodate the changing landscape:
— a shift away from residential childcare due to federal and state regulations (fewer on-campus placements;
— a shift toward residential family care (establishment of HomePlace, a temporary home for homeless mothers and their children);
— a shift toward non-residential foster care (launch of a Connect 1 Child ministry aimed at increasing foster families); and
— a shift toward compassion ministries (expansion of Compassion for Kids ministry).
“The churches have supported the Children’s Home for almost 125 years,” he said. “But many of the ministries we are starting now, including the Minister Care program, will provide support for our churches. The Children’s Home wants to support your work so we can reach more people for the Lord.”
Louisiana Christian University President Rick Brewer encouraged board members to bring prospective students to Preview Day, Oct. 7. Basing his report on John 12:20-26, Brewer said LCU strives to establish a culture of evangelism on campus.
“Christian higher education is a strategic institution for the church,” he said. “Christian colleges and seminaries are where we train the future leaders of the church. The discipleship and faith formation takes place there. The cost, quality and availability of Christian education is a Great Commission activity.”
Citing a Barna survey, Brewer said 70 percent of students profess Christ as Savior and attend a secular school will leave with little to no faith. He added that another Barna survey revealed that just 7 percent of those in the Generation Z hold a biblical worldview.
“We are on the brink in America of our current 18-25 year olds being an unreached people group,” he said. “We are doing something about that at Louisiana Christian University. But we need more students to make a difference.”
Brewer said despite the increasing number who do not profess Christ as Savior, he remains encouraged and hopeful.
“I believe there is a generation of Christians, a remnant if you would, including on my campus at Louisiana Christian University, who are saying again and again and again and the question to the rest of us is are we listening. They want to see Jesus.
“I believe that,” he said. “I’ve experienced it. I’ve watched it.
“This is my 37th year in Christian higher education,” he continued. “And I’m never more encouraged than I am now what can happen on our campus and what is happening now in the lives of our young people.”
EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESIDENT MESSAGE
Executive Board President Dustin Stockstill challenged board members to pray and share the Gospel.
Preaching from Colossians 4:2-6, he said Christ followers must get back “to the basics” of their calling.
“If you’re really going to make a dent in lostness in the state of Louisiana, it’s going to start with us going before the Lord and seeking His face, seeking His favor, asking for Him to give direction on, ‘How do we reach the people around us?’ ‘How do we reach this state?’ ‘How do we reach our communities, our parishes?’ ‘How to do we reach the cities?” he said. “We need to be a praying people. We need to lead our churches back to being praying people.”
Stockstill, who resigned as Executive Board president to become a church planter in Europe, said he was convicted of his need to pray more while in training for his new role.
“They were asking us, ‘How much did you pray in your churches before you got here?’” he said. “And you start looking at it, yeah we prayed on Sunday morning, you prayed maybe on Wednesday night, but how much true prayer are we doing where everything else is put aside and we’re just going to God. We’re spending time before God. Ask yourself that. How much time are you praying personally?”
Later in the meeting, board members prayed for Stockstill and his family as they are set to embark on a new journey.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Louisiana Baptist Convention President Reggie Bridges (pastor, Temple Baptist Church, Ruston) encouraged board members to attend the upcoming Louisiana Baptist Convention Pastors Conference and Annual Meeting, Nov. 13-14, in the facilities of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans.
“We will have completed 175 years of ministry together and we want to celebrate,” he said. “But we also want to look ahead.”
He announced that the theme of the 176th annual meeting is “Pursuit,” from Philippians 3:14, and used Ephesians 5:15-18 to flesh out the concept.
Bridges said if Louisiana Baptists are to pursue the Lord, they first must learn to walk wisely and watch every step.
“Can we admit that sometimes we have not watched out for the signs that God has put in front of us, and we have not stepped right, and we have fallen,” he said. “And it’s been embarrassing. It’s been painful.
“We’ve got to walk wisely as Louisiana Baptists,” he said.
He added that “pursuit” also involves “redeeming the time,” noting that often when people talk about “buying our time” it means stalling.
But here, he offered, it is the idea of “buying out of captivity” and to “free that which is imprisoned.”
He said Christ redeems our lives and can redeem time itself … “make something good out of that which is bad.”
“We need to buy our time,” Bridges said. “We need to make the most of the opportunity.”
Finally, he concluded, we need to come under the influence of the Holy Spirit “… thoughts … words … emotions … everything … . Everything should demonstrate Christ Jesus, and the power of His Spirit.
Bridges said that celebrating “our 175th year together and look forward to 176,” we need to pursue Christ and then “His Spirit will empower us, and we will see people saved and equipped for His glory and for the good of His Kingdom.”
OTHER BUSINESS
During the 2022 LBC Annual Meeting, Dale Goodman, messenger and pastor, Chase Baptist Church, submitted a motion “that the budget committee … include $2,500 allotted to the Baptist Nursing Fellowship,” and asked that churches and associations be encouraged to promote the organization.
Goodman’s motion was referred to the Executive Board, who during the Sept. 26 meeting approved the following response:
“The Executive Board does wholeheartedly agree with the motion’s intent to encourage and promote the Baptist Nursing Fellowship in local churches and associations. However, due to the many different fellowships with Baptist life, the Executive Board believes that it is not a good practice to perpetually include any budget request that is not specific to State Missions Services. The decision in no way reflects on the importance and value of the Baptist Nursing Fellowship. In addition, the Executive Board does encourage the leadership of the Executive Board to discuss with the leadership of the Baptist Nursing Fellowship ways to be mutually beneficial to one another.”
Horn also provided a response to Executive Board members.
“We don’t believe that it’s wise for us to include any outside group in our budget. Particularly, we don’t believe that, as the motion requests, we perpetually include some organization in our budget,” he said. “That stands against the principles of the annual budget.
“We certainly want to try to work with these dedicated and faithful folks and we believe that there are ways we can do that,” he continued. “For example, that we can approach them about offering nursing care at our annual meeting for example and at our events like ECON and it is a beneficial way as they help us then we will be able to contribute to the needs that they have. That’s how I request we handle this particular motion, instead of doing as the motion suggests, which might bring about further motions in subsequent years from other groups asking the same. So, therefore, we believe this is a bad precedent to set with a group not germane to our state missions services work.”
