There is a chill in the air – and the days are about to start ending earlier as Daylight Savings Time ends.
There is a chill in the air – and the days are about to start ending earlier as Daylight Savings Time ends.
And that means the annual Louisiana Baptist Convention must be near at hand.
Indeed, it is – with the two-day gathering set for
Nov. 14-15 at First Baptist Church of West Monroe. The theme of this
year’s annual session is “Louisiana Baptists Touching the World.”
The meeting marks the first for David Hankins, who assumed duties as
state executive director in February. In his welcome to messengers and
guests in the 2005 Book of Reports, Hankins notes that the annual
meeting comes at a time when Louisiana is struggling to deal with a
pair of devastating hurricanes.
He reminds persons that Southern and Louisiana
Baptists are at the forefront of relief and recovery efforts in the
state.
“What a time to make a difference for the Lord,”
Hankins emphasizes. “By God’s grace, may it be our finest hour.”
As expected, the upcoming annual meeting will
feature various reports and testimonies regarding the impact of the
hurricanes on the state and the extent of the ongoing recovery efforts.
Close to 1,000 persons already had registered for
the annual session last week. Despite the impact of the hurricanes on
the southern part of the state, more are expected to register before
the meeting and once the session actually begins.
In addition to storm updates, they will have plenty
to keep them occupied during the two days – including the election of a
new president, a decision on the future of the Louisiana Baptist
Message, adoption of key resolutions and consideration of a 2006
Cooperative Program budget for the state convention.
Of course, there will be attention paid to the
ongoing hurricane relief and recovery work going on across South
Louisiana. And oh yes, there will be Bible study, sermons, singing,
fellowship opportunities and even a convention revival to close the two
days of business and activity.
As for business, three sessions are set:
Monday evening
The schedule for the convention’s opening session does not vary much from previous years.
It begins at 5:30 p.m. and features several items of
routine business for messengers. However, messengers also will be asked
to act on nominees from the LBC Committee on Committees and Committee
on Nominations. More than 80 persons are proposed by the two groups to
serve in positions of leadership on convention committees and boards.
However, they must be approved by convention messengers in order to be
able to serve.
The schedule for the opening session also features
the first of three Bible studies to be presented by Tom Elliff, senior
vice president for spiritual renewal and church relations for the
Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
In addition, the state missions service report is
set as well, along with reports from various convention agencies. Among
those, Lynn P. Clayton will deliver his final report as editor of the
Louisiana Baptist Message. Clayton has announced plans to retire at the
end of the year.
In addition, Joe Aguillard will present his first
convention report as president of Louisiana College. Aguillard was
elected to that position early this year.
The opening session of the convention will close
with the president’s address, delivered by Philip Robertson, pastor at
Philadelphia Baptist Church in Deville.
Tuesday morning
The Tuesday morning session of the annual convention
features a variety of items, including a second Bible study, various
business matters and reports and a closing worship session.
The session begins at 8:30 a.m. Following a Bible
study and prayer, messengers will be asked to elect a new president.
Robertson is completing his second one-year term and is ineligible for
reelection.
Two persons have announced plans to be nominated for
the state convention post – Jerry Chaddick of DeQuincy and Bill
Robertson of Winnsboro.
In interviews with the Louisiana Baptist Message,
both men affirmed their view of inerrancy and emphasized the importance
of taking the gospel to all of Louisiana and beyond. They also cited
their support of Louisiana Baptist Convention agencies and the
Cooperative Program.
In his interview, Chaddick said he agreed to allow
his nomination for convention president after gaining a sense of the
heartbeat of the convention. “I believe we have a great opportunity –
with all that God has done in our convention over recent years – to
take the blessings he has given to us and use them to impact our state
with the gospel,” he said.
Meanwhile, in his interview, Robertson said he
agreed to be nominated “because I believe it’s time for a change in the
philosophy of leadership.
“We need to be more inclusive and open our arms to all Louisiana Baptists.”
Chaddick was endorsed as president at a meeting of
the Louisiana Inerrancy Fellowship. Robertson is supported by a group
of pastors, including Gil Arthur, pastor at East Leesville Baptist
Church and a candidate for president last year.
In addition to election of the new president,
messengers will elect a first vice president and act on a proposed 2006
Cooperative Program budget during the Tuesday morning session.
The proposed budget is $21 million, a reduction of
$1 million (4.5 percent). Convention leaders said the decrease is
necessary at the state assesses the impact of the recent hurricanes. An
estimated 300 churches were affected by the storm – and many sustained
severe damage or were completely destroyed.
The impact of that is sure to be felt on convention
finances. Indeed, Hankins said the convention likely will dip $500,000
into reserve funds to help make adjustments in this year’s budget.
Despite the reduction, the budget proposed for next year maintains
current percentage allocations, except in two instances. The
Louisiana Baptist Message is slated for a reduction from
2.3 percent of all state receipts to 2 percent next year. In turn, the
allocation for Louisiana Baptist Convention programs is set to increase
from 43.5 percent to 43.7 percent.
In addition to acting on the 2006 budget during
their Tuesday morning session, convention messengers also will hear a
report from various committees and from New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary, which sustained considerable damage from Hurricane Katrina.
They will close the morning session with a
convention sermon, to be delivered by Randy Harper, pastor at Bellaire
Baptist Church in Bossier City.
Tuesday afternoon
The Tuesday afternoon session of the convention also
will feature its share of business, in addition to a final Bible study
and various reports, including one from the Southern Baptist North
American Mission Board. That report is sure to focus on ongoing
hurricane relief and recovery efforts in the state.
Messengers also are slated to elect a second vice
president and adopt proposed resolutions. In advance of the annual
session, only six resolutions were proposed – and two of those were
traditional statements of appreciation for convention organizers and
for the Louisiana Moral and Civic Foundation.
A third proposed resolution calls on persons to
support Louisiana College with prayers and sacrificial giving as the
school celebrates its centennial year in 2006.
A fourth proposed statement addresses the importance
of a biblical worldview. The statement notes that an estimated 5
percent of Americans currently have a biblical worldview, including
just half of all evangelicals. It adds that such a worldview is
critical in promoting moral values and behavior among individuals.
In light of that, the proposed resolution urges
messengers to go on record supporting actions by Hankins and the
Louisiana Baptist Moral and Social Concerns Committees to help
“parents, pastors and teachers teach an intentional biblical worldview
to those in our families, churches and schools.”
It also urges all churches and associations to form
moral and social concerns committees that will work to establish and
enhance a biblical worldview in churches, communities and the entire
state.
A fifth proposed resolution on the Southern Baptist
Cooperative Program cites the impact of the giving plan on missions and
ministry around the world. The Cooperative Program plan allows local
church offerings to be forwarded and used to support Baptist work
throughout the state, nation and world.
However, the proposed statement also notes support
for the Cooperative Program has declined. Indeed, the percentage of
undesignated receipts given from churches through the giving plan has
declined from 10.6 in 1984 to 6.7 in 2004.
In response, the resolution urges churches to
consider annual increases in the percentage forwarded through the
Cooperative Program.
A final proposed resolution offers thanks for all
those who have participated in ongoing relief and recovery efforts
following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It also calls on persons to
minister in the aftermath of the storms and “to be faithful to bear
witness to our savior, who is able to bring blessings even out of
tragedy.”
In addition to acting on resolutions, messengers
also will be asked to consider a fundamental change in the Louisiana
Baptist Message structure.
Since the 1960s, the state newspaper has operated
under its own board of trustees. Earlier this year, Hankins proposed a
change in that structure, moving the newspaper back under the
convention into a newly-formed communications team. The move would
provide an efficient, effective, coordinated way to tell the Louisiana
Baptist story, he said.
Newspaper trustees initially rejected the idea but
then revisited it a few months later and approved the move.
The proposal now must be approved by two-thirds of convention messengers to become effective.
If approval is granted, the Louisiana Baptist
Message corporation will be dissolved at the first of 2006, and the
newspaper will become part of the communications team. Newly-elected
Director of Communications John Yeats then would assume editorship of
the paper, succeeding the retiring Clayton.
The existing Baptist Message board would remain in
place as an advisory committee until the 2007 annual meeting.