By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
WOODWORTH – With its first enrollment increase in five years, Louisiana College is optimistic it may reach its goal of a 1,500-strong student body by 2020, school President Rick Brewer told Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board members, May 3.
“The bleeding has stopped,” Brewer said during the board’s spring meeting. “Finally we had our first uptick.”
The school experienced a 14.5 percent year-to-year increase in freshmen and transfer student enrollment, enrolling 255 new freshmen and 61 transfer students in 2016. The college’s new Certificate in Pastoral Ministry and Missiology program also enrolled 21 new students, but they are not reflected in the 14.5 percent increase. Overall headcount was up 1.5 percent from 1,109 to 1,126, and dormitory occupancy is up by 6.5 percent.
Brewer also announced that early signs indicate enrollment will be even better this year.
“It looks promising moving forward,” he said, particularly with new scholarships, infrastructure improvements and strategic marketing strategies.
He said more incoming freshmen and transfer students attended the “Front Of The Line” event – designed to better acclimate students to campus life – this spring than last year, with attendance of 169, compared to 141 in 2016.
“I’m hopeful,” Brewer said. “We are working hard. We are out there speaking at places. We are out there using every strategy we can afford.”
Brewer encouraged Executive Board members to share with high school students at their respective churches about the college’s scholarship opportunities, including a number of new ones designed to better equip young people to develop a Christian worldview. A complete list is available on lacollege.edu with amounts ranging from $2,000 to $8,500 annually, and some can be combined.
“We have made this the most affordable Baptist education in America,” Brewer said. “We’re trying to remove any excuses for why your kids wouldn’t come there. We plan to grow.”
OTHER ENTITY REPORTS
In his report, Louisiana Baptist Foundation Executive Director Wayne Taylor said the entity is celebrating its 73rd year of encouraging people to give money to Louisiana Baptist churches and entities.
Taylor said that 37 percent of regular givers would likely leave a bequest to a church or ministry in their will if they were asked, and he offered that his staff is there to help Louisiana Baptists with that task.
“A way to express your faith is by giving,” Taylor said. “We look for opportunities to come to your church and talk to donors on how to give money to ministry.”
During his report, Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home Executive Director Perry Hancock thanked individuals and churches for making a difference in the lives of children.
This year, the Children’s Home has ministered to more than 4,000 children and families, which led to more than 100 professions of faith. Hancock shared that its foster care and adoption program has now placed more than 100 children in the homes of Louisiana Baptists.
He reminded Executive Board members that the Annual Children’s Home Sunday Offering is June 11 and asked for their support in its promotion.
“Pray for us that day,” Hancock said. “Make people aware every week through the Cooperative Program they are supporting your Children’s Home.”
For his part, Baptist Message Editor Will Hall provided updates on the paper’s operations and production, and, also covered key issues and developments in his work as director of the Office of Public Policy.
Hall said the paper had managed to eliminate about $136,000 in expenses from the previous year, placing the ministry in a much better financial footing. Changes include aligning health care benefits with those of the LBC for both active and retired employees; eliminating the marketing position with those duties being absorbed by him and the staff; and, restructuring commission incentives for the advertising position.
Hall also said advertising revenue is about $8,000 above goals for the year, to date.
He also emphasized the news organizations commitment to the Harvest initiative and soul-winning in general.
“We’re going to continue to highlight stories about salvation experiences and baptisms,” he said, giving the example of an article about SBC President Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in the Memphis, Tenn. area, who was scheduling 400 baptisms as a result of just offering an invitation during the church’s Christmas program.
Hall also ran down a list of issues he was pursuing with the state legislature on behalf of Louisiana Baptists that included protecting children from exposure to pornography, rescuing children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation, and making moral rehabilitation a priority in justice reform for non-violent offenders.
He also unveiled an internet tool for mobile phones (a project completed jointly by the Office of Public Policy and the Louisiana Baptists Communications Team) that combined with a PowerPoint slide and talking points from the Office of Public Policy will help pastors engage their congregants with lawmakers about key legislation.
“In about 60 seconds, pastors can inform their members about the proposed bill and, by using SaltandLightLa.com, send an email to the respective senator and representative for that district and let them know how Louisiana Baptists would want them to vote.”
HARVEST REMINDER
Keeping in step with sharing Christ, Louisiana Baptists Evangelism and Church Growth Director Wayne Jenkins updated board members on the Harvest, one of the largest joint efforts for evangelism ever undertaken in the state. The end goal of this initiative is to involve at least 700 churches to pray for every home and share Christ with every person in Louisiana.
One way Louisiana Baptists can participate is by visiting louisianabaptists.org/harvest for updates and resources.
Jenkins also asked churches to sign up as partnering churches and to urge their members to join BlessEveryhome.com and become a “light.”
Each day for 20 days, these members will receive an email containing the names (heads of household) and addresses for five neighboring homes each day as a reminder to pray for the salvation of members of that household. By the end of that time period, each member will have prayed for 100 of their neighboring families.
“It is extremely possible that if we have 700 churches involved in this, we can pray for every single dwelling place in Louisiana,” Jenkins said. “What would it be like if your whole area was prayed over? I think it would change it. I hope you would get involved.”
STEWARDSHIP INITATIVE
Facing challenges from the economy and natural disasters in the state, Louisiana Baptists leaders reiterated the challenge from KAIROS 3 to “challenge congregations to regularly and intentionally promote Biblical financial stewardship.”
KAIROS (Key Actions In Reaching Our State) were originally outlined in the final report of the President’s 2020 Commission in 2013.
Videos and inserts teaching and promoting tithing are currently available at LouisianaBaptists.org/giving. Additional resources, including ways to integrate stewardship education and promotion as part of the weekly offering, are also under development and will be ready by the fall.
“We want to see God rise up a lot more tithers in our churches, especially from our emerging younger generations,” Louisiana Baptists Executive Director David Hankins said. “We are now as a staff working on preparing materials that will be useful to you. We want to help pastors and congregations solve this problem because it will bless their ministries. We believe as their ministries are blessed, they will bless the world through missions including Louisiana Baptists missions.”
PRESIDENT’S REMARKS
Louisiana Baptist Convention President Gevan Spinney closed the meeting with a reminder to pastors to lead by example.
Citing 1 Peter 5:1-7, Spinney said God has called pastors to love them as Christ loved and sacrificed himself for the church. He said that when a congregation sees that their pastor is passionate about spiritual matters, they will follow his lead.
“If you’re passionate about theology, you will have sheep that become passionate about that,” he said.
“If you are passionate about soul winning, then you will have a flock that follows the example. They will love and care for, and be burdened for, their neighbors and be passionate about winning souls for the Kingdom.”
Spinney cautioned pastors not to become prideful and to have an intentional prayer life.
“If we are not careful we can tend to believe everything that happens in our ministry is because of us,” he said. “Don’t forget without the movement of the Holy Spirit and His anointing in us, you and I can do nothing.”
