By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists can celebrate multiple spiritual milestones reported for 2024 church planting efforts, including:
— 11,748 Gospel conversations;
— 742 professions of faith;
— 361 baptisms;
— 2,839 people in combined average worship attendance;
— 1,186 people in intentional discipling relationships; and
— $183,000 given through the Cooperative Program to support cooperative missions and ministries.
“The most exciting thing to see was those who professed their faith in Christ,” Send Network Louisiana Director Lane Corley told the Baptist Message. “These planters started a new church in a community and began to meet their needs in real, practical ways that opened the door for Gospel conversations. Every time I see a new church start, it’s just exciting because you know that there’s just going to be a lot of good things happening through the local church that produces the kind of results in this report.”
BACKGROUND
The Send Network Louisiana partnership between Louisiana Baptists and the North American Mission Board that launched on Aug. 1, 2023, seeks to expand His Kingdom in Louisiana by one percent (more than 28,000 new believers) over the next decade.
Researchers estimate that 60 percent of 4,648,794 Louisianans are lost (about 2,789,276). If successful, 28,875 Louisianans will be added to the Kingdom through 231 new churches planted in the state by 2033 (based on each reaching 125 people with the Gospel). These salvations will be in addition to those recorded by already established Louisiana Baptist congregations.
Since the partnership began, 21 new church plants have begun. Another 23 planted since 2020 currently receive Coop Missions funding through the North American Mission Board and Louisiana Baptist Missions and Ministries Team. Combined, these two groups have reported 839 salvation decisions, 392 baptisms and more than 3,913 Gospel conversations.
BRIGHT FUTURE
Corley said two retreats are scheduled this year at the Send Network Louisiana assessment center (Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge) to assess potential Louisiana Baptist church planters. During that weekend, Send Network Louisiana leaders will walk potential planters (and their wives) through a process of affirming their call to start a church. The various application steps will examine the men for fit with the New Testament role of pastor and their theological fit as a Southern Baptist leader, utilizing the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as a standard.
Corley said they hope to qualify enough candidates to plant 20 new churches this year.
He urged Louisiana Baptist churches to help by:
— supporting missions giving;
— adopting a church plant for strategic prayer, a mission trip, and support for the planting couple; and
— becoming a sending church (take responsibility for a new church or replant).
Sending church Labs are scheduled for March 11 (Open Door Church, Lafayette) and March 18 (Norris Ferry Community Church, Shreveport). Register at LouisianaBaptists.org.
Contact Lane Corley, lcorley@namb.net or 985-373-2748, to learn more about Louisiana church planting opportunities.
