By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
PRAIRIEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Kirk Jones, pastor of Fellowship Church, Prairieville, will be nominated for the office of president with the Louisiana Baptist Convention during the 2025 annual meeting of church messengers.
Bill Dye, pastor of North Monroe Baptist Church, shared with the Baptist Message, Sept. 10, his intention to make the nomination.
The yearly gathering of Louisiana Baptists is scheduled to be held in the facilities of the Randolph Riverfront Center, Alexandria, Nov. 11.
STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
Dye commended Jones’ character during the 15 years he has known him.
“I’ve watched him lead his church through a variety of challenges,” Dye told the Baptist Message. “Kirk is a visionary leader with character. He not only wants to do the right thing; he wants to do things the right way. And God has blessed that.
He referenced the growth of Fellowship Church, which has grown from a few people who met in Jones’ living room in 2001 to a campus of more than 1,400 with 112 baptisms in 2025.
“I know that numbers don’t always tell you what’s going on in a church,” Dye said. “The movement of the Spirit is more than buildings, bodies, and budgets. Some of our members have moved to the Baton Rouge area and become members of Fellowship, and they are quick to tell me that something special is happening there. The Spirit is evident in the way people love each other and serve their community. Lives are being changed.
“Kirk’s a Louisiana guy through and through,” he continued. “He has a deep love for his family and the respect, not only of the Baton Rouge community, but also the northeast Louisiana community. I think he’ll bring some refreshing new insights to the LBC while at the same time carrying a deep respect for who Louisiana Baptists are and what they have always been about.”
BY THE NUMBERS
The database of the Annual Church Profile shows that Fellowship Church gave 5.86 percent of its undesignated gifts through the Cooperative Program to support cooperative missions and ministries this year, amounting to $139,602 from undesignated receipts of $2,382,256.
Fellowship Church averaged 1,461 in Sunday worship service and baptized 115 new believers this year.
CANDIDATE’S RESPONSE
Jones told the Baptist Message he was honored to be nominated.
“I was approached this summer by a couple of pastors in our state asking if I would be willing to serve in this role,” he said. “Through prayer and conversation with my wife and the leadership of Fellowship, I thought it was a role that the Lord might desire to use me in.
“I love the Cooperative Program and the impact that our convention (local, state and national) has had through the years,” he continued. “The church I lead was a church plant that was supported and funded through Baptist churches and the Cooperative Program. I love our history, Gospel impact and bright potential as a convention. I feel there are some things we need to work to change in how we cooperate to maximize our capacity. I think many of the things that I would hope to see be strengthened in our convention are points of focus of our current leadership. If the Lord can use me to support them well in this, I would consider it a great honor.”
PERSONAL DATA
Jones is a native of Ruston and has served in the ministry since 1993.
He holds degrees from Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Jones, who was ordained and licensed to ministry by Cook Baptist Church, Ruston, has served as youth and children’s minister with Parkview Baptist Church, Alexandria; pastor with Big Bend Baptist Church, Hamburg, Louisiana; student ministry staff with Fielder Road Baptist Church, Arlington, Texas; and church planting intern with Christ Memorial Baptist Church, Hurst, Texas.
Jones and his wife, Wendy, have three adult children: Daniel (wife, Cassidy), Melanie ; and Kara.
