By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Send Network Louisiana has launched an effort that invites Louisiana Baptists to pray for at least 1 percent of those in the state who do not know Jesus to be reached with the Gospel over the next decade.
Based on Luke 10:2 which asks the Lord to send out workers into the harvest, the emphasis encourages Louisiana Baptists to set their alarm for 10:02 a.m. or p.m. and pray during that time for workers to be sent into the harvest and for those who do not know Christ to be reached.
“This is a God-sized goal,” Louisiana Baptist Church Planting Strategist Jacob Crawford told the Baptist Message. “And the truth is, ‘unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain.’
“I think one of the things that God has really been dealing with us about is, or convicting, at least, me personally, about, is that we can strategize all day long,” he said. “We can have all these plans that look amazing on paper, but if God’s not in it, it will mean nothing.”
GOSPEL VISION
The Send Network Louisiana partnership between Louisiana Baptists and the North American Mission Board, which went into effect Aug. 1, 2023, has helped the state further its God-sized vision to see His Kingdom expanded in Louisiana by one percent over the next decade.
Researchers estimate that 62 percent of approximately 4.6 million of Louisiana’s citizens are lost (about 2.85 million). If this church planting and soul winning initiative is successful in the state, 28,875 new believers will be added to the Kingdom through 231 new churches planted in the state by 2033 (based on each new church reaching 125 unbelievers with the Gospel). These salvations will be in addition to those recorded by already established Louisiana Baptist congregations.
Since the partnership began in the fall of 2023, the new church plants that currently receive Cooperative Program funding through the North American Mission Board and Louisiana Baptist missions and ministries team, have reported, collectively: 1,221 salvation decisions, 793 baptisms and more than 22,089 Gospel conversations.
“When you look throughout history at movements of God, there’s never been a movement apart from prayer,” he said. “When you look at the number of churches that are on the verge of closing, when you look at churches who are without pastors, when you look at the lack of church planters, and when you look at the lack of disciple makers, we have got to pray and ask God to do what only God can do.
“The premise of it all is that we’ve got to call on the name of Jesus,” he continued. “We’ve got to call out to the Father. We want to mobilize people to start prayer groups and for people to pray with their friends. And it can be as simple as setting your alarm to 10:02 every day and praying that one God would send laborers and give us an opportunity to share the Gospel.”
For more information, visit LouisianaBaptists.org/pray1002.
