By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Shortly after his election as the 10th president of Louisiana Christian University Feb. 25, Mark Johnson shared his excitement about fostering partnerships with the community and for the Kingdom. “It's not about me,” Johnson shared with local news media after the conclusion of a press conference on campus. “It's about all of us. And I think that’s what makes me more excited – to bring people together and to get some excitement.” When he officially assumes his role June 1, Johnson said he will embark upon the P3 56 Tour, a series of 100 events in 100 days. Based on Proverbs 3:5-6, the effort will aim to engage the community and promote the university. “Here's my appeal to everyone in the community and in the area,” he said. “Become one of those 100 events. We want you to say, hey, come and meet our school. Come and meet our business. Come and meet our leaders. And we’re trying to generate the kind of buzz that we can fill up these 100 events with events not only on the campus but off the campus as well. “I believe in partnerships,” he said. “We grow with partnerships, and I think we can do something great when we pull that together.” Johnson stressed … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer COVINGTON, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists were en­couraged to reach their friends and family for Christ as part of the continuing effort to create a culture of evangelism within their congregations. during ECON 2025, held in the facilities of First Bap­tist Church, Covington, Jan. 27-28. ECON featured Louisiana Baptist pastors, seminary profes­sors, a women’s ministry leader, vocational evangelists, an evan­gelism vice president from the North American Mission Board, and the president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. The event also included times of worship led by a combined choir (FBC Coving­ton and area churches) as well as Selah, an award-winning Christian contemporary music trio. MIKE COURTNEY Mike Courtney, itinerant evan­gelist in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, reminded Louisiana Bap­tists to be faithful in their call to share the Gospel. “In spite of your failures, keep fishing,” said Courtney, draw­ing from Jesus’ commandment to the disciples to be fishers of men in Luke 5:1-11. “This is a call to faithfulness even when and if we have failed.” He reminded Louisiana Baptists that the passage is an example of … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]