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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LBF holds its first ChurchBiz Conferences

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Foundation recently wrapped up its inaugural ChurchBiz Conferences which was designed to enhance church business practices and support effective ministry operations. Held Sept. 8-11 in Ruston, Alexandria, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge, the conferences drew 57 and included pastors, treasurers, financial team members and other church/ ministry staff members. Speakers included Josh Henry, founder of Simplify Church, Tyler Moore, senior producer with GuideStone, and Jared Price, executive director with the Louisiana Baptist Foundation. “Attendees expressed that the conferences were very beneficial, not only in terms of information shared but also due to the opportunity to collaborate with others working in similar roles,” Price told the Baptist Message. The conferences are part of the LBF’s ChurchBiz services, a one-stop shop for church business that includes podcasts, conferences, publications, comprehensive solutions and other offerings for churches, Price said. The ChurchBiz Services specifically include accounting services, capital/stewardship campaigns, cash management, church loans, computer support line, giving-gateway.net, online giving, and … [Read more...]

EVANGELISM 101 (Part 9): Trusting God when trauma is revealed

By Ryan Johnson, Special to the Baptist Message EDITOR’S NOTE: ­This is the second of a pair of articles about how to share the Gospel with people who have experienced trauma. NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – Trauma-informed evangelism recognizes that behind many Gospel conversations lies a story of pain — and calls the messenger to respond not with pressure, but with patience, presence, and Spirit-led compassion. Imagine two friends at a co­ffee shop. One, a slightly nervous Christian, has just lovingly shared the Good News. The other hesitates, eyes brimming: “I want to believe this is true… I really do. But I’ve been hurt so badly. Every time I’ve trusted someone—even Christians— it ended up breaking me.” DISCERN THE MOMENT In evangelism, we are laborers in God’s harvest fi eld (Luke 10:2), working alongside the Holy Spirit, whose unseen movement brings new birth (John 3:8). When trauma surfaces alongside a longing for peace, trauma-informed evangelism calls for discernment, pastoral sensitivity, and a non-intrusive presence–one that listens more than instructs, and invites rather than insists. In our urgency to call people to repentance and faith in Christ, we must labor alongside the Holy Spirit to nurture genuine … [Read more...]