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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Niece ‘branded’ as new believer after uncle’s invitation to Cowboy Church

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Morgan Moses was looking to restart her life when her uncle, Perry Moses, invited her in early March to attend Cross Branded Cowboy Church in Pineville. She found a loving church family and the Holy Spirit guided her to a spiritual rebirth that culminated with baptism on her physical birthday, June 29. Steve Speer, pastor of His Church in Pineville, performed the baptism because the church is without a pastor at this time. “I felt like this was meant to be,” she told the Baptist Message. “While I didn’t plan to be baptized on my birthday, God knew exactly what was going to happen and I’m so excited that he allowed me to share my joy with so many people.” Morgan Moses was among two new converts who participated in a baptism service during Cross Branded’s weekly Monday night service, which averages 70-80 people inside its worship center. COWBOY-STYLE MINISTRY While Cross Branded opens its services to anyone, it especially draws in those who are part of the cowboy culture. Started in 2008 as a mission of Pine Grove Baptist Church in Ruby, this cowboy-style congregation began with 20 people, and a year later grew to 30 members. Four years … [Read more...]

The number one way to encourage a pastor

By Joe McKeever There was a time when it was easier to pastor a church than it is today. There was a time when churches running a thousand on Sunday were considered mega. There was a time when churches took what they had in the way of pastoral leadership and pretty much went with it without a lot of complaints. Those days are no more. It’s a different world we live in. People demand strengths and excellence and results from their leaders. They look for power in the pulpit and skills in relationships. They want degrees and winsomeness and it wouldn’t hurt if you looked sharp either. They want to be fed in sermons and challenged in programs. They want input in decisions and no longer hand the keys to the kingdom to the new preacher. What they do not want… –What most do not want is to be embarrassed by the preacher, for their church to become the laughingstock of the community, for the attendance to drop, or for the financial situation to become dire. –If they could, they would like the church to reach the unchurched and make a difference in the poorer section of town, but all the while retaining their church as it has always been. –If they could, they’d like to become a mission-minded congregation where … [Read more...]

Roberts reverses, Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana protections for women having abortions

By Will Hall, Baptist Message Executive Editor WASHINGTON (LBM) – Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday reversed his position from just a decade ago, siding with the four liberal justices on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Louisiana law, 5-4, that attempted to protect women involved in botched abortions. In 2016, Roberts dissented against the Court’s ruling against a Texas law that required abortionists to have admitting privileges at a local hospital in case of an emergency during an abortion – in order to ensure the doctor could provide continuous care for the patient. But the Texas law also included provisions regarding the abortion facility operations, requiring them to be regulated as an ambulatory care clinic with regard to required medical equipment and certifications. The Louisiana law, by contrast, only sought to make sure the person performing the abortion was able to stay with the patient throughout emergency and follow up care. Two cases in recent months highlighted the state’s case for requiring admitting privileges. In 2019 a woman who endured a botched abortion procedure at a Baton Rouge facility experienced complications that forced her to have emergency surgery which resulted in a total … [Read more...]