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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Wales presents unique missions opportunities for Louisiana Baptists

By Message Staff Louisiana Baptist churches looking for a unique missions opportunity should consider partnering with a missions organization in Wales. Through a partnership with Missional Links Wales, churches have a variety of options available to share the Gospel in a country where just 60,000 out of a population of 3 million profess to be evangelical, according to Rob Burns, founder and international director of the organization. Opportunities include a one-week vision trip, one week missions trip, internships for college students and an apprenticeship for seminary graduates and other adults. Burns shared more about the options during a recent presentation at the Baptist Building in Alexandria to pastors, Louisiana Baptist Convention missions and ministry strategists and Baptist Collegiate Ministers. “We’d love to talk to any American missional oriented church who would like long term partnership in Wales and who would like to get involved in investing inside the counties and across the nation of Wales,” Burns told the Baptist Message. “In Wales, currently 2 percent or less are evangelical. But there is an openness to Americans and the American culture. The Welsh people like Americans and they love to talk to … [Read more...]

GuideStone offers single-staff churches solutions in the health care marketplace

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS, Texas - Continued uncertainty in the health care marketplace with the repeal of the individual mandate coming in 2019 and reductions in the number of individuals served by the health care exchanges has some pastors and ministry workers wondering about health care options this year. Further, the Affordable Care Act continues to drive up costs for consumers nationwide. GuideStone recognizes that affordability is the issue for most all of us, and while, like others, we are not immune from the financial pressures caused by the 2010 law, we are working diligently every day to develop options that reflect the values of our participants and keep costs extremely competitive in the marketplace. GuideStone’s Personal Plans health plans may be options for churches with a single staff member, usually the pastor. “We take seriously our ministry assignment from Southern Baptists to make ‘available life and health coverage,’ to our churches and ministry organizations, especially those pastors serving out at the crossroads,” GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said. “We’d encourage any pastor of a single staff-member church to call GuideStone and see if we may be able to serve him … [Read more...]

Pastors encouraged to participate in biennial church compensation survey

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS, Texas - GuideStone Financial Resources, LifeWay Research and Baptist state conventions have teamed up again in 2018 for the biennial SBC Church Compensation Survey. Pastors and church employees are invited to participate in the survey, a resource used by churches of all sizes to determine fair wages and benefits. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete; it is available on the GuideStone website. Survey respondents can enter to win an iPad. The survey’s results will be made available in the early fall, in time for many churches considering their 2019 budgets. The survey is the largest, free, church compensation study available in the United States. These surveys are a valuable tool for churches to benchmark their own salary and benefits against churches of similar size within Southern Baptist life. Through GuideStone’s compensation planning materials, GuideStone offers materials to help churches structure their compensation to make proper use of tax laws. Individual survey results can be contributed anonymously: Survey results are not reported individually. Once the survey closes May 31, LifeWay Research will work on compiling results. Survey respondents … [Read more...]

On Valentine’s Day, strengthen your marriage

By Waylon Bailey Marriage is good. In fact, it’s very good. This is what I say repeatedly to couples contemplating marriage: “I highly recommend marriage!” I really do recommend it. My marriage to Martha has blessed my life immensely and immeasurably. It would be easy to say, I can’t imagine living without her, but several years ago I had to deal suddenly with that reality. While I wouldn’t want that to happen to anyone, it made me think more carefully about the blessing of living with someone for a lifetime and getting to care for one another. Yesterday, I read about Louisiana’s longest married couple (83 years) in a blog post from Louisiana Family Forum. At the same time, I read of a report from Fox News citing the Brookings Institution study of marriage. Marriage is the greatest anti-poverty tool we have. The report showed that we would reduce poverty 25% if we had the same marriage rate as the 1970’s. In 1970, 79% of adults were married while the rate is 52% today. You would never think of marriage being a value for a stable and more prosperous life, but it is. We live in a society that has ridiculed and devalued marriage. That attitude is harming marriage and harming the well-being of children and … [Read more...]