By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist lawmakers Rep. Gabe Firment, Sen. Rick Edmonds and Rep. Mike Johnson championed critical legislation that offer to significantly enhance the work of Louisiana churches while positively shaping the spiritual culture of the state. CHURCH SELF-INSURANCE All three legislators played vital roles in passage of SB 341 (signed into law as Act 759) that should complete the last legal requirements needed to operate the church self-insurance program under the Louisiana Churches and Nonprofit Religious Organizations Self-Insured Fund that was established by law in 2023. Edmonds, the pastor of First Baptist Church, McComb, Mississippi, and retired pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Shreveport, authored the bill and shepherded it throughout the legislative process in both the Senate and the House, ending his oversight only after the governor’s signature. Meanwhile, Firment, who is a deacon with First Baptist Church, Pollock, offered essential amendments, including the deletion of “joint and several liability” obligations from the program, meaning the cooperative can now offer a viable insurance product that should be attractive to churches. … [Read more...]