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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

SBTS, elders rule among Greear’s nominees

By Will Hall, Message Editor Raleigh, N.C. (LBM)—J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has named the 68 members of the Committee on Committees. Greear praised the diverse makeup of the committee, highlighting groups he said were underrepresented in the past that are well-represented by his nominees, noting the large number of women and racial minorities in the group along with other profile characteristics. But Greear did not share any information about the possible theological leanings of his nominees -- an issue of ongoing discussion in many Southern Baptist circles, and a significant one during his campaign for SBC president. However, the Baptist Message looked at public sources of information, including church web pages and online documents, Facebook, LinkedIn, self-posted biographies and personal websites and found two distinct characteristics among Greear’s nominees:  a large number of ties to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and, a higher percentage of elder-rule/elder-led church structures or other Reformed theology associations than estimated for the rest of the SBC. BY THE NUMBERS With regard to female representation, … [Read more...]

Dealing with church conflict

By Stewart Holloway One of the nastiest tools in the Enemy’s arsenal is church conflict. Such conflict brings a lot of heartache and can stifle a church’s ministry for years - or even stop it all together. In some ways, church conflict is inevitable – the enemy will come against your church. However, church conflict does not have to be destructive. If you are prepared in advance, you can handle it appropriately. Therefore, I want briefly to share some principles for handling conflict in the church from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. If there is no conflict happening in your church right now, consider this preventative maintenance. If there is conflict in your church, well, you can use this today! Key leaders can save the church from destruction. Chloe was that person in Corinth. She was a merchant lady in whose home the Church at Corinth likely met. Chloe wrote Paul asking him questions about some problems that had developed. DO not think of Chloe as a gossiping bitty. She was a concerned church leader. People like her are in every church. They may or may not have the leadership positions, but they can rise up as key leaders in difficult times. These saints of God are wise enough to see problems and find help. They are wise … [Read more...]

God’s grace is our hope

By Jeff Ginn In the early 1900s Los Angeles, California was rapidly growing. To supply the city with needed water, a massive, concrete dam was built in the mountains above the city. The St. Francis Dam was finished in 1926. Once the reservoir filled, the seemingly indestructible dam held back more than twelve billion gallons of water. Almost immediately upon its completion, cracks began to appear in the massive wall. Fissures widened. Seepage grew. The engineers and architects were aware of these issues, but they felt that these faults were in keeping with a dam of this size. They further believed that there was time to correct the problems. But two-and-a-half minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam catastrophically failed. Hundreds of lives were lost as a wall of water and debris swept down the St. Francisquito Canyon. It remains the second greatest loss-of-life disaster in California history behind only the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Small fissures and cracks should not be ignored. Left unattended, they widen. They threaten the integrity of the very structure they populate. What’s true for concrete structures is equally true for our lives. Small cracks in our character cannot … [Read more...]

Luter urges LC students to develop spiritual discipline of faith

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Fred Luter challenged students to develop spiritual discipline of faith during Louisiana College's weekly chapel service Thursday, February 28. "It doesn't matter what ministry you are a part of, you must have this trait," said Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and former Southern Baptist Convention president. "If you intend to live victoriously in this life, if you intend to live more than you lose in this life, if you intend to be an overcomer in this life, you must have this quality. "The reason why faith is so critical is because as long as you have blood running in your arteries and veins, as long as you are living in this world, you and I will be confronted with situations that require us to put our faith into action," he continued. Drawing from Hebrews 11, Luter said God tested the biblical character Abraham to see if he was willing to be obedient and offer his son as a sacrifice. Much like he put Abraham's faith to the test, Luter said God does the same for every believer. "God does not only want to hear obedience from our mouths, He wants to see obedience in our lives," he said. "Anybody can talk about faith, anybody can … [Read more...]

Pucik assumes leadership of the Northshore

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer COVINGTON – Don Pucik, a former Louisiana Baptist pastor who moved out of state in 2002, has returned as association mission strategist for the Northshore Baptist Association. Pucik, who served as senior pastor of Wynne Baptist Church in Wynne, Arkansas since 2013, said he is excited about the opportunity to minister to pastors in a state where he once served. “For us it’s a homecoming,” Pucik said. “Two of our six kids were born here and the rest of them grew up here. We have always loved Louisiana, particularly south Louisiana’s culture. We’ve always loved the celebrated spirit of Louisiana life. We are really delighted to be back and we are looking forward to the future.” CALLED TO SERVE Pucik was raised in a family that practiced Roman Catholicism, but he turned from God and religion when he entered high school, he told the Baptist Message. However, before his senior year he found Christ during a worship service at a Baptist church in Dayton, Ohio. “In high school, I stepped back away from all things church, God and religion,” he said. “­The world for me became a very dark place. I met some genuine Christians who invited me to church and it was there in a storefront … [Read more...]

Don’t be a sore loser

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- In the movie "On the Waterfront," Terry Malloy was a dockworker who had been a promising young prizefighter until a mob-connected union boss instructed him to deliberately lose a fight he could have won. Later Terry found his own life in danger and was in anguish about having thrown the fight. "You don't understand," he said to his brother. "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." In throwing the fight, Terry had thrown away his career, his future and, most of all, his self-respect. The late W.A. Criswell once preached a sermon on Demas. In Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24, Criswell pointed out, Demas was working alongside the apostle Paul in Rome. But years later Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:10 that "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." Demas could have been somebody. But he wasn't willing to let loose of the world. 'Remember Lot's wife’ The Bible has many stories of men and women who could have been somebody. Instead they became half hearted followers, half-committed disciples, people who started down the road but looked back. They weren't willing to choose the right … [Read more...]

Louisiana churches give special guests a night to remember at Tim Tebow event

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Hundreds of special needs individuals in the state were given a night to remember Feb. 9, courtesy of Tim Tebow and several Louisiana Baptist churches. Dressed in their formal attire, these special guests enjoyed a variety of activities to make them feel like kings and queens in God’s eyes at the fifth annual Night to Shine prom. Eastwood Baptist Church, Haughton, Cypress Baptist Church, Benton, Fellowship Church, Prairieville, and the First Baptist Church, Ruston – were among the 655 churches in 50 states and 11 countries that hosted the event, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. The former Heisman Trophy and NFL quarterback started the event five years ago for people who have special needs. From the beginning, the evening was magical for the guests, who were transported by limousine, trolley or classic car to a red carpet. Once there, they were greeted by an enthusiastic group of volunteers armed with cameras and cheers from the crowd. Guests received the royal treatment, including hair and makeup stations, shoe shining areas, corsages and boutonnieres, a catered dinner, karaoke, prom favors and a dance floor. All of this led up to the moment when each guest was … [Read more...]

Hundreds seek God during Northwest Association annual prayer gathering

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SHREVEPORT – Nearly 600 members of the Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association’s 118 churches closed out the month of January by coming together to seek God during the local fellowship’s fourth annual “Call to Prayer.” Much like the association’s other Calls to Prayer, Moore said the gathering, Jan. 27, brought together Christians of various ages and ethnicities to pray for law enforcement, the persecuted church, missionaries serving around the world, pastors and other church leaders. The 2019 event at Broadmoor Baptist Church, Shreveport, was marked by prayer from the worship center stage, in small groups around the room, and by individuals even in the hallways outside, he described, adding that in the end, participants uniformly described a movement of the Holy Spirit in that place for revival were lifted up. REPENTENACE ESSENTIAL Shaun Armstrong urged others to come before God with broken hearts and turn from their sins. He said repentance is essential for salvation. “Repentance is not a one-time act that occurs at the moment of your salvation never to be repeated again, but rather repentance is a way of life for somebody who truly knows God through Jesus Christ,” said … [Read more...]

Pregnancy Center expanding into Avoyelles Parish April 9

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MARKSVILLE – The effort to protect more unborn babies just got a shot in the arm with the announcement that Avoyelles Parish will soon have a pregnancy center of its own April 9. The 600-sq.-ft. facility, located at 115 Ferdinand Street in Marksville, will be the first of its kind in Avoyelles Parish. The center, which will be a satellite of the Cenla Pregnancy Center in Alexandria, will operate Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will offer pregnancy decision coaching by trained advocates, free pregnancy tests, information about pregnancy options, maternity and physical resources and post-decision support including parenting education and post-abortive healing. Center leaders hope to purchase an ultrasound machine once they can raise the necessary funds. Heidi Peavy, who has worked as office manager at the Cenla Pregnancy Center since it opened in December 2017, will be at the helm when the center opens. “Many of the women think they have no other option other than abortion, and we are here to make sure they know that there is another option other than abortion,” Peavy said. “We have gotten a sense the community is open and supportive of a pregnancy center … [Read more...]