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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

GuideStone, Lifeway, state conventions launch 2016 SBC Church Compensation Survey

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS — GuideStone Financial Resources, along with LifeWay Research and Baptist state conventions, will open the biennial SBC Church Compensation Survey in 2016. Ministers and church employees are invited to participate in the survey, a resource used by churches of all sizes to determine fair wages and benefits. Survey participants will have the opportunity to enter for a chance to win an iPad®. The survey and complete contest rules are available at GuideStone.org/CompensationSurvey. The survey’s results will be made available in the early fall, in time for many churches considering their 2017 budgets. The survey is the largest free, church compensation study conducted in the United States. The most recent survey results — conducted in 2014 — have been visited almost 55,000 times. “GuideStone works tirelessly to be an advocate for pastors and church staff, ensuring that they are compensated fairly,” said O.S. Hawkins, President of GuideStone Financial Resources. “The surveys can help churches benchmark their own salary and benefits packages against churches of like size within Southern Baptist life.” Survey results are not reported individually. Compensation and benefit … [Read more...]

Start the new year off right by praying it forward

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Amid those New Year’s resolutions of losing weight, spending more time with family and watching less television is another one that Louisiana Baptists leaders have issued as a challenge – start the first 21 days of 2016 praying intentionally for the Next Generation. To help make that happen, the Louisiana  Baptists Evangelism & Church Growth Team in partnership with the Pastoral Ministry Team has released the journal “Pray It Forward: 21 Days of Prayer for the Next Generation.” Each day of prayer focuses on three areas – reading God’s Word, reflecting on God’s Word and responding to God’s Word. Every day of focus has a verse, devotional thought and action steps to follow. Louisiana Baptist Convention team members along with pastors and Baptist Collegiate Ministry directors authored the prayer guide. Louisiana Baptist Evangelism and Church Growth Director Wayne Jenkins hopes those attending the Evangelism Conference at First Baptist Church in Lafayette will complete the journal by the time the event takes place on Jan. 25-26. A focus of the Evangelism Conference will be reaching the Next Generation. “Pray it Forward is the latest in a series of 21 day prayer and … [Read more...]

Louisiana Baptist female duo plan CD release concert to benefit Compassion International

By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA – A Louisiana Baptist female singing duo have planned CD release concert next month to benefit Compassion International. Scheduled for Jan. 22 at Alexandria’s Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center, the concert will feature music from the new project entitled “We Receive.” The songs were written by Kellie and Kristen Fuselier, along with others from their home church, The Gathering Place in the Wardville area of Pineville. For the past 10 years, Kellie and Kristen have traveled throughout the U.S. to lead worship and said this project further illustrates their passion – to see the gospel proclaimed. “While deciding whether or not this was the season to put out another project, the Lord breathed life into these songs during our co-writes and we began getting clearer vision about what the Lord wanted us to say through our ministry,” Kellie and Kristen wrote in an email. “These songs all derive from scripture, and it has become our heart's desire to see the global Church come together in one sound to proclaim the gospel of Christ. “We have been walking through personal seasons of learning the depth of the love of God,” they continued. “We began to truly realize that we have done and can do … [Read more...]