By Russ Rankin, Baptist Press   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The number of baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention in 2010 fell by nearly 5 percent, according to the Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions.   Southern Baptist churches reported 332,321 baptisms in 2010, down from 349,737 in 2009, a 4.98 percent decline. Total membership in 2010, reported at 16,136,044, represents a 0.15 percent decline from 2009 and is the fourth straight year of decline.   "I am saddened to see this report which seems to indicate a lack of passion for winning our world to the Lord," said Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee and a former convention president. "That will turn around when we repent of our sins and seek the power of our Lord in our evangelistic efforts.   "I am convinced that we are doing many good things but will see this situation change only when the churches and people of the SBC return Evangelism to the top priority of our Kingdom activities," Page said.   Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay, said, "I pray that all of us will see the urgency of the moment. We must make the Great Commission the … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   [img_assist|nid=7453|title=Mission minded|desc=Mark Howdeshell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, and his wife Jo helped lead church members to give an average of $55.12 per person to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions in 2010.|link=none|align=left|width=82|height=100]FAIRBANKS, Alaska (BP) – “Prayer is not a fire-and-forget weapon, and neither is our work with missions or the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering,” said Mark Howdeshell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Fairbanks, Alaska.   Howdeshell knows about weapons. He spent 21 years in the Army, retiring in 2006 as a Chief Warrant Officer 3 at Fort Wainwright Army Base in Fairbanks.   “You’ve got to be prepared,” Howdeshell said. “God blesses our praying and our giving but often expects much more. The job is not done once we’ve said ‘Amen’ or have written the check. It’s often just begun.   “In aviation, there is always one rule that can never be broken,” said the man who, before he became a pastor, flew on Army helicopter missions in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Germany, Belgium, Alaska and the Lower 48.   “Take-offs are optional; … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer   ALEXANDRIA – Like a pitcher in a major league bullpen, Louisiana Baptist Convention Disaster Relief teams statewide were all warmed up and just waiting for the call to get into the game.[img_assist|nid=7457|title=LBC Japan Team|desc=LBC DR Team: A six-man, mud-out team is preparing to leave to assist in clean up in Japan on August 17. The team was selected from across the state. This is really our first true international team we have ever deployed. We’ve sent teams to Haiti, but none this far, McMillan said. They will be doing a lot of mud-out work but they will also be training others how to do it as well.” Members of the team are (from left seated) Donna Rhymes, Sandy Bates and Jerry Dennis; (back row, from left) Eddie Rhymes, Gibbie McMillan, director of Disaster Relief and men’s ministries for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, Butch Bates and Clyde Dennis. Dennis will serve as the White Hat. McMillan asked that Louisiana Baptist would lift the team up in prayer as it prepares to depart, travels overseas and works and teaches in tsunami-ravaged Japan.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=424]   The call came in early June.   “It’s been a rough spring … [Read more...]

By Diana Chandler, Regional Reporter   LAFITTE (BP) – It’s been more than a year since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, leased by oil giant British Petroleum, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico just 41 miles off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers and contaminating waters that are home to the state’s large fishing industry.   Once oil began washing ashore, federal officials for a season prohibited fishing in the once-prolific waters.[img_assist|nid=7460|title=Deepwater Horizon|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]   Remarkably, area pastors say their congregations are stable, if not thriving, as the largest marine oil spill in history became a blessing in disguise for the local economy. Still, they express concern about the spill’s potential long-term effects on the Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem and human health.   “There’s definitely concern about how this is going to play out in the long run and the unknown,” said Eddie Painter, pastor of Barataria Baptist Church in Lafitte. “Actually, it was a backdoor blessing for us. It provided some tremendous ministry opportunities.”   The cleanup effort allowed Painter’s church the chance to minister to the community in a unique … [Read more...]

By Jon D. Wilke, Baptist Press   [img_assist|nid=7462|title=Gary Mitchell|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=88|height=100]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Gary Mitchell spent 20 years as a pastor in small, rural congregations. Like many church leaders across the country, Mitchell held a full-time job to support his ministry.   “I’ve been bivocational my whole life,” said Mitchell, who is 68 and “retired.” He now trains, equips and networks with the nearly 1,000 bivocational pastors in the Louisiana Baptist Convention.   “The vast majority of churches are led by a bivocational pastor,” Mitchell noted. Nationwide, the Bivocational Small Church Leadership Network estimates there are about 37,000 smaller church pastors, most of whom are bivocational, within the Southern Baptist Convention’s 45,727 churches.   Bivocational pastors are full-time pastors who have a secondary income stream. That might be a second job, retirement income, working wife or other possibilities. In other words, their time is stretched thin.   “Most bivocational pastors are looking for affordable study tools to assist them in their sermon preparation,” Mitchell said. “They are starved for information and resources. I … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Baptist Message Editor   The term “pro-choice” in relation to abortion was first used in the mid-1970s, it was the result of “sloganeering to avoid the harness of ‘pro-abortion,’” observed journalist and columnist William Safire.   Supporting a woman’s ability to “choose” sounds much better from a public relations standpoint than arguing for her right to an abortion. The most ardent advocates of abortion believe a woman should be able to “choose” an abortion for any reason and at any time during pregnancy – no limits.   After more than 30 years, the mantra of “choice” has not only gone around the world, but with the advent of amniocentesis and ultrasound, the reasons women “choose” abortion have greatly expanded.   In the U.S., around 90 percent of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the womb are aborted. Meanwhile, some women pregnant with multiples now choose to abort one or more of the babies, even if all are healthy.   Another troubling trend is sex-selective abortion. In many countries, healthy unborn baby girls are having their lives snuffed out because, according to their parents, they are the wrong sex.   The consequences of sex-selective … [Read more...]

By James Law, Pastor First Baptist Church Gonzales   Do you have an enemy? One who has expressed great hatred toward you? Like the Apostle Paul, do you have an Alexander the coppersmith in your life who is committed to your misery (2 Timothy 4:14)? If you do, maybe you are struggling with what obedience to Christ looks like in the face of such adversity.   Charles H. Spurgeon once gave the following counsel, “Get a friend to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man, what an intolerable nuisance to a fool! “   At first glance this doesn’t sit well.  Spurgeon sounds like a masochist who enjoys arming his enemies in order for them to inflict personal pain. This counsel seems on its head because enemies are those we want removed from our lives.   However, we can mistakenly think that enemies are solely the work of the devil, when in reality they come from God’s gracious hand to show us our sin, teach us humility, and drive us to seek the face of God.  God uses enemies in a “Romans 8:28 fashion” for the purpose of conforming us into the image of the One who has many … [Read more...]

By Mike Edens, Professor of Theology and Islamic Studies at NOBTS   EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second but last of a three-part exploration of events in the Middle East by Mike Edens, professor of theology and Islamic studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and an emeritus missionary who served 25 years in the Middle East with Southern Baptists’ International Mission Board.   NEW ORLEANS (BP) – ”What are the uprisings all about?”   This question regarding the Arab world, posed in a theology class I have been teaching in a Southern Baptist church, is complex enough and entails somewhat of a guess on my part. But we need to start with a different question: What is God up to in the Mideast and North Africa?   We believe that the God of the Bible is the author of all humanity, composed of our families, nations, cultures and history. He currently is bringing all things to the proper conclusion according to His judgment and timing.   God is working in various ways to reveal Himself and His will to all people primarily through His church, the Bible and His presence – the Holy Spirit. Also, He increases in every person a hunger which can only be satisfied by a relationship … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=7467|title=2011 Mid-Year Report of Cooperation|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=458|height=640] … [Read more...]