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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

ANALYSIS: It is time to stop digging the GCR hole!

By Ron F. Hale, special to the Baptist Message JACKSON, Tenn. (LBM) -- Will Rogers once quipped, “If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging!” Yet, the Southern Baptist Convention continues to toss spadeful after spadeful. Chuck Kelley is the president emeritus of and the distinguished research professor of evangelism with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. While he was leading the seminary, he was the only SBC entity head who voted against the 2010 initiative called the Great Commission Resurgence. Now retired, he has provided keen analysis in his new book, “The Best Intentions: How a Plan to Revitalize the SBC Accelerated Its Decline,” that shows the Convention’s decline in every vital ministry measurement (membership, worship attendance, baptisms, church planting, and gifts through the Cooperative Program) since that centralization of power at the national level. Responsible leaders in business, military, and church know that one must always “inspect what you expect.” Kelley’s book successfully makes the case that the GCR has not met the expectations sold to Southern Baptists, and even more so, it has led to growing failure. DRAMATIC CHANGES The GCR report focused on … [Read more...]

SBC CP, designated giving up in June

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee released the June 2023 financial summary, July 6, reporting that gifts for the month to SBC causes through the Cooperative Program and via designated giving were up 6.05 percent and 6.45 percent, respectively, compared to June 2022. However, year-to-date figures showed both funding channels remained below 2022 levels. From October 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, total SBC CP contributions were 4.58 percent lower compared to the same timeframe for the last fiscal year. Likewise, combined designated giving was 2.57 percent less for the same months. Breaking out the two largest designated funds, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering continued to be down for the year (- 4.94 percent), while the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering moved into positive territory (+ 3.50 percent) for FY23. LBC Giving The national report showed giving by Louisiana Baptists to SBC causes in June was up 8.67 percent through CP and 10.33 percent for special offerings. Likewise, the year-to-date data revealed that Louisiana Baptist contributions through the CP and to designated offerings trended higher for both funding channels, 3.05 … [Read more...]

SBC amendment on male pastors passes first vote

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – Messengers to the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting voted by a two-thirds majority to adopt an amendment to the SBC Constitution that specifies the role of pastor is limited to a man. Article III, Section 1, currently lists five requirements for congregations to be SBC members. If the proposed amendment receives a second favorable two-thirds vote during the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, a sixth requirement will specify that a church in friendly cooperation with the SBC “affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” The vote resulted from a motion made during the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting by Mike Law, pas[1]tor of Arlington Baptist Church in Virginia. However, Law’s proposal, which was referred to the SBC Executive Committee last year, was amended this year by a motion offered by Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. The change did not alter the intent of the amendment, but states “only men” are qualified to serve as pastors rather than the original wording that “a woman” is disqualified from that role. If amended next year, the SBC … [Read more...]

NOBTS’ Fred Luter Jr. Student Center dedicated

By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS communications NEW ORLEANS (NOBTS communications) – More than 4,000 friends and dignitaries gathered in front of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College June 14 to celebrate the dedication of the Fred Luter Jr. Student Center, and to hear the presentation of a state resolution accompanied by local proclamations honoring “the pastor of New Orleans.” Meanwhile, the air of festivity was enhanced by the smell of New Orleans’ signature char-grilled oysters cooking onsite combined with the sound of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church choir’s singing. DOUBLE HONOR Jamie Dew, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College president, turned to the guest of honor, Fred Luter Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, during the ceremony and asked him to survey the large crowd. “Do you see them?” Dew asked. “Do you see the people you’ve had an impact on? Do you see the people throughout our Convention that you have had an impact on? “You have been faithful. You have been diligent. You have labored hard, and God, through your humble obedience to Jesus Christ, has used you profoundly,” … [Read more...]

Seminaries: Training NextGen to engage culture

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – The presidents of the six Southern Baptist seminaries held a joint report, June 14, and shared how they continue to prepare the next generation to engage the culture for Christ. NOBTS New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Jamie Dew welcomed SBC messengers to the city and told them the city is a great training ground for ministry anywhere in the world. “We have said from day one that we believe if you can do ministry in our city, you can do ministry anywhere because this city brings everything to bear on your formation and on your ministry,” he said. “We have a little bit of everything here. We’ve got Baptists, we’ve got Catholics, we’ve got brokenness, we’ve got opportunity, we’ve got wealth and poverty.” Dew said that theological education matters now perhaps more than ever before as they train the next generation of leaders. “Consider the brokenness and the chaos and the confusion of our cultural moment,” he said. “At every single turn there is a wrong idea, a mistruth at play in the lives of those people that are going in those directions. Which means correcting those lies, those mistruths with the truth of God’s word is … [Read more...]