By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) — In his executive board report, May 5, Louisiana Baptist Executive director Steve Horn highlighted the Convention’s vision statement – seek the lost, strengthen churches and support cooperative missions and ministries.
SEEK THE LOST
Horn said Louisiana Baptists baptized 8,984 new converts in 2025. This marks the fifth consecutive year of an increase in baptisms.
“I want to continue to keep this before us and believe the Lord for at least 10,000 baptisms a year,” Horn said. “This is doable. We can do that, and with the Lord’s help, we will be seeing 10,000 baptisms I pray, even in this current reporting year. One of the things that we have been able to do to, I hope, is foster that kind of culture and foster that kind of environment.”
STRENGTHEN CHURCHES
— Evangelism Strategist Kevin Ulmer has created a class for pastors on Evangelistic preaching;
— Baptist Collegiate Ministry students sowed Gospel seeds through GOLA (Go Louisiana) VBS in Louisiana and Wyoming (GOLA VBS is an LBC BCM emphasis that allows students to serve on teams who share God’s love through what is the largest evangelistic outreach of the year for many congregations); and
— Work continues in the effort to create a church self-insurance organization that is open to churches of all faith traditions.
Horn noted that a bill is moving through the state legislature that would fix three out of four items that are holding up the launch of the program. What is missing is language to remove a “joint and several liability” stipulation that as of now exposes potential members to the deficits or adverse loss experience of other members.
“This framework [ joint and several liability] materially undermines the risk pooling objective and may
deter participation by otherwise suitable entities,” Horn said.
He explained that Sen. Rick Edmonds, a former Louisiana Baptist pastor and current pastor with First Baptist Church, McComb, Miss., and Rep. Gabe Firment, a deacon at First Baptist Church, Pollock,
continue to work on passable amended legislation that would make the program marketable.
“And so please continue to pray,” he said. “The legislative season ends June 1. “It’s pretty critical,” he
said. “To ask our churches continue to wait is going to be difficult. And so please, please pray in
these coming days.”
SUPPORT COOPERATIVE PROGRAM AND MINISTRIES
Horn shared that 28 listening tour sessions related to the Cooperative Program have been attended
by 433 people representing 287 churches, with five more scheduled.
During each stop, Horn and other Louisiana Baptist leaders pose such questions as ‘What can we do better? What are we committed to doing moving forward? What should we be doing that we are not doing? What are we doing that Louisiana Baptists want us to stop doing? Where have we lost trust in this cooperative endeavor to do more together than we can do by ourselves?’
Horn said he learned there is a clear consistency in what Louisiana Baptists are doing well and what they are not doing well, offering that there also is a clear contradiction on one thing with half of the listening
tour crowds in favor of it and half opposed.
“We have to tell our story better,” he said. “We are doing some great things. We are doing some things that our churches really, really value.
“But not everyone knows that we’re doing these things,” he continued. “And so, my promise
to you is that we will tell that story better in the days ahead. We will do that.”
