LBC entities report achievements, plans

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer

ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Messengers to the 2025 Louisiana Bap­tist Convention Annual Meeting, Nov. 11, held in the Randolph Riverfront Center, Alexandria, heard encouraging updates from their four entities.

LBCHFM

Louisiana Baptist Chil­dren’s Home and Family Ministries President and CEO Perry Hancock expressed gratitude to Louisiana Baptists for their support that has im­pacted more than 12,800 children the last two years alone.

He updated messen­gers about the Bridges of Hope residential program (that offers short-term care for foster children transitioning into long-term programs), Wom­en’s Learning Center (that helps women obtain high school equivalen­cy diplomas); Orphans Embrace (reaching Hai­ti through a children’s home in that country); Granberry Counseling Centers; Connect1Child (foster care and adoption ministry); and Home­Place (ministry for home­less women and their children).

Hancock made special mention of the Com­passion Center which opened four months ago. He said it has served more than 11,000 people and distributed 4,000 Gospel tracts, so far. The 16,000-sq.-ft. facility located on the Monroe campus provides food for 1,200 families each month.

“We are just praying that God will take those conversations and lead many people to Christ to be a part of your minis­try and church,” he said. “Thank you, Louisiana Baptists.”

In a special presenta­tion, Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn recognized Han­cock and his wife, Tonya, for their service and pre­sented them with gifts on behalf of Louisiana Baptists. Hancock, who has served as leader of

2003, recently announce plans to retire in Febru­ary 2026. Tonya started the Women’s Learning Center in 2010 and has served as a volunteer as its full-time executive director for 15 years.

“Thank you for a job well done,” Horn said. “Through the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries, they are continuing to fulfill that ministry. And we believe, by God’s grace and God’s provi­dence, that as the search team searches now for that next director that they will continue to fulfill that purpose of providing love, care and hope in Christ to families and children in need.”

LBF

Louisiana Baptist Foundation Executive Director Jared Price explained that the enti­ty helps increase God’s presence and prominence through financial minis­try.

Price reported that $100 million in ministry support overall has been realized since the July 2020 launch of the LBF’s Vision200 (impacting the Kingdom with $200 million through the LBF in 20 or fewer years).

“We don’t want to lose sight of the real big picture,” he said. “Those are real dollars that are going to impact real lives for Christ.”

Through its ChurchBiz services, the entity offers church loans, payroll ser­vices, capital campaigns, accounting services, on­line giving, podcasts, and conferences.

He added that the foundation continues to offer gift planning ser­vices and money manage­ment services.

“May we continue to endeavor together to advance the Kingdom one dollar at a time, one ministry at a time, one life at a time,” he said.

LCU

Louisiana Christian University President Mark Johnson said the school’s path forward will center on three phases — Restore, Rebuild, Re­imagine — each averaging three years in length.

Johnson said one way he has helped make some headway on the three-prong strategy is through the P356 Tour, a planned 100 events during the first 100 days of his pres­idency (giving reports at associational meetings, preaching to various churches, participating in Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce sessions, speaking with over 25 schools, holding numerous alumni con­versations, and making a few State Capitol appear­ances). Johnson ended the tour tallying 115 total events.

He said that the school saw a 5 percent increase in enrollment, focus­ing more on recruiting students within a 50-mile radius of the campus.

Johnson said LCU continues to connect with churches, including contact with all roughly 1,500 Louisiana Baptist churches. Soon, students will take part in a new Great Commission ini­tiative called “SENDLA.” The name is a phonetic play on CENLA, the common shorthand for Central Louisiana.

Through SENDLA, students will live out the Great Commission by engaging in one-day out­reach events — partner­ing with churches, com­munity organizations and businesses to share the Gospel through words and deeds.

“They need the Gos­pel,” he said. “They’re not getting it. People are walking around in Cen­tral Louisiana, and we see the darkness is there. We see the challenges that’re there, and the one place where they should see the life of Christ is in an institution that’s within a doorstep of their homes. We have homes all around us that’re in need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

BAPTIST MESSAGE/PUBLIC POLICY

Baptist Message Execu­tive Editor Will Hall said the publication will go “digital only” in 2027. The move comes after Hall conducted a “Nehemiah Walk” to gauge a plan for moving forward.

Next year, the min­istry will produce one print edition a month while helping readers transition to getting their news on BaptistMessage.com and related social media platforms.

Hall specifically men­tioned a monthly series on the basics of evange­lism that complemented the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s emphasis on a creating a culture of evangelism. He said the news service will follow up in 2026 with a 12-part series on apologetics.

Hall, who also serves as the director of the Convention’s Office of Public Policy, highlight­ed HB371, now Act 358, that ensures that church­es will not face stricter regulations than the least restrictive rules applied to secular businesses. This was in response to red tape that prohibited Ridge Avenue Baptist Church, West Monroe, from opening its chil­dren’s facility to outside groups for a few hours, several days a week.

Hall presented Ridge Avenue Baptist Church Pastor Jim Wolfe with the Shammah’s Courage Award for taking a stand against the bureaucrats who tried to shut down these ministries in his church’s facilities, re­sulting in legislation to protect religious liberties of congregations.

Additionally, he rec­ognized state Rep. Beryl Amedée, who was unable to attend because of a recent health situation with her husband, with the Esther’s Courage Award for championing HB317.