Fall 2027 Assessment Retreat
Our Fall Church Planter Assessment Retreat in Baton Rouge is a wrap. Incredible group of planters, replanters, and Sending Churches. Next one is April 15-16, 2027. 12 spots up for grabs. There are 60 or so other retreats around the country with Send Network. Start your church planting or replanting journey here: https://www.sendnetwork.com/plant/.
Daily Walk: Jesus’ Compassion, Our Mission
Matthew 9:27-38, Mark 6:1-13, Matthew 13:53-58, Matthew 10, Luke 9:1-6
>> Jesus sees people with compassion, calls us to pray, and sends us to proclaim the kingdom.
>> See as Jesus sees – Do I see people as Jesus sees them? Like sheep without a shephered? or as interruptions? lost causes? or potential problems?
>> Pray for laborers and be willing to become the answer to our own prayers and the prayers of others. Jesus tells them to pray for laborers and then sends them out as laborers. And they went.
>> Proclaim the Kingdom – the mission is not do good things, but to proclaim good news.
>> See + Pray + Go + Proclaim + Serve. See the crowds, pray for laborers, go where Jesus sends, proclaim the good news of the kingdom, serve with wisdom and generosity.
What now?
- See one person today through the eyes of Jesus
- Pray specifically for more laborers.
- Share the good news of the kingdom intentinonally with at least one person.
Multisite in Louisiana Baptist life
New Research is coming out on Multisite Churches. Here are a few stats on Multisite among Louisiana Baptists:
- How many? 18 Louisiana Baptist churches have tried multisite, and 14 are still multisite today. So it’s still rare in Louisiana, but most churches that try it keep it going.
- Where? Mostly north and central Louisiana. 4 in NE Louisiana. 4 in CenLA. 2 in NW Louisiana, 2 in SE Louisiana, 2 in SW Louisiana.
- Share of churches? The 14 current multisite churches are about 1% of the 1,205 Louisiana churches that filed a 2025 report. They account for 34 sites total, or about 2.8% of those churches.
- Attendance and baptisms: these 14 churches report 21,241 in weekly worship, which is 15.5% of Louisiana’s 137,090. They also report 1,838 baptisms, which is 20.5% of the state’s 8,985.
- Largest and smallest: the largest averages 6,231 in weekly worship (all campuses combined) and the smallest averages 211. So multisite isn’t only for megachurches.
- By size: 8 of the 14 churches have over 1,000 in weekly worship, 2 have 500-999 and 4 have under 500.
- Growth: since 2019, attendance at the 12 churches with comparable data is down 2.8%, compared with 4.7% statewide. So multisite churches have held up somewhat better than the state, but it isn’t a guarantee of growth.
- Success Rate? 21 of 29 campuses launched (72%) are still open or became independent churches. 8 (28%) closed. So success rate is 72%.
- Churches that stopped: 4 of the 18 churches that tried multisite (22%) closed their campuses and went back to a single site.
- Mergers: 12 of the 29 campuses (41%) began as a merger with a struggling or closed church.
- Funding: 9 of the 18 churches (50%) received LBC/NAMB church planting and replanting funding, covering 14 of the 29 campuses (48%).
Drafted with AI assistance.
Dennis Watson, Pastor of Celebration Church in New Orleans, which has 8 campuses and always planning more gave six benefits of a Multisite Campus Strategy at a Multisite Roundtable event held in 2018. He said, Multi-site enables your church to:
- Grow larger and smaller at the same time.
- Overcome geographic and cultural barriers to reach new people.
- Address more community needs and provide more community support.
- Involve more people in growth and outreach opportunities.
- Staff with generalists and specialists, so that both groups can be utilized.
- Provide a new church vibe with a big church punch.
How can our church know if multisite is in our future:
- Do you have a vision for church revitalization that may include merging with a declining congregation?
- Are you running out of space, but do not feel led to build bigger?
- Has your church been in decline and could possibly be a candidate for merging with a sister congregation?
Let us know if we can help you discern a call to multiplication through campus development, church planting, or replanting.
Church Closures Since 2020
Somebody recently asked me about Church Closures since 2020 and the aftermath of Covid Lockdowns, Hurricane Laura, and Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. I was curious and did a little digging and found there has been a tremendous impact.
433 SBC churches in Louisiana have been marked closed 2001–2025 (336 with closure dates; 97 with no date recorded)
Closure rates accelerated sharply since 2020:
- 2002–2019: 156 closures, averaging 8.7 per year
- 2020–2025: 179 closures, averaging 30 per year
- Peak year was 2021 with 57 closures. 33 in 2020. 29 in 2022. 109 total 2020-2022.
Mergers have been a factor.
- 34 organizations closed via merger: 28 into another SBC congregation, 6 into a non-SBC body.
- Mergers represent 8% of all closures.
Geography:
- 74% of closures were in Metro areas, 23% non-metro, 3% city not listed.
- Top Cities: New Orleans 54 · Baton Rouge 26 · Shreveport 18 · Metairie 12 · Bossier City 11 · Hammond 9 · Lafayette, Pineville, Slidell, Lake Charles, Denham Springs, West Monroe, Bastrop, Monroe 8 each · Kenner, Minden, Gonzales, Alexandria 5 each. The remaining 240 closures are spread across 143 additional communities, most with one or two.
Why Churches Close?
A lot could be said about this, but in brief, thinking about the significant increase in closures in Louisiana:
- 2020 Disruptions. The disruption from 2020 in Louisiana with Covid lockdowns and Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta, led many churches and missions that were struggling to stay alive to call it quits. Hurricanes mean significant numbers of people are displaced, some for extended periods, and significant numbers choose permanent relocation in the aftermath. Laura was definitely one of those kinds of storms for Louisiana.
- Urban Decline. New Orleans has never fully recovered its pre-Katrina population. Other Louisiana large cities struggle with crime, declining infrastructure, and population loss. When these happen, churches struggle as well.
- Pastor Shortage. Louisiana Baptist maintain a list of 200+ churches that are without a pastor at any given time. If the church has had a long season of decline and has few young families, they are likely to choose closure given the realities of the situation. Inability to find a pastor or pay a pastor a living wage is a real struggle for 100’s of congregations in Louisiana.
- Lack of Evangelism. The engine of growth in the New Testament Church is the proclamation of the message about Christ, backed by the power of the Holy Spirit. It always has been this and always will be, this side of eternity. Today, most churches lack an evangelism strategy. We’ve stopped engaging our community. We don’t have clear discipleship pathways for newcomers. We lack the systems to grow the church. And just like the human body, when systems begin to fail, death is close behind.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The Gospel can overcome the struggles caused by cultural change, leadership capacity, and lack of evangelism. We can be a solution to decline in our communities through the power of Christ. We can raise up the next generation of leaders from within, instead of looking for them in other places. We can put back on the shoes of gospel readiness and share the life changing, community shaking message that is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).
Planters and Partners Needed in Baton Rouge
SN Louisiana Summer Roundtable in Baton Rouge today:
- 681,671 peope in the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge (East BR, West BR, Iberville, Ascension, Point Coupee Parishes).
- 83 SBC churches, 1 church for every 8,213 residents. To get to our state ratio of 1 to 3,000, 144 new churches would be needed.
- 1.1% of the population attends Bible Study in a SBC church in Baton Rouge, a 2% decline over the last 10 years. To increase Bible Study participation by 1%, 6,817 worshippers would need to be added.
- 1.7% of the population attends Worship in a SBC church in Baton Rouge, a 7% decline over the last 10 years. To increase Worship Attendance by 1%, 6,817 worshippers would need to be added.
- Adherents: 25% Evangelical Protestant (10.5% of those are SBC), 4.5% Black Protestant, 4.4% Mainline Protestant, 20% Roman Catholic, 2.7% Cults and Other Religions, 43.3% Non Affiliated with Any Religion (None).
- Racial Demographics: 47% Anglo, 41% African-American, 6.5% Hispanic, 2.4% Asian, 3.2% Other.
- 68% of SBC churches in Baton Rouge have experienced decline since 2000.
- Significant towns with no SBC Church: Donaldsonville – 6,831 people. St. Gabriel – 6,857 people.
Planters and Partners are needed in Baton Rouge. Get started today: https://www.sendnetworklouisiana.com/get-involved
Pray for these current Send Network plants in Baton Rouge:
- David Brown at First Unity in north Baton Rouge. REPLANT. Sending Church is First Community Antioch.
- Casey Williamson at Goodwood Community Church. REPLANT. Sending Church is Christ Covenant, Baton Rouge.
- Sheldon Early at Life Changers Church Zachary. Sending Church is Lakeshore NOLA.
- Luis Zapata, Iglesia Confraternidad, Prairieville. Sending Church is Fellowship Church, Prairieville.
- Jarrett Wells at Lake Church, Prairieville. REPLANT. Sending Church is Fellowship Church, Prairieville.
Upcoming works:
- Haewon Lee, planting a new Korean Church starting in July. Asian population growth is expected across Baton Rouge.
Devo: Multiplying Leaders Like Elijah
Elijah passed the mantle of leadership to Elishah in 2 Kings 1-4, giving us a great pathway to becoming a multiplying leader.
1. Live a life worth following. Elisha saw Elijah’s walk and wanted to be like him. Our greatest leadership tool is our example. What do people see in me? Is it worth imitating? Will my walk lead others to greater leadership and Christ likeness?
2. Invite people to walk with you. Multiplication happens through proximity, not programs. Elijah invited Elisha into his world and walked with him, before passing on the mantle. So many leaders go it alone and where their place ahead of the pack without others as a badge of honor. Multiplication happens when we refuse to go it alone but invite others to go with us. Who am I inviting into my leadership journey?
3. Look for people who keep showing up. Elijah told him to stay behind three times but Elishah refused. We’re often looking for the perfect person who refuses to follow instead of those showing up all the time. Who refuses to be discouraged from following? Who shows up when no one else will.
4. Don’t just delegate tasks, share authority. Elijah invited him into the miracles, the faith journey, the real ministry. He didn’t treat him just as a servant, he shared his authority. Am I allowing others to have authority around me? Or am I holding it all myself?
5. Pray and expect that those you lead surpass you. Elishah continued the ministry of Elijah and in many ways surapssed him in prophetic impact. That should be the goal. Celebrate the successes of those we lead and long for them to surpass us too.
Reminder: It’s not – how many people are following me? but how many leaders am I developing? How many of those around me are becoming disciple makers?
Lord, help us to multiply leaders.
Thanksgiving Memory Verses
This verse is repeated six times in the Old Testament and is excellent to memorize and meditate on during November.
1 Chronicles 16:34 – “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, his faithful love endures forever.”
(Also found at Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; 118:29; 136:1).
So you can memorize one and say you memorized six! Lol!
Thanksgiving Memory Verses
Join me in memorizing 35 Thanksgiving verses on the Bible Memory App this month: LINK.
I’ve used the Bible Memory App daily for over seven years now. It’s been a great devotional tool. It helps me hide the word in my heart. And it’s only 100% better than scrolling Facebook/Twitter/Snapchat/TikTok, or whatever. Start a new habit with the Bible Memory App.
Crawfish and Spiritual Life
Crawfish season in Louisiana brings joy, celebration, and community. But did you know that crawfish also offer us a powerful picture of spiritual life? In the Bible, crawfish (and other shellfish) were forbidden for the people of Israel under ceremonial law (Leviticus 11:12; Deuteronomy 14:9-10). While strange to modern ears, these dietary rules served as symbolic boundaries that set God’s people apart.
But thankfully, the story doesn’t end there.
From Forbidden to Free
Hebrews 10:1 explains that ceremonial laws were “a shadow of the good things to come.” In Acts 10:15, Peter receives a vision in which God declares, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are no longer bound to food laws and regulations. We are invited into a new kind of holiness, not based on what we eat but on our relationship with God through faith in Jesus.
So yes—praise God—you can enjoy that crawfish boil with gratitude and freedom! But here’s where it gets personal…
Crawfishing as a Metaphor
Crawfish don’t just taste great—they walk backward when threatened. Sadly, many people do the same thing spiritually. When confronted with hardship, responsibility, or change, we tend to crawfish—retreating, avoiding, and disengaging.
Here are a few ways this shows up in life:
- Avoiding spiritual conversations out of fear or comfort.
- Withdrawing from community when accountability challenges your choices.
- Returning to old habits rather than walking in newness of life.
- Living a roller-coaster faith, based on emotions or circumstances.
This is the story of Peter after Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. He denied even knowing Jesus (Luke 22:54-62). Then, disoriented and ashamed, he told the others, “I’m going fishing” (John 21:3)—essentially saying, “I’m done.”
A God Who Restores
But the story doesn’t end with Peter’s failure. In Mark 16:7, the angel at the tomb gives this powerful instruction: “Go tell the disciples—and Peter…” Even in his shame, Peter was not forgotten.
In John 21, Jesus finds Peter and gently restores him:
“Do you love me? Feed my sheep.”
Peter isn’t sent back to the fishing boat—he’s called forward into leadership, purpose, and grace.
Jesus doesn’t shame backsliders—He restores them. If you’ve crawfished spiritually, God is not finished with you. There is mercy, forgiveness, and a new mission waiting.
When Do We Backslide?
We tend to crawfish when:
- Our faith is tested (Mark 14:27)
- Life’s worries cloud our priorities
- Fear of people outweighs fear of God
- Sin overtakes us and we stop fighting (Galatians 6:1)
But God’s invitation is clear:
“The one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 24:13
“We are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” – Hebrews 10:39
Moving Forward
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. If you’ve crawfished—He’s calling you back.
You’re not alone. You’re not too far gone.
There’s a seat at the table—and maybe even a sack of crawfish waiting—as a symbol of the joy and freedom we’ve been given in Christ.
15 Skills of Effective Disciple Makers
Disciple-making is an art that requires specific skills. Skills modeled and taught by Jesus. And it’s a lost art. Only 10% of Christians seek to be active witnesses and disciple-makers in their sphere of influence. Are we giving them the skills they need?
Here are 15 skills that we’ve identified and are seeking to pass on to our church through our Equip Luncheons in 2025:
Being a Disciple
- Abiding in Christ – Identifying with Christ through faith and baptism. Then, developing a daily relationship with Christ through prayer, his word, and walking in the Holy Spirit.
- Knowing the Word -The Word of God is our master tool for disciple-making. Developing a knowledge of the word of God is an essential skill for disciple-makers.
- Listening to God – God is working to reconcile people to himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). He will direct the willing and ready heart to join him in his work. Through our abiding relationship with him, he will guide us to the people and opportunities for fruitfulness in disciple-making.
Building Relationships
- Love and Compassion for the Lost – Effective disciple-makers know what’s at stake for those who don’t know Christ. We are compelled by His love (2 Corinthians 5:15) to do all that we can to share the gospel and get other people on this disciple-making mission.
- Listening to Others – Being heard and loved are two sides of the same coin today. Knowing the broken beliefs of others so that we can share the hope of the gospel with them is essential to evangelism today. The challenge here is making time in disciple-making to listen to others. Jesus spent three years of daily life with his disciples.
- Building Trust – Disciple-making is relational. Being trustworthy as a friend lays the foundation for someone to consider your message and want to follow in your footsteps, which is the goal of disciple-making. Mark 3:13-15; 1 Corinthians 11:1
- Hospitality—Being welcoming, likable, and someone that others want to be around is a great skill to have if you desire to influence others. Jesus welcomed all kinds of people. You get the idea that they liked being around him, and he also enjoyed being around them. We must break relationships at some point, but we should lead with hospitality.
- Consistent Intercession – Knowing people, loving them, listening to them, building trust with them, welcoming them, and then diligently praying for their salvation and spiritual development. As Epaphras wrestled in prayer for his disciples in Colossae, Hierarpolis, and Laodicea (Colossians 4:12-13), we must develop rhythms of intercession for those we want to lead to faith and disciple-making.
Personal Evangelism – Multiplying Gospel Conversations
- Turning a Conversation toward Spiritual Things – This may be one of the most difficult things to do. Learning a few Evangelism Scripts and developing your personal rhythm of doing this is essential. Check out the 3 Circles Evangelism tool and the book Turning Everyday Conversations into a Gospel Conversations.
- Sharing the Gospel with Clarity – Being clear on the gospel and how to present it clearly to people at different points of need. Tons of books on this. Check out Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan.
- Leading people to a response – It takes boldness to persuade people to respond to the Gospel. But persuasion was part of gospel presentations in the book of Acts and it should be for us. Pray for boldness. Develop a persuasive call to respond to the people you are witnessing to. The above books can help with that too.
Disciple-Making
- Teaching the Bible – Helping a new or growing disciple start the journey of a lifetime by teaching them how to abide in Christ and become disciple-makers.
- Patience and Perseverance—This road will have many ups and downs. People will reject you, fall away, and hurt you. Jesus taught in the parable of the sower that only one out of four would be fruitful. Patience with people and perseverance through the ups and downs are essential to the journey of disciple-making.
- Worship and Gratitude – All the glory for this work goes to God. Worship and gratitude keeps our eyes on him and off the difficulties and off of ourselves.
- Reproducing Yourself – The ultimate goal is the one we disciple, discipling someone else. Being able to lead them in such a way that they don’t develop dependence on us or on the church, but are able to lead their sphere of influence to Christ and disciple them. 2 Timothy 2:2 – “what you’ve heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
What other skills would you add to this list?
Here’s a quick course on getting started with disciple-making – LINK.
The Ministry of Holding One’s Tongue
“The ministry of holding one’s tongue…. to speak about a brother is forbidden, even under the cloak of help and goodwill; for it is precisely in this guise that the spirit of hatred among brothers creeps in…”
… Dietrich Bonhoeffer #devo
