Category Archives: Uncategorized
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.
Church Closings
Met with three churches that are facing the decision to close the doors for good this week. 25 churches per year close in Louisiana. Replant rate is about 7 per year. Some are no longer viable due to location. Most simply wait too long to address key issues related to decline. Replant ready pastors, planters, and partner churches needed.
Looking fwd to the Revive Summit with Richard Blackaby and Mark Clifton and the NAMB Replant Team, September 9-10 in Lafayette. More info and Register: https://louisianabaptists.org/event/revive-summit-lafayette/
Six Years with the Bible Memory App
I’ll celebrate six years of daily engagement with the Bible Memory App this week. This App has been a great spiritual growth companion. Desiring to be more devoted to scripture memory, I downloaded several apps and the Bible Memory App stuck with me. I begin each day and end each day by reviewing 5-7 verses. I also add new verses and review memorized verses from my daily devotional reading each morning. Then, throughout the day, as I have occasion (waiting in line, etc.) I jump on and review a few verses.
In six years, this App has helped me master over 2,000 verses. I’ve also utilized the app to take on the challenge of memorizing large chunks of scripture including the Sermon on the Mount and the book of 1 John and several entire chapters. This habit has also helped me as a witness and a preacher as verses are more readily recalled and I’m always ready when asked to share without a lot of opportunity to prep.
Why invest time in Bible Memory?
- Jesus Did. He quoted scripture in response to temptation and his teachings are full of obvious Old Testament references.
- The Disciples Did. As a matter of fact, part of the duty of a called disciple was to memorize their teacher’s teachings. They did and thus we have the Gospels and the New Testament letters.
- The Bible Tells Us To. We are commanded to meditate and to hide the word in our hearts.
- The Word of God is Power. It never returns void. It has the power to save souls. It’s sharper than any sword. And it will endure for all eternity.
- It’s better than any alternative. What else would you do with that 15-35 minutes per day? Doom scroll on social media? TV? Consider the comparative impact on your soul with any other use of time.
So, if you’re a disciple of Christ, and have not yet developed a rhythm of Bible Memory, try out the Bible Memory App. Here are a few articles I’ve written over the last six years about how and why to get started:
- Cultivating the Habit of Scripture Memory – Link
- Why and How to Memorize Scripture – Link
- Getting Started with the Bible Memory App – Link
This App will not click with everyone. That’s ok. Find another way to develop this soul-sustaining habit of scripture memory. Bible memory is a great adventure that you’ll never regret.
The PRO version of the Bible Memory App is only $9.99. Get 20% or a couple bucks off with this link – PRO.
World War 2 Family Photos
My Grandfather, PT Corley, wasn’t in France on D-Day. He was in Italy, where US Forces had taken control of Rome a couple of days before. Not a lot out there about the war in Italy. I enjoyed Rick Atkinson’s trilogy if you’re interested in the North Africa and Italy campaigns.
- An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa – 1942 to 1943
- The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy – 1943 to 1944
- The Guns at Last Night: The War in Western Europe – 1944 to 1945
The Power of Multiplication – Who’s Your One?
What would be better? To preach to 100,000 people everyday or make 1 disciple who will make another disciple who will make another disciple who will make another disciple?
What if we dropped a “1” in front or a “0” at the end?
“If God be your partner, make your plans large.” – D.L. Moody
One fun exercise to enlarge your plans is to ask, “What would we do if we wanted to drop a 1 in front or a zero on the end?”
A new church has 35 adults attending small groups. “What would we do if we wanted to put a 1 in front of that and make it 135?” or “What would we do if we wanted to drop a zero at the end and make it 350?”
Jesus stretched the disciples’ thinking in this way when 5,000 plus hungry people were gathered listening to His teaching. They pointed out the need for food and Jesus said to the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” They had two fish and five loaves at that point. Jesus basically said, “What if we put a few zeros on the end of that?” or “What if we put a five in front of that?” Jesus blessed what was provided and God gave a great increase.
Big thinking is not something I’m always guilty of. It’s easier to look at the decline around us and downgrade our plans for the church. It’s less emotionally draining to plan small and not be disappointed. But thinking big, and having great faith is a lot more fun. And bears more fruit because of obedience in the end. Think big. Plan big. Expect God to bring the increase.
Send No Man’s Land
No Man’s Land was a strip of ungoverned land between Louisiana and Texas at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Today, it makes up Allen, Beauregard, DeSoto, Calcasieu, Natchitoches, Sabine, and Vernon Parishes. The first Baptist and Evangelical churches in Louisiana were planted in this territory in the early 1800’s. At least 40 by Joseph Willis.
How are we doing at reaching No Man’s Land today?
- 411,316 people live in these parishes today.
- 39% are Evangelicals
- 39% are None’s (164k people)
- 16% are Roman Catholic
- 4% are Mainline
- 1.5% are members of Cults or Other Religions
- At least 255k people in No Man’s Land do not have a personal relationship with Christ.
SBC/LBC Churches:
- 269 SBC/LBC Churches in No Man’s Land. 1 church for approximately every 1,500 residents.
- 5% of the population attended an SBC Church in 2023. (a little over 21k people).
- 12% are resident members of an SBC Church in 2023.
- 104 out of 269 SBC LBC Churches in No Man’s Land baptized zero in 2023.
Happenings:
- Lake Charles will continue to grow with LNG and other industry development
- Beauregard Parish is growing due to environmental migration after Hurricane Laura.
- Fort Johnson in Leesville continues to be a strategic location for military readiness with a base population around 30k.
- Church Planters, Replanters, Partners are needed to reach No Man’s Land.
Pray for these Planters, planting churches in No Man’s Land:
- Jason Nolde, Branded for Christ Cowboy Church in Leesville.
- Anthony Eaves, The Way Church in Rosepine.
- Bubba Sharpton, First North Church in DeRidder.
The 7 Realities of Experiencing God
Woke up to the news that Henry Blackaby passed away. What an incredible influence he had on a generation. His 7 Realities are so simple and profound. Worth review on this day and every day.
- God is always at work around you.
- God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
- God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
- God speaks by the Holy Spiritthrough the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church.
- God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
- You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
- You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.
Lane Corley 