Useful Things This Week
- Mind Pumps MAPS Programs – I’ve been running MAPS Workout Programs for almost a year now. Decided to try weightlifting after giving up running due to arthritis in my feet. I’ve completed MAPS 15, MAPS Anabolic, MAPS Performance, MAPS Aesthetic, and now working through MAPS Strong. Mostly 12-week programs that change it up enough to keep it interesting. And programmed well, so there is very little soreness or joint pain. Feeling stronger.
- Bible Memory App – 2,037 straight days of using the Bible Memory App. I picked it up years ago to reboot scripture memory as a habit and it has been a great tool and companion. I now have over 2,000 verses mastered in the app. I review those scheduled for review every morning and evening. And I review those I read during my regular Bible Reading time every morning. Memorizing the word aids in witnessing, preaching, and meditating. I’ve written about how to get started with the Bible Memory App HERE. And about why and how of Scripture Memory HERE. Get a discount off the Pro Version HERE.
- Masters of the Air – Loving Spielberg’s latest WW2 series about the B-17 Bombers in Europe. New episodes every Friday.
- The Importance of Children’s and Student Ministry: 72% of Evangelicals came to faith before adulthood. We must prioritize Kids and Student Ministry. It’s not just a way to get more people in church. It’s THE way to reach the nation.
- NewChurches.com Preaching Masterclass – Starting the masterclass with our church’s Preaching Collaborative. Short vids with discussion guides. Looking forward to getting sharper in this area of my life and ministry.
What are you finding useful in life and ministry right now?
Reaching Rural Louisiana
This week we hosted Kyle Bueermann from NAMB’s Rural Replanting Team. Some great resources are available through this team. Check out: https://replanthub.com/ (register for free and gain access to an incredible library of resources). Also: https://www.namb.net/church-replanting.
The Rural Pastor Podcast with Andy Addis is really good –https://theruralpastor.com/. (Look it up wherever you get podcasts).
Rural Louisiana:
- 40 of Louisiana’s 64 Parishes are considered Rural by the Dept. of Health.
- 29% of Louisiana’s Population live in these 40 Parishes.
- 52% of our Louisiana Baptist Churches are in these 40 Parishes.
- We have 12 towns in these parishes with no SBC church.
- New churches are definitely needed in at least 3 of these parishes.
- Replanting is needed in most of them.
There are significant transitions and struggles happening for many of these churches.
- Declining Populations (45 of 64 parishes lost population over the last 10 years).
- The need for Bivocational Pastors with fewer jobs available in these areas.
- AND some are growing and stand to grow through Urban and Suburban spread, changing the culture in the area, which churches have to transition to as well.
Lots of great opportunities for meaningful ministry in Rural Louisiana. Partners, Planters, Replanters, Pastors needed.
Report: Baptisms Rebound in Louisiana
Last week Lifeway Research released a report on Baptisms and other stats across the Southern Baptist Convention. Find it HERE. How does Louisiana’s data fit into that picture?
Louisiana Baptist churches reported 8,120 baptisms in 2022. That’s a 21% increase from 2021 to 2022. And a 44% increase from 2020 to 2022. Up from 5,637. Still a long way from a high of 16,187 in 1994. A steep drop started in 2016, the last year above 10,000 baptisms in our reported history.
38% of Louisiana Baptist churches that reported in 2022 had zero baptisms. 35% baptized 1-5 people, while 10% saw six to nine baptisms. 16% reported at least 10 baptisms.
Newer churches are not as evangelistic as they once were. This is something I’ve written about before HERE. Church’s founded before 2000, averaged 7.5 baptisms per church. Those founded between 1950 and 1999, baptized 8.3 per church. Those founded from 1900 to 1949 baptized 9.2 per church. And those founded pre-1900 averaged 5.3 baptisms per church.
If you’re concerned, you can do something about low baptism numbers today! SHARE THE GOSPEL. Here is three questions and a to do list for increasing baptisms in short order:
Question: Do we have a list of potential candidates?
1. Look over our church directory and circle the names of people that I know have not been baptized or that I’m not sure have been baptized.
2. Make appointments with at least one of these each day, until everyone circled has been challenged to consider where they are in their journey toward Christ.
3. Plan a sermon on Baptism where everyone will be challenged to follow and obey Christ with the opportunity to respond.
Question: Are we making Evangelistic Contacts?
4. Pray for open doors to share the gospel.
5. Plan a time today and at least three times each week, to intentionally interact with people that are far from God.
6. Put at least three outreach events on the calendar between now and the end of the year that are sure to engage people who are far from God. Get names, pray, follow up.
Question: Are we developing an Evangelistic Culture in our Church?
7. Plan at least one evangelism training for the entire church between now and the end of the year.
8. Put on the calendar at least one monthly special prayer time for lost and unchurched people in our community.
9. Challenge our church leaders by email and in person to right down the names of five people that they know who need Christ. If they don’t know five people, challenge them to get to know five people who need Christ.
Goal-Setting in Priority Areas
Seven priority ares for goal setting in the new year:
- Devo/Prayer – Daily prayer and Bible engagement.
- Share the Gospel – Initiating and engaging in spiritual conversations that lead to sharing all or part of the gospel.
- Encourage Others – Giving others courage through words and actions.
- Strengthen the Church – Using my gifts, time, and resources to build up the people of God wherever they are gathered.
- Fight for Focus – Pursue healthy bodily habits to bring the most glory to God for the longest time possible.
- Build Lifelong Love – Be a faithful husband, father, friend.
- Give God the Glory – Recognizing that everything comes from God and is meant for his glory.
Bible Reading Plans for the New Year
Time to plan for Devotional greatness in the New Year! Following a Bible Reading plan is a challenge for many people. Like many other areas of life, we are good at starting but struggle to finish our best-made devotional plans. It’s worth the struggle! God’s Word breathes life into my weary soul; it provides wisdom and direction, answers life’s deepest questions, and pierces the hearts of those I’m hoping to influence in a new direction. So, I hope you think about a Bible Reading goal for the New Year. Here are a few that I’ve greatly benefited from that might be a fit for you:
- The One Year Bible Reading Plan is a Whole Bible in 365 Days Plan. It is a great challenge to read the Bible all the way through in a year. It can be done in about 15 minutes per day. I’ve utilized the One Year Bible Reading Plan for years. Daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. And you actually go through Psalms twice. Breaking up the reading like this assures there’s always some meat and milk, even when reading through difficult books in the Old Testament. I’ll be following this plan again next year. Friend me on the Bible App, and let’s do it together. PDF Version Here.
- The Disciple Journal Bible Reading Plan from NAV Press – If you’d like to tackle the whole Bible but are unsure if you can do it daily. I understand. No commandment says, “Read the Bible every day or else.” This is a get-to, not a have-to kind of thing, with more benefits the more you read. But anyway, the DJ Bible Reading Plan is a 25-Day per month Plan. So you have 5 catch-up days every month, 60 for the year. I’ve followed this plan several times. If you can stick with daily or almost daily, you’ll finish before the end of the year and can do something different during the holidays. Get a PDF Version Here.
- The F260 Plan – Replicate Ministries has a great plan that covers its picks for the most important major themes in the Bible. It’s a 260-day plan, so 105 days to catch up. There’s also a suggested Scripture Memory Plan provided by Replicate. I’ve put them in the Bible Memory App HERE. Solid plan. I followed it a few years ago and greatly enjoyed it.
There are three of my favorite plans. What’s your plan for the New Year? What plans would you recommend to others?
Pray for Planters
The 2024 North American Mission Board (NAMB) Prayer Calendars are out. Pray for a church planter, chaplain, or missionary each week, like New Orleans Church Planter Isaac Woodward and The Church at Michoud. Order your free calendar here: LINK.
Ten Fastest Growing Parishes in Louisiana
45 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes experienced a decline in population in the last 10 years. However, places are still increasing in population. All of these places need churches to be planted and/or replanted.
10. Lafayette Parish – 11.84% Growth – north of Lafayette along I-49 would be a great place for several new churches.
9. Tangipahoa Parish – 12.95% Growth – The east side of Ponchatoula and Hammond are experiencing a residential building boom, with lots of young families moving in. Come plant on the I-12!
8. Bossier Parish – 13.08% Growth – great opportunities for replanting are opening up all around NW Louisiana.
7. Livingston Parish – 14.48% Growth – 80% of the parish flooded in 2016 and the growth never slowed.
6. Orleans Parish – 15.19% Growth – continuing the Katrina comeback. Great opportunities all around the Crescent City.
5. Calcasieu Parish – 16.2% Growth – replanting potential in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. LNG will make this area fast-growing for years to come.
4. St. Tammany Parish – 17.15% Growth – my neighborhood needs a new church. Come plant with us on the I-12!
3. West Baton Rouge Parish – 18.64% Growth – farmland is becoming fertile ground for planting churches.
2. Ascension Parish – 23.38% Growth – This parish is south of Baton Rouge on I-10. Residential growth is fueled by industrial plant growth.
1. St. Bernard Parish – 28.49% Growth – continuing the Katrina comeback.
Ten Great Parishes to Plant or Replant a Church in 2024.
- Get started on your planting or replanting journey with Send Network here: https://www.namb.net/send-network/get-involved
- Contribute to Church Planting and Replanting Efforts across Louisiana through the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering here: https://georgiabarnette.org/give/
- Contribute to Church Planting and Replanting Efforts in Louisiana and across the United States and Canada through the Annie Armstrong National Missions Offering here: https://www.anniearmstrong.com/checkout/
On Mission Living Produces Thanksgiving
Generosity and on mission living comes with a promise: It will “produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11 ESV). Or as another translation says, “Then many people will thank God…” (2 Corinthians 9:11 CEV), as a response to the generous, on mission Christian.
- Who is giving thanks today, because of you and your investment in God’s kingdom?
- Has your life on mission & in obedience to God produced thanksgiving in others?
- Is the community giving thanks for your church because of the on mission members scattering for their good?
A goal for next year: Produce Thanksgiving to God in others by following Jesus into life ON MISSION.
Thanksgiving Journaling or Around-the-Table Exercise
Three ways to reflect on life at Thanksgiving:
- Responsive Thanksgiving – responding to who God is and what he has done for us. If God never gave us another thing, we still have much to be thankful for. Because he is good, faithful, righteous, and he provides, he saves, he’s powerful, etc., etc., etc.
- Aspirational Thanksgiving- responding to what we expect from God in the future or what we’re excited about. example: respond to God’s promise like Philippians 1:6 – “he who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.” Father, I can expect to grow this year. Teach me and guide me to maturity.
- Sacrificial Thanksgiving – thanking God for the hard things we’ve been through. “Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving” Psalm 50:14. This takes a lot of maturity, to reflect on the sacrificial/difficult/costly parts of life and thanking God anyway or mining the lessons learned and thanking God for them. It also could be a difficult investment you’ve made in a mission or person that has or has not born fruit yet.
So,
- How has the Lord been good to you this year? What attribute of his are you most thankful for?
- What are you most looking forward to in your relationships with God and his mission in the future?
- What has been costly experiences and lessons and relationships that you’ve taken this year that are hard to say thank you for?
Lane Corley 