The Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC) is an association of Baptist churches in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. Affiliated with the
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
, the Convention is composed of approximately 1,595 member congregations representing 620,000 members.
History
The Convention was founded in 1848 at
Rehoboth Baptist Church in
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon ( ar, جَبَل لُبْنَان, ''jabal lubnān'', ; syr, ܛܘܪ ܠܒ݂ܢܢ, ', , ''ṭūr lewnōn'' french: Mont Liban) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It averages above in elevation, with its peak at .
Geography
The Mount Le ...
in
Bienville Parish
Bienville Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de Bienville, ) is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,981. The parish seat is Arcadia.
The highest natural point ...
in north Louisiana through the work of James Scarborough. It had an initial membership of 88 churches and 3,650 members.
Its early presidents included
Edwin O. Ware, Sr., the principal founder of
Louisiana College
Louisiana Christian University (LCU) is a private Baptist university in Pineville, Louisiana. It enrolls 1,100 to 1,200 students. It is affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention).
Louisiana Christ ...
, the Baptist-affiliated undergraduate institution of higher learning in
Pineville.
Claybrook Cottingham, the president of Louisiana College from 1910–1941, was the LBC president from 1914–1916. More recent convention presidents include
J. D. Grey of the First Baptist Church of
and
Fred L. Lowery
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico R ...
, the retired pastor of the First Baptist Church of
Bossier City
Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...
, a televangelist, and Christian author.
Edgar Godbold
Edgar S. Godbold (December 2, 1879 – November 21, 1952) was the fourth president of Southern Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, a position which he held from 1942 until his retirement in 1951.
Background
A nati ...
was from 1919 to 1923 the corresponding secretary of the LBC executive board. From 1942 to 1951, he was the president of Louisiana College and from 1950 to 1951 the LBC state president.
An earlier Louisiana College president,
W. C. Friley
William Christopher Friley, known as W. C. Friley (July 12, 1845 – April 11, 1911), was a Southern Baptist clergyman and college president. He was from 1892 to 1894 the first president of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, Abilene ...
, was a corresponding secretary for the LBC in the 1880s.
Today
The convention headquarters is on MacArthur Drive in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, the seat of
Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish () (french: Paroisse des Rapides) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,613. The parish seat is Alexandria, which developed along the Red River of the South. ''Rapides ...
and the largest city in
Central Louisiana
Central Louisiana (Cenla), also known as the Crossroads, is a region of the U.S. state of Louisiana.
The largest communities in the region as of the 2010 Census were Alexandria (47,893), Natchitoches (18,323) and Pineville (14,555).
Central ...
. The convention meets each November for its annual meeting. David Hankins, the Executive Director for 14 years will retire on June 30, 2019. The Reverend Steve Horn, previously pastor of the First Baptist Church of
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757 ...
, has been selected to be the next Executive Director beginning July 1, 2019. The convention equips churches, encourages pastors, and assists in evangelistic efforts throughout the state.
References
Louisiana Baptist Convention History Page
External links
Louisiana Baptist Convention Official Website
Baptist denominations established in the 19th century
Conventions associated with the Southern Baptist Convention
Religious organizations established in 1849
Baptist Christianity in Louisiana
1849 establishments in Louisiana
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
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