Dr. Rodrick (Roddy) E. Conerly brings over thirty-five years of ministerial experience to the position of the Director of Missions of the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge. He and his wife Caroline served churches for seventeen years in Louisiana and Mississippi. Dr. Conerly’s ministry experience is enhanced by several years of service in the administrative and academic settings to prepare the next generation of Christian leadership to lead a changing world. Roddy has an understanding of a global society acquired through fifteen years of missionary experience with both the International Mission Board as a missionary to Lima, Peru, and as a missionary of the North American Mission Board on the state convention staff of the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania and South Jersey. Roddy and Caroline are both fluent in Spanish, which brings an added dimension to both their ministries. 

Prior to coming to fill the position of the Director of Missions for the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge, Dr. Conerly served as the Director of the Language Department of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Before that position he served as the Minister of Missions at Istrouma Baptist Church where they have their membership. His various ministry settings have equipped him with a knowledge and understanding of church growth and development and church starting in both rural and urban settings.

Dr. Conerly’s administrative leadership covers a broad range of settings including strategy formulation and implementation, evangelism training and application, personnel assessment and placement, mentoring, team building and peer network building. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor for seminaries in the international and North American settings. 

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Dr. Conerly’s contact information:
Rodrick E. Conerly, D.Min., Ph.D.
The Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge
office:  (225) 296-3493
baptistassociation@bagbr.org
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“MESSAGE TO THE ASSOCIATION”
2008-2009 ANNUAL REPORT
Dr. Rodrick E. Conerly, Executive Director

The task of working toward the vision of the Association becoming A NETWORK OF CHURCHES AND MISSIONS FUNCTIONING AS AGENTS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL FABRIC OF THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH CHRISTIAN REDEMPTION has remained our passion and prayer. Our continuing commitment as local churches should be to maintain a vision for Kingdom growth that is accomplished through the local church. This vision will be accomplished by penetrating the community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through family and community orientation and social involvement that exemplifies the caring and sharing nature of Jesus Christ in order to effect life transformation in individuals, families, and communities. Actions developing from this vision will be relationship based, evangelism centered, service oriented, and training focused.

The past year has been a year of continuing transition as we have settled into the new location at 10560 Airline Highway. The building is utilized by our churches as a place for staff retreats away from the busyness of their offices and for the occasional emergency location for a staff member to complete a task that circumstances (i.e., power outages, machine malfunctions, etc.) at the church do not allow. The counseling provided through the Granberry Counseling Center of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s home has proven to be Granberry’s busiest center. The presence of these counselors, along with Mrs. Donna Blackburn of Refuge Counseling, continues to enhance the image of Baptists across the greater Baton Rouge area as a people who can be turned to for help in a time of need.

CHURCH REVITALIZATION

The need for Church Revitalization continues. As a number of our churches are affected by the transition of neighborhoods, the need for revitalization in a manner that reaches the present population living within the “shadow of the steeple” continues. This effort requires vision, planning, and hard work by all the churches of the Association. In meetings with pastors individually, the initiative of a Church Revitalization Strategy Planning Weekend continues to be offered. The Church Revitalization effort serves as a tool to discover the direction of the Lord for the local church for the next twelve to eighteen months and to plan how to accomplish God’s Preferred Future for the church. This process can be accomplished in a weekend setting or can be adapted for several weekends in a row.

Although the Church Revitalization materials utilized by the Association are adequate to help a church develop a strategy to reach the community surrounding the church, sometimes simply having a conversation about revitalization has produced results. Some churches have confronted the difficult issues of a changing community demographic, both racially and generationally, and an aging church population. Once the particular issue is faced, the church leaders have stepped forward and made difficult choices in order to reach the community surrounding the church.

A major part of this effort will be to establish the Sunday School and Small Groups of the churches as the evangelistic arm of the church. The Association has requested help from the Louisiana Baptist Convention in this effort. In particular, as the staff of the Association receives an invitation to challenge the membership, the reality of the “lostness” of the community as well as the fact that each member knows someone who is lost, is emphasized. Each church member is challenged to take responsibility for actions that will result in the salvation of at least one lost person over the next twelve months.

Like every other organization, the economic downturn of 2009 has affected the finances of the Association. The anticipated shortfall became a reality in June with the budget definitely moving into the “red.” A study of the giving of the churches during other economic downturns showed a small shortfall with each dip in the economic cycle of the nation. Yet, the depth of this shortfall was not anticipated. What was accomplished by the Association in 2005 when the churches increased the overall giving by twenty percent (20%) is in danger. The reason for the increase was to absorb the additional expenses related to the Association assuming the responsibility of the compensation of the Director of Missions. During and since 2005 the monthly expenses of the Association have averaged approximately $50,000. Until the past few months receipts consistently have matched or slightly exceeded this amount since 2005. As of the end of September, the Association is behind by approximately $60,000. This depth of shortfall has never happened before. The reason for the deficit in 2009 is the shortfall of revenue from the churches.

The budget before the Association for approval was developed with the information related to the financial situation at the end of June. At that time the shortfall was approximately $20,000 and a budget for 2009 was developed based on an anticipated $40,000 shortfall for 2010. Because of the generous giving of the churches in the past, sufficient reserve is present to weather the shortfall based on the first six months of giving in 2009; however, the increase of the shortfall to approximately $60,000 during July, August, and September is alarming.

With this in mind and in an effort to stem the financial shortfall, the following cost reduction has been implemented in the 2010 budget:

(1)  One staff position will be eliminated in the budget of 2010. Estimated budget reduction:  $11,303.

(2)  Identified expenses of the Judson Retreat Center within the BAGBR budget will be shifted into the Retreat Center budget in a manner recommended by the Finance Team and approved by the Administrative Council. Estimated budget reduction:  $39,920.

(3)  Historically, once a mission was begun, the Association has supplemented a mission until the mission informed the Association that the funding no longer was needed. As a result, some missions have received supplement for a number of years without a mission development plan. Therefore, in consultation with the leadership of the mission, a supplement reduction that corresponds to the planned development of the mission will be implemented in 2010. Estimated budget reduction:  $27,600.

(4)  In addition, other reductions amounted to $27,950.

In light of the situation, the following two recommendations are presented:

(1)  In an effort to anticipate actual revenues, the churches are requested to inform the Association by the end of 2009 of their 2010 budget allocation for the Association.

(2)  For the purpose of bringing expenditures in line with receipts, the Finance Team be authorized to bring recommendations to the Administrative Council for any further reductions of the budget for 2010.

The generous offerings of some of our churches through the One Dollar per Church Member per Year raised over $1000. These funds will be applied to the Disaster Response efforts of the Association. Some churches have allotted this offering in their annual budgets, while other churches have committed to emphasize the One Dollar per Church Member per Year campaign that runs from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day each year as a time to emphasize the missions and ministry needs across the Association.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to Jan Terral, our Administrative Director, for the tremendous job she has done since the finances moved back “in-house” in 2008.

The Association continues to receive inquiries about membership, as well as inquiries from our churches about the best way to begin new Bible studies and churches in areas where new churches are needed.  

Although a number of our churches have new pastors, current churches seeking a pastor include: Erwinville Baptist, False River Baptist, FBC Baker, FBC Baton Rouge, FBC Donaldsonville, FBC Plaquemine, FBC Port Allen, Fordoche Baptist, Oakcrest, and Vietnamese Hope Baptist. This number is historically high for our Association. Please pray for these churches as they seek God’s new leaders.

UNCHURCHED

The Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge has recognized Ascension and East Baton Rouge Parishes and the parishes that touch the borders of these as our Jerusalem. Within these parishes live a high percentage of un-churched people. We remain sensitive to a God-led strategy to gain their attention so that we can present the Gospel in a manner in which they will respond.

One segment of that un-churched population that demands attention continues to be the high number of people living in multi-housing units across our Association. Discussion continue between the Association and the Louisiana Baptist Convention as to the most effective way to reach this un-churched population.

The ministries of our churches continue to need volunteers. One ministry in particular is undergoing a transition. Due to the closing of the Baton Rouge Seafarer Center at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, the Director of the Gonzales Seafarer Center, Mr. Sylvester Wilson has accepted the position of Director of the Seafarer Ministry for the Association. He has been asked to expand the Seafarer Ministry to include an “on-board” ministry to the seafarer. In addition, he hopes to expand the ministry to include those men and women who work for the port facilities. Due to this anticipated new ministry, volunteers are needed. Please contact our office and ask how you can volunteer to participate in this expanding ministry.

In addition, we anticipate that our workload both in the Missions and Ministries Center, as well as in the field, will continue to grow.  The need for volunteers to serve on specific teams and occasionally to help with some work in and around the office continues to be a reality. Every two or three months we designate a day during the first full week of the month as a “work day” in which we stop the normal activities and do necessary “housekeeping chores.” If you would like to help with some of our “chores,” please let us know.