Associate Director of the Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Health
Office: Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Health Office Phone: (504) 816-8820 E-Mail: bday@nobts.edu
Education
Ph.D., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1999
M.Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1976
M.S., Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1972
B.S., The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 1968
Teaching Experience
Professor of Evangelism and Church Health, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007-Present
Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Health, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2001-2007
Adjunct Professor, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1999-2001
Teaching Specializations
Church Health
Evangelism and Church Growth
Church Revitalization
Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Demographics and Denominational Studies
Case Study Research
Ministry Experience
Served as Pastor or Associate Pastor for over 45 years
Served in churches in Kentucky, Florida, and Louisiana
Publications
Articles/Dissertation
"Recovery after Disaster: Lessons from Katrina for Today, Exchange Blog, Christianity Today. Posted August30, 2016.
"The State of Membership Growth, Sunday School, and Evangelism in the Southern Baptist Convention," The Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry, Vol. 1, no. 2 (Fall, 2003).
"The Relationship of Selected Contextual and Institutional Factors to the Evangelism of Senior Adults in Churches of the Southern Baptist Convention." Ph.D. diss., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1999.
Reviews
Thomas Hohstadt, Dying to Live: The 21st Century Church in Strategies for Today's Leader 39, no. 1 (Spring, 2002).
Joseph Phelps, More Light, Less Heat: How Dialogue Can Transform Christian Conflicts into Growth in Strategies for Today's Leader 38, no. 2 (Second Quarter, 2001), 37.
Presentations
"Some Reasons Why the Southern Baptist Convention Is Declining." A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship Annual Meeting, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, LA, September 28-9, 2017.
"Ten Years after Disaster: Evangelistic Lessons for Churches Recovering from Hurricane Katrina." A Pesentation at the Great Commission Research Network Annual Meeting, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX, October 1-2, 2015.
“Church Growth after Hurricane Katrina - Ten Years Later.” A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship Annual Meeting, Carson Newman University, Jefferson City, TN, September 24-5, 2015.
“A Case Study: The Use of Mosaic Lifestyles in the Revitalization Plan for a Large First Baptist Church ,” A Presentation at a Southern Baptist Data Consortium Meeting, Raleigh, NC, September 16, 2015.
“The Use of Demographics in the Revitalization of SBC Churches,” A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Data Consortium Annual Meeting, Raleigh, NC, April 16, 2015.
“Mosaic Lifestyles, Profiles, & Church Revitalization,” A Presentation to the Members of the Southern Baptist Data Consortium at the SBDC Virtual Annual Meeting, April 9, 2014.
“Church Examples of Different Church Revitalization Models ,” A Presentation to Members of the Association for Doctor of Ministry Education at the ADME Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 3-5, 2014.
“The Relationship of Church Health and Revitalization to Pastoral Tenure and Other Variables,” A Presentation to Members of the Association for Doctor of Ministry Education at the ADME Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 3-5, 2014.
“The New MOSAIC,” A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Data Consortium at the SBDC Annual Meeting, Lifeway, Nashville, Tennessee, April 8-10, 2013.
"The Use of Demographics as an Aid to Church Planting," A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Data Consortium at the SBDC Annual Meeting, Lifeway, Nashville, TN, April 16-18, 2012.
“Preliminary Development of a Video Training Program for Users of ScanUS in Analyzing Church Communities,” Southern Baptist Data Consortium at the SBDC Annual Meeting, Lifeway, Nashville, Tennessee, April 16-18, 2012.
"Baptisms Decline: It's Time THE WALL Came Tumbling Down," an article in the Baptist Message, March 15, 2012.
"The Wall," A Presenation at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship at the SBRF Annual Meeting, Lifeway, Nashville, TN, September 15-16, 2011.
"A Demographic Case Study of a Southern Baptist Megachurch," A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Data Consortium Annual Meeting, Lifeway, Nashville, TN, March 28-30, 2011.
"Church Growth after Katrina," A Presentation at the Great Commission Research Network, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, LA, November 11, 2010.
"Katrina Five Years Later: The Impact on the Congregations in the New Orleans Area," Southern Baptist Research Fellowship at the SBRF Annual Meeting, International Mission Board, Richmond, VA, September 15-17, 2010.
"Southern Baptists: Where We Are and Who We Are/Are Not Reaching," A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship at the SBRF Annual Meeting, International Mission Board, Richmond, VA, September 15-17, 2010.
"Church Growth after the 1871 Great Chicago Fire and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake," A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO, September 18, 2009.
"Healthy, Growing Churches and the Cooperative Program," A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO, September 17, 2009.
"A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Congregations in the Greater New Orleans Area," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Sociological Society in New Orleans, LA, April 3, 2009.
"Evangelism in the Wake of Disaster," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, RI, November 19, 2008.
"Redefining Church Growth in the Southern Baptist Convention," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Louisville, KY, October 19, 2008.
"The Impact of Conflict on the Growth of Selected Southern Baptist Megachurches," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Religious Research Association in Louisville, KY, October 18, 2008.
"A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Churches of New Orleans," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Louisville, KY, October 18, 2008.
"Church Conflict and Growth in the Middle of Nowhere," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Religious Research Association in Louisville, KY, October 17, 2008.
"The Response of Selected Churches in Orleans Parish to Hurricane Katrina," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, New Orleans, LA, October 3, 2008.
"Celebration Church: Evangelism in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, New Orleans, LA, October 3, 3008.
"The Definition of a Healthy, Growing Church in the Southern Baptist Convention Revisited," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, September 25, 2008.
"Hurricane Katrina and the Tale of Three Churches," A Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, Boston, MA, August 1, 2008.
"Celebration Church: Recovery after Katrina," A Presentation of a Case Study at the World Association for Case Study Research, Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland, July29-August 2, 2008.
"The Response of the Church to the Needs of People in Post Katrina New Orleans," A Presentation at the Society for Spirituality, Theology, and Health, Duke University, Durham, NC, June 25, 2008.
"How to Measure a Church's Area of Interest," A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Data Consortium, Nashville, Tennessee, April 20, 2008.
"The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Churches of New Orleans: The Churches that Died," A Presentation at the Southern Sociological Society, Richmond, VA, April 9-12, 2008.
"Hope in the Midst of Disaster: The Response of Southern Baptist Churches to the Disaster Created by Hurricane Katrina," A Presentation to the Southwest Evangelical Theological Society, Houston, TX, March 29, 2008.
"In Obedience to the Commands of Jesus: The Response of Churches, Denominations, and Religious Groups to the Needs of the People in New Orleans, Louisiana after Katrina," A Presentation at the Evangelical Theological Society, San Diego, CA, November 14, 2007.
"Open Worship Centers in New Orleans," The New Orleans Index: Tracking Recovery of New Orleans & the Metro Area, New Orleans, LA: Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (November 13, 2007): 15.
"An Evaluation of the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Viability of the Worship Centers in the Greater New Orleans Area," A Presentation at the Religious Research Association, Tampa, FL, November 3, 2007.
"The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Megachurches of New Orleans," A Presentation at the Religious Research Association, Tampa, FL, November 3, 2007.
"The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Viability of Churches in the Greater New Orleans Area," a Presentation at the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, OH, October 5, 2007.
"A Two Year Analysis of the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Churches in the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans," A Presentation at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX, September 20, 2007.
"Open Worship Centers in New Orleans," The New Orleans Index, second anniversary edition, New Orleans, LA: The bRookings Institution & the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center (August 2007): A5.
"What Has Been Happening in Our Churches after Katrina?" a Presentation at the "Rebuilding Walls" New Orleans Prayer Breakfast organized by Radcorp, New Orleans, LA, August 25, 2007.
"An Updated Study of the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Churches of New Orleans," a report provided to Francis Hawkings, the Church Nurse Program of the McFarland Institute, New Orleans, LA, August 3, 2007.
"The Location of the Operating Churches and Missions in the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans," a report provided to the strategic planning committee of the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans and the GCR Corporation, New Orleans, LA, August 3, 2007.
"An Updated Report on the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Places of Worship in New Orleans," a report and Interview provided to Bruce Nolan for the article "Houses of Worship: Local Congregations Keep the Faith as They Face Common Rebuilding Hurdles," The Times Picayune, New Orleans, LA (July30, 2007): Section A, 1 and 6-8.
“Using ScanUS to Analyze the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Churches of the Greater New Orleans Area,” presentation at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Data Consortium, Hickory, NV, April 18-20, 2007.
“The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Churches in the Greater New Orleans Area,” a presentation at the Social Justice Biennial Conference of the Presbyterian Health, Education, and Welfare Association,, January 14, 2007.
“Reviving ‘No Hope’ Churches,” a presentation at the 2007 Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference, New Orleans, LA, January 23, 2007.
“A Preliminary Study of the Impact of Hurricane Katrina in the Churches of the Greater New Orleans Area,” a presentation made at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Portland, OR, October 20, 2006.
“A Case Study of a Growing, Rural Southern Baptist Church,” a presentation given a the Conference on Church Revitalization,” New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, LA, September 29, 2006 .
“A Preliminary Report on the Number of Churches Operating in the Greater New Orleans Area,” a presentation made at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship, New Orleans, LA, September 21, 2006.
“SPSS - An Aid to Ministry in the Churches of New Orleans,” a presentation given to the staff of the Church Nurse Program of the McFarland Institute, New Orleans, LA, August 18, 2006.
“How the Southern Baptist Convention Can Help the Churches in Louisiana after Katrina Using Ministry Zones,” a presentation prepared for the NAMB State Leadership Meeting, Ridgecrest, NC, July 30-August 3, 2006.
“Case Studies in the Utilization of Demographics to Study Churches in the Southern Baptist Convention” a presentation at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Data Consortium meeting in Hickory, NC, April 26-8, 2006.
“A Preliminary Report on the Number of Churches Operating in the Greater New Orleans Area,” a presentation to the Board of Baptist Community Ministries, New Orleans, LA, April 20, 2006
“A New Definition for Growing, Plateaued, and Declining Churches in the SBC” a presentation made at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Baptist Ministers of Religious Education, Jackson, MS, October 31, 2005.
“Growth of a Southern Baptist Church in a Small Missouri Town” a presentation at the Church Revitalization Conference at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, October 8, 2004.
“Proposed New Definitions for Growing, Plateaued, and Declining Churches in the SBC” a presentation at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship in Atlanta, GA, September 23, 2004.
“The Use of Demographics in Understanding Church Context” a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society for Church Growth in New Orleans, LA, November 7, 2003.
"Important Factors in the Evangelism of Senior Adults," Southern Baptist Research Fellowship Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA), September, 2001.
"Leading Churches in Senior Adults Evangelism," National Senior Adult Evangelism Conference, North American Mission Board (Branson, MO), March, 2001.
Honors
The Ola Farmer Lenaz Lecture, "The Development of a Comprehensive Definition of Church Health," an invited lecture given at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, December 19, 2002.
Researcher of the Year Award, Southern Baptist Research Fellowship, September 2000.
Elected Positions (Selected)
President and Vice President, The Southern Baptist Research Fellowship
President and Vice President, The Southern Baptist Data Consortium
Chairman, Steering Committee, The Southern Baptist Data Consortium, 2006
Moderator, Halifax Baptist Association, 1991-2
President, North Miami-Broward ACTS, Inc., 1984-5
Member, State Board of Missions (Executive Board), Florida Baptist Convention, 1982-5
Member, Board of Trustees, Baptist Hospital, Miami, Florida, 1980-2
