Longview Baptist Temple

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Longview Baptist Temple, often abbreviated LBT, is an Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) mega church located in Longview, Texas. Formed in 1960, it has been at its present location since 1971, and boasts a membership of over 20,000 with between 2500 to 2800 in attendance on average Sundays. The church has 42 buses which bring about 1000 children and 200 adults to Sunday services. According to one report, the attendance is split between "three children's churches, one junior church and one teen church, as well as the regular adult service".

As Of March 1, 2009, the Longview Baptist Temple is currently headed by senior pastor Dr. Bob Gray II. The church refers to itself as a "fundamental, independent, soul winning, separated, Bible-preaching (KJV Only) church" and is notable for its family outreach programs and fundamentalist teachings. The Longview Baptist Temple expanded its ministries in 1982 by establishing Texas Baptist College, a four-year unaccredited Christian college, as well as LBT Schools, which provides elementary through high school education. In January 1998, the church began a publication called "The Baptist Magazine" which is printed bi-monthly and sent to subscribers throughout the United States.

Ministries

In addition to English and Spanish services, as well as the Texas Baptist College, the church has a ministry for deaf members. Jail and nursing home ministries, as well as a ministry for the "educably slow" [sic] have also been added. LBT claims to have "America’s largest Thursday night church-wide soul winning and follow-up program". In 2005, the church volunteered its buses to Chicago's [[BusBank]] to help with the transportation of New Orleans residents during Hurricane Katrina. The church heads a ministry sending agency, Independent Baptist World Missions (IBWM). The agency sports a current roster of six families directly affiliated with LBT and at least 52 other families, individuals, and institutions monetarily supported. LBT also hosts a food pantry with support to and from the East Texas Food Bank.

In the mid-2000s it had a program of recognizing "hometown heroes", issuing proclamations honoring public servants including local emergency personnel and a former mayor.

Notable members

Notable members of LBT include Kent Hovind.

Russell Hirner

Russell Thomas Hirner, an LBT minister who previously had been a principal of Texas Baptist College and LBT Schools for four years an and employee for eight years, was arrested in March 2004 on sex abuse charges. At trial he admitted to molesting seven girls under 13 years old, one as young as eight, between 1995 and 2001. In April 2005, he was convicted by a Rusk County jury of aggravated sexual assault with a child and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. A month later, in Gregg County, he pled guilty to indecency with a child and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

External links

• Longview Baptist Temple homepage
• Texas Baptist College