A Mission Church on Goodwood Boulevard
Broadmoor Baptist Church sits on Goodwood Boulevard in Baton Rouge, on the city's south side near the Airline Highway intersection. The congregation's tagline - "Embrace love. Embrace grace. Embrace the world." - and its open welcome - "Come and find your place" - hang over everything from the children's wing to the welcome desk where greeters meet every visitor at the door. Broadmoor is a teaching church in the older Baptist sense: a community that prizes clear exposition of Scripture, reverent and excellent music, and an open door to anyone who walks in.
From Broadmoor Elementary to a Sanctuary of Its Own
Broadmoor began as the vision of Istrouma Baptist Church and the Judson Baptist Association in 1956, when a growing neighborhood on the south side of Baton Rouge needed a new church of its own. The mission purchased land that same year, and in 1957 the new congregation was constituted as an independent church. While the first sanctuary was being built, the church met across the street at Broadmoor Elementary, and the school lent the congregation its name. The first building was occupied on March 30, 1958.
Six pastors have shaped the church since then. Irvin Cheney was the founding pastor. Charles Stevens followed from 1961 to 1968 and led the congregation through additional building projects and continued growth. Dr. Glen Edwards arrived in 1968 and oversaw a decade of growth so steady that the present sanctuary and a wave of new education space were needed to hold it. Dr. John Goodwin's 27-year pastorate, beginning in 1979, brought visionary leadership and a willingness to take on hard questions. In 1985 Broadmoor elected women deacons and called Pam Williams, an ordained minister, as Minister of Education. Dr. Goodwin guided the congregation through the years of conflict in the Southern Baptist Convention, and in 1990 Broadmoor took its first careful steps toward affiliation with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Dr. Jarrett Banks expanded the church's ecumenical spirit after Dr. Goodwin's retirement in 2007. Dr. Terry Ellis, the sixth pastor, encouraged the church to lean on grace throughout his ministry. In the fall of 2016, Dr. Leonard Ezell was called as the seventh pastor of Broadmoor.
Classically Christian, Classically Baptist
The church describes its identity in three movements. "Classically Christian" means affirming the historic doctrines of the church in a single sentence: "We affirm, embrace, and celebrate the love of the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit."
"Classically Baptist" gives those convictions a particular shape. Broadmoor holds that the Bible is the written Word of God, uniquely inspired, and the guide for discerning and following the way of Christ. Salvation comes by grace through faith. The church baptizes by immersion and receives new members by transfer of letter, by statement of faith, or by baptism. Broadmoor affirms the priesthood of every believer, the freedom to read and interpret Scripture under the Spirit's leading, and the separation of church and state. The church identifies with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and values the spiritual and intellectual heritage of the Baptist tradition.
"Classically Broadmoor" adds three practices the congregation has made its own: worship in the traditional style, with clear preaching, the hymnal, and music that is reverent and moving; a generous commitment to missions inside and outside the church; and the full equality of men and women in every form of ministry the Spirit opens up. The church states plainly: "We are open to all and closed to none."
Sunday Morning at Broadmoor
Sunday morning follows a rhythm Broadmoor has practiced for decades. Sunday School begins at 9:15 for every age, from infants through adult classes. At 10:30 the congregation gathers for worship in the sanctuary. Because Broadmoor values families worshiping together, the children's sermon is part of the service itself; after it, children kindergarten and younger are dismissed to extended session for the remainder of the morning. A fully staffed nursery is available for the very youngest children throughout the service.
Visitors are greeted at every main entrance and walked to the Welcome Center. Dress at Broadmoor ranges from wing tips to tennis shoes, and the only rule, as the church puts it, is that "Jesus wore a robe. He would be welcomed at our worship service."
Sunday evening adds two smaller gatherings. Youth Bible Study meets at 5:00 p.m., and the Belles et Beaux handbell ensemble rehearses in room 219 on Sunday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:00.
Worship services are available online through the church's YouTube channel, and giving is available online through Tithe.ly for those who want to support the work from a distance. Watch the livestream or give online.
Growing Up at BBC: Children, Youth, and Young Adults
Broadmoor's children's ministry serves 1st through 5th graders and centers on helping children know, love, and follow God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Sunday morning Bible study is offered for every age from infants through 5th grade, using curricula chosen by the teachers themselves. Children's choirs for preschoolers, kindergartners, and 1st through 5th graders meet Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:15. Music Camp, a week-long program in which children learn songs, drama, and choreography and then perform a biblical-themed musical, is one of the highlights of the year. Vacation Bible School opens the same doors in a different format for a fun-filled week of learning about Jesus.
Youth ministry is for 6th through 12th graders. On Sunday mornings the students gather for Bible study during the Sunday school hour, 9:15 to 10:15, in the youth multipurpose room upstairs, divided into a middle school section and a high school section. On Sunday evenings, from 5:00 to 6:30, the youth meet in the youth building for small groups built around relevant topics and relationships. Special events anchor the year: a spring retreat, a fall retreat, summer day trips to local attractions, and a week of summer camp through Passport Camps.
Young adults - university students, young singles, and young married couples - find Bible studies, fellowship, and retreats tailored to their schedules. Bible studies are offered occasionally around the time limitations and interests of students, and singles are encouraged to invest themselves through the church's wider ministry. Young married couples connect with the Children's Ministry when children join their family, and the Young Adult Ministry works alongside the Children's Ministry to support the family at every stage.
A Tradition of Excellent Music
Music has been a constant thread in the life of Broadmoor. The Sanctuary Choir provides leadership in Sunday morning worship and prepares special presentations throughout the year; these works are often accompanied by professional instrumentalists from the community. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings at 6:30 in the choir room, and child care can be provided when needed.
The Belles et Beaux handbell ensemble rehearses Sunday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:00 in room 219 and periodically offers an anthem during worship; substitutes and beginners are welcome. The Broadmoor Brass - currently tuba, euphonium, horn, and trumpet - rehearses infrequently and joins in on choral anthems and hymn singing, often joined by guest percussionists and trumpets.
Children's choirs meet Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:15 for preschoolers, kindergartners, and 1st through 5th graders, giving even the youngest members a way to lead in worship. The Director of Worship and Music, Dr. Alissa Rowe, also serves as Director of Choral Studies at LSU.
Spiritual Formation Beyond Sunday Morning
Bible study is the backbone of spiritual formation at Broadmoor. Sunday morning classes are offered for infants through adults, and adults can choose from classes organized by age, curriculum, or shared interests. A Wednesday morning Bible study meets at 9:30 a.m., offered by Zoom or in person. The church also runs women's Bible studies, women's Christian book studies, small group studies, and Vacation Bible School.
Small groups are a particular point of emphasis, framed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Spiritual Formation Task Force as "the process of being shaped in the image of Christ by the gracious working of God's Spirit." The journey, as Broadmoor teaches it, "involves the acknowledgement that our salvation and transformation come through God's initiation of grace."
Quilts, Care Bags, and a Citywide Mission
Missions at Broadmoor happen in concentric circles. Inside the congregation, the BBC Quilters meet to create quilts that comfort veterans, new babies and their families, and children in the Louisiana Foster Care System. Cancer Care Bags, assembled by members whose lives have been touched by cancer, are given to chemo patients as a reminder that Broadmoor is with them. Member Care steps in when someone in the church faces a job loss, medical expenses, or a natural disaster.
Beyond the walls, Broadmoor serves the Baton Rouge area through partnerships with Holy Grill, the Interfaith Federation of Baton Rouge, Southeast Ministries, Together for Hope, EveryBody Reads, the Great Rivers Fellowship, and a schools ministry that supports both Broadmoor Elementary and Broadmoor High School through teacher lunches, backpack programs, and scholarships. A weekly Bible study, retreats, and fellowship are offered through the LSU Collegiate Program.
Globally, the church supports mission work in Ukraine and the work of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Seniors, Men, and the Life of the Church
Adults find a number of smaller communities inside Broadmoor. Living Longer and Loving It, known as LLL, is a fellowship for anyone 55 and older with at least one activity a month, from potluck luncheons with entertainment to day trips and bigger excursions. Men of the church meet on the last Wednesday of each month at 10:15 a.m. for a prayer breakfast at La Madeleine's on Jefferson Highway. Women connect through a Bible study, a Christian book study, and the Stitchin' Witches crafting group, an evening of embroidery, cross-stitch, and snacks.
Joining Broadmoor
At the end of every worship service there is a time of response and commitment. Christians coming from another Baptist church may join by transfer of letter; the church handles the paperwork with the previous congregation. Christians from another denomination may join by a simple affirmation of faith, accepting those who were baptized as infants and later confirmed, or by baptism. Anyone who has never been baptized may join by baptism. Broadmoor baptizes by immersion, in keeping with its Baptist heritage, and sees baptism as an act of obedience to Christ.