PASTOR MARK ELLIS, SR. CALLS FOR “ONENESS” RESPONSE TO MALL OF LOUISIANA SHOOTING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PASTOR MARK ELLIS, SR. CALLS FOR “ONENESS” RESPONSE TO MALL OF LOUISIANA SHOOTING
UCFM Senior Pastor urges preachers, parents, politicians, police, and practitioners to unite around a shared mission: the preservation of life.
UCFM Senior Pastor urges preachers, parents, politicians, police, and practitioners to unite around a shared mission: the preservation of life.
BATON ROUGE, La. | April 23, 2026 — In response to today’s shooting at the Mall of Louisiana, Senior Pastor Dr. Mark A. Ellis Sr. of United Christian Faith Ministries (UCFM) has issued a public statement of grief, perspective, and proposed action. Pastor Ellis is urging community leaders to move beyond outrage into alignment, and to confront what he describes as two colliding crises: the access to weapons capable of ending life in seconds, and the instability shaping those who reach for them.
Speaking from Baton Rouge, Pastor Ellis shared a statement he calls both a lament and a call to action for leaders who care. It reads, in full:
Speaking from Baton Rouge, Pastor Ellis shared a statement he calls both a lament and a call to action for leaders who care. It reads, in full:
Deeply saddened to hear this news (Mall of La shooting ) today. Praying for the victims and the offenders.
I am equally moved to share perspective and perhaps a plan to leaders who care.
Consider :
We are living in a moment where two dangerous forces are colliding and the results are showing up in our headlines, our neighborhoods, and far too often, our homes.
On one side, we have easy access, to weapons that carry the power to end life in seconds. ( a nation so proud of its constitutional right to bare arms) On the other side, we have instability, fractured families, wounded identities, untreated pain, and generations growing up without the guidance, accountability, and covering they need.
Neither one of these alone tells the full story. But when this kind of access meets instability, the outcome is often tragedy.
In 2026, we have young people who are armed but not anchored. We have individuals in crisis who can reach for a weapon faster than they can reach for help. We have repeat offenders who cycle through systems that correct behavior but never transform the heart.
And the question we keep asking is, “When will it stop?”
But a better question might be, “What are we willing to confront?”
Because this is not just a policy issue, it’s a people issue.
It’s about responsibility. It’s about formation. It’s about what shapes a person before they ever pick up anything that can harm someone else.
A society cannot afford to be casual about access (weapons of destruction)while being careless about development.
We need better laws that are consistent and enforced. But we also need homes that are present, communities that are engaged, and systems that don’t just respond after violence, but intervene before it.
We cannot keep producing individuals who have the ability to destroy, without first building them to live.
Until we address both sides, what people can access and who they are becoming—we will keep seeing the same outcomes.
This is not just a crisis of weapons.
It is a crisis of formation.
And until we take responsibility for both, the cycle will continue.
My initial thoughts on the solution -(United Excel let’s go)
We don’t just need outrage, we need alignment.
Yes, we pray. We seek divine strategy, because some of what we’re facing is deeper than policy and psychology. We need wisdom that sees what data alone cannot reveal. But prayer is not our exit, it is our entry point.
From that place, we build something tangible.
We need preachers, parents, politicians, police and practitioners (the 5 P’s)not in separate conversations, but at the same table. Not for a photo opportunity, but for a working strategy. A town hall is a start, but it cannot end as a moment, it must become a movement.
Because what we’re fighting will not yield to isolated efforts.
The preacher shapes values.
The parent shapes identity.
The politician shapes policy.
The police shape enforcement.
Practitioners - do the hands on work of healing and intervention
But if each one works in isolation, the gaps between them become the breeding ground for violence.
So we need a new kind of oneness; a coordinated effort where responsibility is shared and outcomes are tracked. Where we don’t just talk about violence after it happens, but we identify risk early, intervene consistently, and stay engaged long enough to see change.
Oneness is not agreement on everything, it is commitment to the same mission: the preservation of life.
And if we can align our voices, our influence, and our actions, we can begin to close the gap between access and instability.
Because the answer will not come from one group alone.
It will come when we decide that protecting life is a shared responsibility and we build something strong enough to reflect that.
I am equally moved to share perspective and perhaps a plan to leaders who care.
Consider :
We are living in a moment where two dangerous forces are colliding and the results are showing up in our headlines, our neighborhoods, and far too often, our homes.
On one side, we have easy access, to weapons that carry the power to end life in seconds. ( a nation so proud of its constitutional right to bare arms) On the other side, we have instability, fractured families, wounded identities, untreated pain, and generations growing up without the guidance, accountability, and covering they need.
Neither one of these alone tells the full story. But when this kind of access meets instability, the outcome is often tragedy.
In 2026, we have young people who are armed but not anchored. We have individuals in crisis who can reach for a weapon faster than they can reach for help. We have repeat offenders who cycle through systems that correct behavior but never transform the heart.
And the question we keep asking is, “When will it stop?”
But a better question might be, “What are we willing to confront?”
Because this is not just a policy issue, it’s a people issue.
It’s about responsibility. It’s about formation. It’s about what shapes a person before they ever pick up anything that can harm someone else.
A society cannot afford to be casual about access (weapons of destruction)while being careless about development.
We need better laws that are consistent and enforced. But we also need homes that are present, communities that are engaged, and systems that don’t just respond after violence, but intervene before it.
We cannot keep producing individuals who have the ability to destroy, without first building them to live.
Until we address both sides, what people can access and who they are becoming—we will keep seeing the same outcomes.
This is not just a crisis of weapons.
It is a crisis of formation.
And until we take responsibility for both, the cycle will continue.
My initial thoughts on the solution -(United Excel let’s go)
We don’t just need outrage, we need alignment.
Yes, we pray. We seek divine strategy, because some of what we’re facing is deeper than policy and psychology. We need wisdom that sees what data alone cannot reveal. But prayer is not our exit, it is our entry point.
From that place, we build something tangible.
We need preachers, parents, politicians, police and practitioners (the 5 P’s)not in separate conversations, but at the same table. Not for a photo opportunity, but for a working strategy. A town hall is a start, but it cannot end as a moment, it must become a movement.
Because what we’re fighting will not yield to isolated efforts.
The preacher shapes values.
The parent shapes identity.
The politician shapes policy.
The police shape enforcement.
Practitioners - do the hands on work of healing and intervention
But if each one works in isolation, the gaps between them become the breeding ground for violence.
So we need a new kind of oneness; a coordinated effort where responsibility is shared and outcomes are tracked. Where we don’t just talk about violence after it happens, but we identify risk early, intervene consistently, and stay engaged long enough to see change.
Oneness is not agreement on everything, it is commitment to the same mission: the preservation of life.
And if we can align our voices, our influence, and our actions, we can begin to close the gap between access and instability.
Because the answer will not come from one group alone.
It will come when we decide that protecting life is a shared responsibility and we build something strong enough to reflect that.
A CALL TO THE FIVE P’S
Pastor Ellis is inviting preachers, parents, politicians, police, and practitioners across Louisiana to join an initial working convening. Details will be announced in the coming days. Leaders interested in participating, partnering, or learning more may contact the UCFM Office of Public Affairs at the information listed above.
Pastor Ellis is inviting preachers, parents, politicians, police, and practitioners across Louisiana to join an initial working convening. Details will be announced in the coming days. Leaders interested in participating, partnering, or learning more may contact the UCFM Office of Public Affairs at the information listed above.
ABOUT UNITED CHRISTIAN FAITH MINISTRIES
United Christian Faith Ministries (UCFM) is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based ministry led by Senior Pastor Dr. Mark A. Ellis Sr. For more than two decades, UCFM has served the Greater Baton Rouge community through 40+ ministries spanning six areas: Fellowship, Discipleship, Outreach, Worship, ABLAZE Youth, and Marketplace. The ministry is committed to the spiritual, emotional, and practical development of individuals, families, and communities. Learn more at ucfministries.org.
United Christian Faith Ministries (UCFM) is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based ministry led by Senior Pastor Dr. Mark A. Ellis Sr. For more than two decades, UCFM has served the Greater Baton Rouge community through 40+ ministries spanning six areas: Fellowship, Discipleship, Outreach, Worship, ABLAZE Youth, and Marketplace. The ministry is committed to the spiritual, emotional, and practical development of individuals, families, and communities. Learn more at ucfministries.org.
Contact:
Miracle Ennis
United Christian Faith Ministries
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
marketing@ucfministries.org | (225) 927-1161
Miracle Ennis
United Christian Faith Ministries
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
marketing@ucfministries.org | (225) 927-1161
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