Each month, your SCBaptist staff gathers for Advance Rally, a time to worship, pray, and align our vision to our shared mission.

At this month’s Advance Rally, Dr. Tony Wolfe, Executive Director-Treasurer, spoke from Romans 15:23-24 about “One Mission” from a series focusing on cooperation. He said, “At its core, our South Carolina Baptist family is a mission-funding, mission-sending mechanism. We help the churches advance the Great Commission together. We don’t have any other agenda than to help the churches advance the Great Commission together.”

As of right now, SCBaptists are:

• Funding the salaries of 3,500 international missionaries in partnership with the International Mission Board.
• Planting over 700 churches a year in the US in partnership with the North American Mission Board.
• Supporting 6,300 North American missionaries and chaplains in partnership with the North American Mission Board.
• Providing scholarships to 20,000 seminary students in six different Southern Baptist seminaries in the US.

Dr. Wolfe emphasized that “Cooperation is built into the DNA of Great Commission Advance. It’s designed by God that we either get this done together, or we don’t get it done at all.”

Focus on African American Engagement

In addition, Dr. Wolfe announced several internal staff changes, including Michael Pigg’s transition from SHARE Team Leader to Director of African American Engagement. This is a new position intended to help reach and minister to the 1.4 million African Americans in South Carolina. Currently, there are about 36 African American churches in cooperation with the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

Dr. Wolfe said, “I believe God is getting ready to expand and multiply the Great Commission impact of the churches through reaching, engaging, and ministering to the African American community in South Carolina. If we do not multiply our engagement with African Americans across our state, then I will have failed. I feel so strongly that this is where God wants us to lead.”

Other job transitions shared included Lee Clamp to Associate Director-Treasurer, Bryant Sims to Chief Operations Officer, and Chad Stillwell to step into the position vacated by Michael Pigg, SHARE Team Leader.

Challenge to SCBaptist Staff

This year’s Annual Meeting theme is “Let’s Go!”, focusing on motivating and mobilizing SCBaptists, with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific Rim. As part of this, Lee Clamp challenged SCBaptist staff to get their passport and to begin praying that God would send them to a foreign land on mission. “Maybe God wants you to go, and hopefully this next year you will be able to do that,” Clamp said.