SCBaptists gathered at Columbia First Baptist Church Monday night to kick off the 2024 South Carolina Baptist Convention Annual Meeting.   

Wes Church, Senior Pastor at Columbia First Baptist, served as the 2024 Convention President. The theme of the two-day event was “Till All Have Heard,” focusing on encouraging unity and the sharing and sending of the Gospel based on Romans 10:14-15. This annual gathering is an opportunity for SCBaptists to fellowship, worship, and make important decisions regarding the direction and mission of our cooperative work. At the time of the first session, 526 messengers were registered.  

In his President’s address, Church emphasized the need to continue cooperation and to renew enthusiasm for the cooperative effort of SCBaptists. “There may be plenty of people who think it is easier to go it alone. But what happens is there are a bunch of people headed in the same direction but not working together to get there,” he said.

Shepherding Pastors with Newly Formed Team

Attendees heard from Lee Clamp, Associate Executive Director-Treasurer, as an introduction to the ministry work being accomplished by the six SCBaptist ministry priority teams: Shepherd, Strong, Share, Serve, Send, and Start. “Our team of state missionaries are here to help each church advance the great commission together,” Clamp said.   

The Shepherd Team, led by Brian Saxon, is the newest of the six ministry priority teams and was established earlier this year. In his report, Saxon emphasized that the team focuses on supporting churches in health, leadership, and revitalization,  helping pastors develop their leadership skills, providing encouragement for their wellness, and investing in young men who are answering God’s call.   

“Pastors often struggle with personal and professional barriers that hamper them from entirely focusing on and leading the church effectively. Churches have embedded challenges, expectations, and histories that make moving forward to a hopeful future difficult,” Saxon said. The Shepherd Team aims to come alongside pastors and churches “to restore hope and maximize mission potential.” 

Investing in the Next Generation

Steve Rohrlack, Strong Team Leader, also gave a report, sharing that “the most enjoyable and impactful ministry our team performs is partnering with South Carolina churches in preparing the next generation of church leaders.” Rohrlack shared stories of two young leaders, including the story of Diana Cruz. Cruz served as a SummerSalt and KidSalt staffer, two camps run by the Strong Team for students and children.   

During a Bible study, Cruz realized that one of the campers was struggling to understand the materials as they were all in English. Cruz began spending her evenings translating the written materials into Spanish. Rohrlack emphasized that Cruz’s efforts for one student were utilized for many more students throughout the summer to make the Bible studies more accessible to campers. He thanked South Carolina Baptists for their faithfulness in allowing the Strong Team to “invest in the next generation of church leaders tasked with advancing the Great Commission.”

Admitting Challenges, Continuing to Build Trust

Chris Spires, Convention Vice President, hosted a panel on cooperation, focusing on the barriers, benefits, and goals behind the continued investment of SCBaptists in the Cooperative Program. The panel included DJ Horton, pastor at Church at the Mill, Alex Sands, pastor at Kingdom Life Church, and Josh Powell, pastor at Taylors First Baptist Church. All three panelists served nationally at the Southern Baptist Convention in some capacity, and all three also served as previous Convention presidents.   

When asked about the barriers that hinder SCBaptists from cooperating, Powell said, “I think the problem we have is that this requires a lot of trust.” He emphasized that although there may not be enough trust among Southern Baptists as a whole, SCBaptists should continue to “gain trust amongst one another to lead and pull in the same direction.” Sands shared that from his personal experience, his church was not a Baptist church when he planted it in 2003. For him, approaching the Greenville Baptist Association meant leaning into the resources and knowledge they offered. “We were helped by CP dollars. We’ve been nothing but supported in the Convention,” Sands said.   

Shane & Shane Lead Worship

Worship for the closing of the session was led by Shane & Shane, a well-known Texas-based contemporary worship music band known for acoustic praise and worship music. The group performed that morning at ONWARD, a one-day conference hosted by SCBaptist’s Worship & Music Office to equip worship and creative leaders. One of the main vocalists, Shane Bernard, thanked attendees for their continued faithfulness to the Lord. SCBaptist has partnered with Shane & Shane through The Worship Initiative, an online resource and collective of worship leaders designed to equip and inspire. “We are passionate about the bride of Christ,” Bernard said. “That’s why we do what we do at The Worship Initiative. We show up and pour our lives into folks like you, and it’s the joy of our lives to pour into God’s church.” 

Shane & Shane were joined in worship by First Baptist Columbia’s choir, SCBaptist’s The Singing Churchmen, and student choirs from North Greenville University, Anderson University, and Charleston Southern University. The attendees ended the night in a time of focused and intentional prayer led by Tony Wolfe, SCBaptist Executive Director-Treasurer.

The annual meeting resumed for sessions two and three on November 12.