Gary Hollingsworth, Executive Director-Treasurer

Executive Director-Treasurer Report

Gary L. Hollingsworth

On December 4, 1821, seven ministers and two laypersons met at First Baptist Church in Columbia, and the South Carolina Baptist Convention was born. The seven ministers were Richard Furman, William Dossey, Joseph B. Cook, William B. Johnson (who became the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention when it was formed in 1845), Richard M. Todd, Lee Compere, and John Landrum. The two laymen were Colonel Abner Blocker and Thomas Gillison. Four other ministers were present, but they were not seated as official delegates—today they would be called messengers. We are now the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the first state convention to form, predating the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention by 24 years. Currently, there are 44 state conventions, and most, if not all, have their organizational roots in the South Carolina Baptist Convention. As we gather for our 200th anniversary, it is fitting to be reminded of both the purpose of our founding and the reason for our continued existence. Gratefully, we continue to fulfill the original reason for our formation back in 1821.

We are fortunate to have original documentation about that first meeting and it was clear those first nine “messengers” came together for three specific reasons: Advancing the Gospel through

missions, Advancing the Gospel through education, and Advancing the Gospel through

cooperation. In 1821, we were still more than 100 years away from the formation of the Cooperative Program, but the DNA of Baptist cooperation was established from the beginning. The Cooperative Program undoubtedly became the single greatest funding mechanism for advancing the Gospel in the history of the modern church! We do these three things in different ways today, but the heart of the South Carolina Baptists still beats around these three founding purposes. Speaking of original documents, I would be remiss if I did not mention that our South Carolina Baptist Convention Historian and Archivist, Jane Poster, is retiring at the end of this year after serving 50 years in Convention work! Nearly 40 of those years were in service in the Baptist Campus Ministry at the University of South Carolina, but for over a decade she has been the person responsible for keeping the incredible history of South Carolina Baptists alive and well. She will be missed but we are grateful for her many years of faithful service!

While much has changed since 1821, the Gospel has not and Jesus’ Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations is still the mandate for all Christians. From our humble beginnings, reaching lost people here in our own Jerusalem and extending to the ends of the earth has been, and continues to be, the driving force in why we exist today. The purpose statement of the South Carolina Baptist Convention is to help churches fulfill the Great Commission. Our Vision is to see every life saturated and transformed by the hope of the Gospel, beginning here in South Carolina. In this historic Book of Reports, every page is filled with details about how our Convention of churches work together to fulfill this purpose and see this vision become reality.

Throughout this year’s annual meeting proceedings, we will celebrate our past yet with a keen eye on the future. Let it not be lost that at this historic gathering, Alex Sands, Pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Simpsonville, is presiding as our first African American President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. As our first, we pray he is certainly not our last! Alex’s election is far more than symbolic. It is substantive in that he represents our hopeful future of what the next 200 years might look like, should the Lord tarry His coming. There are many lamentable things in our history that cannot and should not be ignored, but there is bright hope that we are moving in positive ways to make sure the South Carolina Baptist Convention models unity amidst diversity and strives to make sure that all who wish to be a part of this great convention are welcomed and valued!