The Executive Board of the South Carolina Baptist Convention gathered on April 29, 2025, at the SCBaptist Building in Columbia for its spring meeting, with Chairman Stephen Cannon presiding.

Chuck Sprouse, 2025 SCBaptist Convention President, shared an encouraging word with the board and reflected on the theme of the 2025 Annual Meeting, “Celebrate.” He reminded board members that “we can do this better together because we believe the mission is absolutely important,” emphasizing the strength of cooperation and Convention partnership. The annual meeting will take place on November 10-11 at Taylors First Baptist Church. 

Several ministry partners brought updates, beginning with Tom Turner of the South Carolina Baptist Ministries of Aging (SCBMA). “Every life carries immeasurable value,” Turner said. “At SCBMA we are honored to serve individuals as they age and as they finish their ministry here on Earth.” SCBMA has two retirement facilities, Martha Franks and Bethea, that serve around 350 individuals, “many of those served our Convention as pastors and as missionaries,” Turner said. He also discussed a recent Encore training held at Martha Franks that invited pastors and associational leaders to discover opportunities for their senior ministries.

Great Commission Advance

Lee Clamp, Associate Executive Director-Treasurer, and the Great Commission Advance Committee provided updates on evangelism, church planting, and Cooperative Program giving. Clamp highlighted the recent trends in baptisms, citing the highest number of baptisms since 2016. The trend also saw higher percentages of teens and young adults being baptized, stating that teenage baptisms were up 23% and young adult baptisms were up 43%. He also highlighted growing efforts in training and sending out the next generation to ministry and missions. “What we’re doing is working, and God is moving in this state,” Clamp said. Keith Shorter continued to highlight evangelism trends, including the first-ever Women’s ONE Night event hosted at Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors, South Carolina, with 652 women present with 10 salvations. South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief was also celebrated for receiving the 2025 Governor’s Award for Disaster Relief Group of the Year for their efforts with Hurricane Helene cleanup.

The board also heard reports from Jeff Robinson, Editor and President of The Courier, and Gene Fant, President of North Greenville University. Robinson said, “We’re convinced God is building something special at The Courier,” focusing each issue on a cultural or spiritual topic to better equip pastors and church members. He also highlighted growth in Courier Conversations, a new podcast co-hosted by Travis Kerns, and Courier Publishing, which has 36 books under contract, many by SCBaptist leaders and pastors across the state.

Dr. Fant reassured attendees that although many college campuses are facing funding issues and cultural pressure, North Greenville remains strong and continues to grow. He highlighted new programs launching, scholarship endowments to hire graduate assistants, and a forward-looking mindset as indicators of a healthy university.

Committee Reports and Actions

The board heard a report from Budget, Finance & Audit Committee Chair Marc Quigley, who said that annual audits made on the Convention and several institutions were clean. He also shared that an overall budget was set and approved for $26 million, allowing for some growth in receipts due to recent trends.

A few budget items were brought forward, including several improvements for Camp McCall after Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to the camp. This included a motion to designate $100,000 of allocated Disaster Relief funds to be used for disaster relief cleanup at Camp McCall, which was approved by the board.

Terry Fowler, Chairman of the Operations Committee, presented their report, including that the committee is aiming “to move to preventative maintenance instead of just reactive.” He celebrated the completed renovation of Charleston Baptist Collegiate Ministry’s facilities, which nearly doubled the value of the facility and will possibly allow for a church plant to share the facility as well.

Executive Director-Treasurer’s Report  

Executive Director-Treasurer Tony Wolfe concluded the meeting with a report on Convention-wide momentum, emphasizing the 100^th anniversary of the Cooperative Program on May 13, 2025. “Here we are, 100 years later, and the Cooperative Program still provides the most effective, unified, synergistic funding pathway for our shared Great Commission work today,” Wolfe said. 

He also highlighted efforts for a “full-court press on Cooperative Program celebration and education this year” as part of the Give+Go Initiative. These resources include ready-to-use four-week Bible studies with age-specific language for adults, students, and children, and a campaign of plug-and-play monthly digital promo packs complete with announcement slide loops, social media posts, bulletin inserts, and more.

The meeting concluded with closing remarks from Chairman Cannon, who thanked members for their service and encouraged them to continue praying for SCBaptists and their mission across South Carolina and beyond.

The Executive Board is scheduled to reconvene on September 16, 2025.