“When we think about the next generation, we know that there’s a time coming when they are going to be stepping up and leading our churches,” Ricky Wilson, Next Generation Strategist at SCBaptist, said.  

The Catalyst Program is one way that SCBaptists are training the next generation to lead well. The program is a ministry training initiative for college-aged students and young adults who sense a call to ministry and want to grow through hands-on experience, intentional mentorship, and Gospel-centered community. Since Fall 2022, 74 Catalysts have been trained in a specific area of ministry, including evangelism, creative, missions, church planting, children’s ministry, worship, youth ministry, and special needs ministry. The program “gives students an opportunity to learn from people on the field, doing work for the ministry and for the Kingdom in that specific area,” Wilson said. 

Hands-On Ministry Experience 

For many students like Preston Bishop, the Catalyst Program helped them discern their calling and grow in ministry maturity. Bishop served two semesters as a Catalyst in 2023, serving in the area of next-generation evangelism with Ricky Wilson and the Share Team. “I had the opportunity to get to know Preston for over a year and see him grow and really hone in on a desire to do next-gen ministry,” Wilson said. Today, Bishop is the Youth and Young Adults Pastor at Jamestown Baptist Church in Conway, South Carolina.  

For Bishop, he thought that being a Catalyst would mean filling a role and performing tasks that others didn’t want to. “I thought it was just a job,” he said. In actuality, the program “was someone coming alongside of me, a time of spiritual growth—growing me and teaching me and developing me to do the work of ministry.” He took part in hands-on experiences, like helping with ONE Nights, serving at a collegiate retreat, and attending SCBaptist’s largest events each year: IMPACT and the annual meeting.  

Fostering Relational Connections 

Aside from providing real-world experience, the program also fosters lasting friendships and ministry partnerships across the state. Building relationships as a Catalyst also influenced his willingness to partner with other churches as a pastor. He shared, “When you see the bigger picture of the Convention, you kind of think, ‘How can I reach out to this church? How can I help this church? How can we partner together with these churches and just be together and do more together than we can separately?'” 

The connections he made also led to his current role after applying through the SCBaptist Job Board. “The Catalyst program kind of launched me into where I am now,” he said. Ricky Wilson echoed this, emphasizing that former Catalysts like Bishop are helping to address the shortage of trained pastors in the state. “The Catalyst Program is just a great pipeline for us to continue to help churches come alongside churches to develop people for Kingdom impact so that we can see the Great Commission fulfilled in the state of South Carolina and all across the world,” Wilson said. 

Raising Up Leaders 

Bishop also feels that the program helped prepare him for his current role in practical ways. “You get to see the real life of ministry instead of just learning a head knowledge of theology, which is wonderful and I love, but you also get to see the practical aspects played out in real life in real-time,” he said. Bishop graduated from North Greenville University and is currently pursuing a degree through New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to continue his theological training. “We like to think that the Catalyst Program gave him some of those skills along with North Greenville University, to where he is doing a really great job in the Myrtle Beach area,” Wilson said. “He just continues to grow and serve and use some of the wisdom that he learned at the Convention and through the Catalyst Program to be on the field.” 

The Catalyst Program is funded in part by the Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions. This funding allows students like Bishop to focus on ministry training without financial burden. “These funds are pivotal to the work of the Kingdom,” Wilson said. “Thank you for giving to this mission, and thank you for giving to the Janie Chapman Offering so that people like Preston can learn and grow.” As churches across South Carolina face a growing need for trained, passionate leaders, the Catalyst Program is helping meet that need—preparing students today to shepherd, disciple, and lead tomorrow.