Anderson University presents Pastor of the Year awards

Anderson University presented its 2013 South Carolina Baptist Pastor of the Year awards Nov. 11 at the South Carolina Baptist Pastors’ Conference in Cayce.

The annual awards are designed to recognize some of the most outstanding pastors in the South Carolina Baptist Convention and are based on the following criteria: having served in South Carolina for at least three years; having been a strong supporter of the Cooperative Program; and having been a model of pastoral faithfulness and integrity.

The John E. White Award, for the South Carolina Baptist Pastor of the Year in churches up to 300 members, was presented to Matt Rogers, pastor of The Church at Cherrydale in Greenville.

Rogers planted Renewal Church in 2010 and led the church to merge with Covenant Grace Baptist Church in September 2013 under the new name, The Church at Cherrydale. He has been married to Sarah for 10 years, and they have three children: Corrie, Avery, and Hudson.

The award is named for the second president of Anderson University, John E. White, who served from 1916-1927.

The John Edward Rouse Award, named for the seventh president of Anderson University, who served from 1957-1973, was presented to Ken Lewis, pastor of Crosspoint Church in Clemson. The award is for the South Carolina Baptist Pastor of the Year in churches with 301-1,000 members.

“As the pastor of Crosspoint Church, my passion is to see believers grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, leaders developed, and Christians equipped to multiply themselves through discipling others,” said Lewis. He is married to Robin, and they have three sons: Daniel, Caleb and Matt.

The W.B. Johnson Award, for the South Carolina Baptist Pastor of the Year in churches with more than 1,000 members, was presented to Ralph F. Carter Jr., pastor of Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors, where he has served for 22 years.

The award is named for William Bullein Johnson, one of nine founders and president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention (1825-1852); first president of the Southern Baptist Convention (1845-1851); and founder and chancellor of Johnson University (1842-1862), the forerunner of Anderson University.

Carter was the 2013 president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and served as chairman of the state convention’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. Carter is married to Regina. They have a daughter, Angela; a son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Carla; and a granddaughter, Scout.

The B. Carlisle Driggers Award, for the South Carolina Baptist Pastor of the Year in the director of missions category, was presented to David Little, director of missions for Lakelands Baptist Association.

The award is named for the 15th executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, B. Carlisle Driggers, who served from 1990-2007. Driggers’ tenure was marked by the Empowering Kingdom Growth initiative, which included an emphasis on the vital role of local Baptist associations.

Little has served Lakelands Baptist Association for more than 10 years. The association has 46 churches and more than 16,000 church members. He started HarvestFest, an evangelistic outreach event held each October at the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home Farm.

He is married to Kim, and they have four children: Zack and his wife, Katelyn; and daughters Lacy, Emily and Addie Lee.

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