Ten members of the Executive Board of the South Carolina Baptist Convention have been appointed by chairman Dwight Easler to comprise a search committee to find a new executive to lead the state convention.

Jim Austin, who has served as SCBC executive director-treasurer since 2007, will retire Oct. 7.
In sharing his recommendations in an email with the full Executive Board, which will gather to consider convention business at its fall meeting Oct. 7, Easler said the appointments “coincide with the standing rules of the Executive Board as a duty of the board chair.”

“It is my hope that you will see my heart’s desire to be balanced and sensitive to all of our churches in South Carolina,” he wrote.

Search committee members include:

— Dwight Easler (ex officio), pastor of Corinth Baptist Church in Gaffney
— Bryan Fields, pastor of Elloree First Baptist Church
— Marshall Blalock, pastor of Charleston First Baptist Church
— Will Browning, teaching pastor of Journey Church in Summerville
— Alex Sands, pastor of Kingdom Life Christian Center in Mauldin
— Ty Childers, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church, Spartanburg
— Rocky Purvis, pastor of Northside Baptist Church in West Columbia
— Duane Greene, member of Pickens First Baptist Church
— Larry Baldwin, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Williamston
— Joe Willard, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Darlington