Carlisle Driggers, who will officially retire Feb. 28 as executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, has been asked to “continue to facilitate” the work of the state convention while the seven-member committee charged with finding his successor continues its work.
Carlisle DriggersThe announcement came in a statement released Feb. 12 by the Baptist building. Following is the full text of the statement:
“The Officers of the Executive Board, the Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the Board, and the Officers of the South Carolina Baptist Convention are pleased to announce that Dr. B. Carlisle Driggers will continue to facilitate the work of our State Convention until a new Executive Director-Treasurer is elected by the Convention. This decision is made with the full support of the Chairman of the Executive Director-Treasurer Search Committee, Rev. Tim Williams.
“As Executive Director-Treasurer Emeritus, Dr. Driggers will direct the work of our Convention Building Staff through direct communication and involvement with Dr. James A. Wright Jr., Associate Executive Director-Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, and other Staff Team Leaders.
“We urge the continued prayer support of all South Carolina Baptists for Rev. Tim Williams and the search committee as they seek our next leader.”
The search committee, headed by Williams, pastor of Roebuck Baptist Church in the Spartanburg County Baptist Network, was appointed April 18, 2006, at the Executive Board’s spring meeting. The day before, Driggers had informed the Executive Board of his plan to retire in February 2007 after 15 years of service as state convention executive.
The search committee is comprised of three active pastors, a retired pastor and three lay persons. In addition to Williams, members of the search committee are Don Purvis, retired pastor, Hartsville; Betty Spradley, member of First Baptist Church, Rock Hill; Tom Swilley, pastor of Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Conway; Dennis Wilkins, pastor of First Baptist Church, Bluffton; Tommy Cofield, member of Lexington Baptist Church, Lexington; and David Martin, member of West Gantt First Baptist Church, Greenville.
When a candidate is chosen by the search committee, the SCBC Executive Board will meet in a called session to vote on the committee’s recommendation, to be followed by a special meeting of the state convention for the new executive’s election.