What would a Hebrew cupbearer in the court of the Persian king centuries ago say to ministers today who are finding it difficult to be bearers of the heavy loads they must carry in fulfillment of their calling of God?

Three words declared evangelist Rick Coram: “Stay on the wall.”

Coram, speaking at the annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Pastors Conference Nov. 12 at Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors, offered words of both encouragement and responsibility as he drew from the life of the Old Testament’s Nehemiah to give new heart to pastors and other ministers who are carrying heavy loads that frequently threaten the effectiveness of their ministries and sometimes their very lives.

The high occurrence of forced termination of pastors, which seems to set South Carolina apart from other state Baptist conventions, and the tragedy of seven suicides by South Carolina Baptist pastors in a span of seven years, was never far from the minds and hearts of those attending the conference.

Coram underscored what he termed “the seriousness of Christian living today” and sought to cheer the hearts of any in the audience or elsewhere who “may be close to throwing in the towel.”

Referencing the obedience of Nehemiah to God’s call for him to return from what is modern Iran to help restore the city – and particularly the walls – of Jerusalem, which lay in ruins, Coram said, “You have been assigned to the wall. You did not decide on your own to go there. The call of God is what put you on the wall.”

“And while you are on your mission,” he hastened to add, “you will be attacked by Satan as long as you stay on the wall.”

He continued, “Anytime you determine to do something for God, the devil will be on your case, but remember this: You’re not the only one going through hardships.”

To give even more emphasis to his challenge for ministers and others to “stay on the wall,” he declared, “You are accountable for the wall, and as long as you are still living, the work is not done.”

“We’re runners on the track team of the Trinity,” he noted, “and we’re running for Jesus. And remember this: You’re not running to win – you’ve already won. You’re running to finish.”

Brad Goodale, pastor of Philippi Baptist Church in Union, presided over the conference beneath the banner of the theme of the day-long gathering: “Enduring to the End.”

Early on as the conference opened, Goodale said a key to endurance in what is a marathon rather than a sprint to the finish line is this: “Live with conviction and commitment – and take care of yourselves.”

Josh Smith, senior pastor of MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church in Irving, Texas, began his message with a prayer to God recognizing that “we need a word from you. We’re tired and weary from all that pastors have to do.”

“One of the great promises of the Bible,” he told the conference participants, “are the words of Jesus, that he will build his church and even the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against it.”

He quickly added, “And the promise of protection points to danger.”

He called attention to Psalm 46 with its reassurances that God is with us and is a mighty fortress – and that he will provide help when trouble comes.

“But,” he emphasized, “this does not mean there will be an absence of difficulty in our lives. It does mean that, in times of danger, God’s presence can give us gladness of heart. The presence of God creates a river that runs through all of our chaos.”

Evangelist Jeff LaBorg called to the attention of his audience the “remarkable tenacity” of Caleb, one of 12 tribal leaders appointed by Moses to spy out the Promised Land at the end of the Exodus, and of Caleb’s “boundless determination to be God’s man.”

“Keep preaching, keep standing. God is faithful,” he declared, with a little advice especially for pastors: “Communing with the Father gives confidence. If you will commune with God during the week, that confidence will spill out on Sunday.”

If trying with limited success to please church members, Tom Tucker, senior pastor of Sisk Memorial Baptist Church in Fort Mill, offered a reminder of what perhaps is forgotten by some in the day-to-day duties of being a pastor: “To please God is all that matters.”

As to finishing well, in reference to the conference theme, the Fort Mill pastor said, “We don’t know when we’ll die. But I’ll tell you what I want to be, to my family and to others. I want them to see in me a light, which they can follow as they realize that I am not that light – the Lord is.”

Tucker alerted the pastors to this fact: “God will test your ministries by his word. Our ministries must be built on the foundation of Christ alone, and we must give an account of the kind of stewards we have been of our salvation.”

Evangelist Bailey Smith allowed that some of the problems that come the way of pastors and other ministers is that “we’ve forgotten whom we serve.”

“Just know this,” he said, “He who has gone away (Jesus) has never really left us. He has asked you to do nothing that you have to do alone.”

Goodale is succeeded as conference president by Dwight Easler, pastor of Corinth Baptist Church in Gaffney, who held the position of vice president. Other officers are the new vice president, Gary Rogers, pastor of Pelham First Baptist Church in Greer, and Quinn Hooks, pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church in Effingham, who was re-elected secretary-treasurer.