Jerry C. White, former president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, was honored recently for 50 years of service in the preaching ministry.

In 1965, White accepted God’s call to ministry at age 13 at Piedmont Baptist Church near Chesnee, S.C. His pastor, Buddy T. Mathis, saw to it that he preached his first sermon in April of that year. Mathis’ son, Greg T. Mathis, senior pastor of Mud Creek Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C., recognized White in April for five decades of ministry. Mud Creek and other churches raised funds in order to build a church in Kenya, which will be named for White.

White has pastored churches since age 20. He currently is pastor of Casey Creek Church in Chesnee, which his father served as pastor in the 1970s. He has been a missions instructor at Fruitland Baptist Bible College since 1982, and in 2015 was named Alumnus of the Year for Luther Rice Seminary.

White has preached in more than 325 revivals in 16 states and three foreign countries. He is a former president of the South Carolina Baptist Pastors’ Conference and serves as a trustee for LifeWay Christian Resources.

White and his wife, Janet, have two sons and three grandchildren.