In a Jan. 12 “Open Letter to South Carolina Baptists,” interim SCBC executive director-treasurer Richard Harris affirmed the nomination of Gary Hollingsworth as the next chief executive for the state denomination.

Hollingsworth is the choice of a search committee of the SCBC Executive Board. State convention messengers will vote on Hollingsworth Thursday, Jan. 14, at a special called meeting at Shandon Baptist Church.

Below is Harris’ letter:

 

January 12, 2016

An Open Letter to South Carolina Baptists
From:  Dr. Richard H. Harris, Interim Executive Director – Treasurer

The word is out across South Carolina. Dr. Gary Hollingsworth is the official nominee to be voted on this Thursday, January 14, 2016, in a special called convention meeting, beginning at 1:30 pm at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia. I believe this meeting and the vote on Dr. Hollingsworth will be remembered as a monumental day in the history of the South Carolina Baptist Convention!

I received a call yesterday from a very prominent, influential, and well-known leader of South Carolina Baptists asking me what I thought about Gary Hollingsworth. I want to share with you some of what I shared with this great man of God.

I have known Dr. Hollingsworth for 15 plus years. I came to know about him around the year 2000 when he was leading First Baptist Church Trussville, Alabama to have significant growth. Two years later he would become one of our trustees at the North American Mission Board (NAMB). It would be during this service with us, that I would learn what a statesman and leader he was with a passion for evangelism, church planting (I was serving as Vice President at the time), and missions. During these years we developed a friendship.

In 2005, he would join NAMB staff as part of the Evangelism Group, leading Cultural Evangelism. He quickly evidenced himself as a national leader. He received strong reviews from our state evangelism directors, as well as associational directors of missions. When our Vice President of Evangelism resigned, Dr. Hollingsworth was asked to serve as Interim Vice President during these months. He would serve effectively and come to be known as a strong team player among staff and our state evangelism partners.

Dr. Hollingsworth would leave NAMB to answer a call to be pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. Close to two years into his pastoral tenure, I went to speak at their Annie Armstrong missions emphasis. During this visit, I would discover firsthand how much he was loved by his staff, church members, and key leaders in the Arkansas Baptist Convention. I would also learn how he had led the church into a broad emphasis on evangelism, church planting, and an Acts 1:8 comprehensive missions strategy. He was leading the church to be one of the top supporters in Arkansas in total dollars given to Cooperative Program and total support of missions.

I tell you all this to basically say I know the man and his ministry. I have firsthand knowledge and experience with him in various roles of leadership in state and national convention work. Allow me to summarize some of what I know about who he is:

· A statesman highly respected by SBC leaders in churches, associations, state, and national convention among those who know him

· A theological conservative committed to the inerrancy of the Word of God

· A visionary and strategic leader

· A great preacher and articulate communicator

· A soul winning leader committed to all aspects of evangelism strategies

· A man who loves the local church as evidenced by the various positions he has held on church staff

· A man of character, integrity, honesty, and loyal friend

· A respected leader by staff and those who have worked closely with him

· A team player who maximizes the potential of staff and partners from a framework of teamwork

· A servant of God who will listen, learn, and then lead, yet not be easily deterred by critics

· A family man who is strongly supported by his wife, Gwen, and two sons

· A people person with strong relational skills

· A man with “clay feet”, that even with all these great attributes, he is like all of us who try our best to daily fulfill God’s will and obey the Word, but we sometimes fail our Lord.

From the beginning, I was invited to sit in on all of the Executive Director – Treasurer Search Team meetings. I don’t know when I have ever been more impressed with a search team in a church, association, state, or national convention. They maintained a spiritual, Holy Spirit led approach to all they did. They spent a significant time in prayer in every meeting, rising above politics or personal preferences. They set a high standard of a 20 point profile to guide them to what they believed would be God’s appointed leader. They considered and interviewed some very impressive leaders with proven records. They never moved away from the 20 point profile until they unanimously agreed that Dr. Gary Hollingsworth possessed these qualities and was God’s appointed leader at this time in history. Of course, South Carolina Baptists must prayerfully determine on January 14^th if you believe this is God’s will. However, the Search Team has done a wonderful job in fulfilling the assignment you gave them.

So, what do I think? After serving as your Interim Executive Director – Treasurer for 15 plus months and gaining a comprehensive understanding of what is needed to be EDT of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, I do not know how you could find a leader more qualified, capable, and willing to lead you at this time in history.

I heartily affirm the nomination of my friend and professional colleague in ministry, Dr. Gary Hollingsworth, to be your next Executive Director – Treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention!