Tony Beam will become the new director of the Office of Public Policy for the South Carolina Baptist Convention beginning Jan. 1, 2021. He will maintain his position as director of Church and Community Engagement at North Greenville University.
Tony Beam
SCBC Executive Director-Treasurer Gary Hollingsworth said that, with the blessings of NGU President Gene Fant, “Tony will spend two days per week in Columbia (during the legislative session) speaking to critical issues of the day, such as pro-life legislation and other moral and spiritual matters. He will represent official stances taken by the South Carolina Baptist Convention through their approved resolutions and motions.”
Beam’s duties will include working with the Christian Life and Public Affairs Committee, coordinating an annual Legislative Luncheon, meeting with members of the legislature, and providing information to SCBC churches related to important legislation.
Both Beam and Hollingsworth praised the work of retiring director Joe Mack. “Joe has done an incredible job leading the Office of Public Policy for over 20 years,” Beam noted. “I am excited and humbled to have the opportunity to work with our political leaders to make sure the moral issues that overlap with the world of politics are being addressed and supported.”
Beam will work alongside Mack this summer in a volunteer position as the two meet with the Christian Life and Public Affairs Committee and the Resolutions Committee.
Hollingsworth stated, “Joe is well-known and well-loved, and we plan to honor him in some way at this year’s annual meeting in November. He retired but was brought back in a part-time capacity two years ago.” Mack’s full retirement came at the end of the 2020 legislative session.
“I can’t fill Joe’s shoes, but I hope to continue to address his legacy of keeping South Carolina Baptists informed and our state political leaders engaged with the biblical and moral issues of our day,” Beam added.