Wes Church, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Columbia, will be nominated for president-elect of the South Carolina Baptist Convention by Tim Williams, pastor of Roebuck Baptist Church.
Church’s calling to ministry began while he was at McCall Royal Ambassador Camp. He stated, “It was the first time the Lord actually put a desire for vocational ministry in my heart.” Since that time, he has grown in various areas of church ministry — all at Columbia First.
During his first nine years, he was college minister, followed by seven years as minister of discipleship. It was during this time that discipleship became his focus in life and service.
Following Wendell Estep’s retirement as senior pastor, Church was unanimously called as senior pastor in 2018.
“It was my privilege to serve as Wes Church’s pastor during his late teenage years. He was a leader among his peers and was held in great respect by our entire fellowship,” said Williams. “It has since been a blessing for me to see Wes honor the Lord by his life and ministry as he has grown into a trusted leader and pastoral colleague here in South Carolina.”
After pointing out that he could think of no one more capable than Church for the office of president-elect, Williams said, “His integrity and humility, coupled with his leadership skills and pastor’s heart, make Wes the ideal representative for our network of churches and institutions. His 20-plus years of service at Columbia First are testimony to God’s hand upon his life and ministry.”
At last year’s annual meeting, Church nominated Albert Allen, pastor of First Baptist Church, Newberry, as president-elect. Allen becomes president following the 2022 meeting.
Church is married to Rachel, and they have three boys, Caleb, Evan, and Andrew, and one daughter, Amelia. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and a master of divinity degree from the Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University.
He currently serves as vice chair for The Baptist Courier’s board of trustees.