As the time for his official retirement as executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention approached, Carlisle Driggers answered this series of questions posed by The Baptist Courier.
In your book, “A Journey of Faith and Hope,” you portrayed South Carolina Baptists as being on a pilgrimage that began with the state convention’s organization in 1821. Where is our convention now, and are you satisfied with its progress during the past 15 years?
Carlisle DriggersThe South Carolina Baptist Convention has deep roots. Our history is to be honored. I believe that it is wise and necessary for any organization to study the strengths and the weaknesses of previous years, and then to plan for the future based on what has been learned. It is always best to build on strengths rather than weaknesses.
During my early months with our convention back in 1990-91 when I was the executive assistant, I spent considerable time reading and researching our history. It became obvious to me that those first Baptists in South Carolina, dating back to the late 1690s, had a love in their hearts for what has become known as evangelism and missions. That love has remained through the generations. I simply felt we could build on that strength, and we have.
For a fact, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18), or to state it positively, “Where there is a vision based on the word of God, the people thrive.” Pursuing missions and evangelism ministries is living out the heart of our Lord. I have sought at all times to keep our work focused on the call of Jesus in missions and evangelism, which truly is our primary strength today. I am most grateful for our progress.
In your judgment, what is the overall health of the South Carolina Baptist Convention regarding the work of its churches and institutions?
The relationship between the South Carolina Baptist Convention and our seven institutions is now as vibrant and healthy as I have ever seen it. Those institutions are Anderson University, Baptist Courier, Baptist Foundation, Charleston Southern University, Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, North Greenville University, and South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging.
Every one of them values their connection to the South Carolina Baptist Convention and is seeking to strengthen the ties that bind. While it is true that some of our people in the churches do not commend the support of the South Carolina Baptist Convention for our institutions, many others do and desire for the support to even increase.
All of the institutions see themselves as vital agencies of the total mission enterprise of the convention.
What do you believe are the most critical issues facing South Carolina Baptists?
Religious researchers are declaring that there is an unprecedented movement of God all across the world these days. As a matter of fact, that movement has been underway for the past decade or so. The fastest-growing world religion is Christianity.
I am so hopeful that our people in the churches of the South Carolina Baptist Convention will not miss what God is doing because of our lack of awareness or apathy or our self-centeredness. We need to be encouraged and resolute as Christian disciples. This is the critical issue for us in every regard. It touches everything we are about as followers of Jesus Christ in the 21st century.
Empowering Kingdom Growth, as a strategy for strengthening the churches for the task of building the kingdom of God, is your “brain child” – a strategy that gained national importance when it was adopted as an emphasis by the Southern Baptist Convention. How did it begin in your mind and heart, how is it doing in South Carolina and around the SBC, and what is its future?
Concerning Empowering Kingdom Growth, when I was approached by the leaders of the South Carolina Baptist Convention back in 1990 to join the staff, I responded by saying that I would want to find every way possible for convention personnel to serve the churches.
After a great amount of discussion and planning in 1991-1992, by a cross section of our Baptist people in South Carolina and in the Southern Baptist Convention, we realized that we needed a clear, spiritual vision for our work.
After much prayer and scripture study, it was determined that our focus needed a response to the call of Jesus “to seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:32-33). Hence, Empowering Kingdom Growth was launched in South Carolina in November 1992 and adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2002.
It has been so inspiring to learn about churches across the land and world that have put in place a kingdom vision. Those churches are seeing the world as Jesus saw it from the cross of Calvary, and they are practicing their faith accordingly. God is blessing them abundantly.
Dr. Ken Hemphill is the national Southern Baptist Convention strategist for Empowering Kingdom Growth, and he has many marvelous stories to tell of his ministry among the churches. In South Carolina, it is inspiring to see and hear of so many of our churches that have enlarged their concept of the world by claiming a kingdom vision. They are all around the state in every location and of various sizes and ages.
I will say that I have been amazed at the positive impact my little book, “A Journey of Faith and Hope,” has had on the whole emphasis of Empowering Kingdom Growth. It really has been remarkable. I thank God for using that effort to bless our work both far and near.
As you reflect on your 15 years as executive director, what pleases and disappoints you the most about the work of South Carolina Baptists?
I suppose my greatest joy is over the kingdom growth focus that has emerged among our churches, associations, and institutions. I hear kingdom references everywhere.
Also, I am so very pleased that we have learned that money follows mission, and that it is well known now that the convention staff exists to serve the churches rather than be served by the churches.
Servant leadership is a fixture in my heart for those persons who are employed with the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
My greatest disappointments have been two – the declining average percentage since the late 1980s of Cooperative Program monies in a number of church budgets, plus the lack of growth in baptisms. However, it is yet to be known for sure because the records are still being studied from 2006, but all indications appear that there was an upturn in the Cooperative Program percentage and in baptisms for the year. In addition, I have been constantly concerned about so many churches that just drift along rather than focus on kingdom growth. Those congregations are missing out on the blessings of God!
Also, I have been disappointed at how unaware so many churches are about the vast, excellent resources available to them for growth and development. Those resources are at the convention building in Columbia and at various agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention.
We are constantly communicating with the churches about the help available to them because of the Cooperative Program, but it is almost impossible to get the attention of far too many of our pastors and church members. That is the greatest challenge of our convention staff personnel.
Denominationalism is said to be on the decline, that entities such as the South Carolina Baptist Convention are antiquated and must give way to more innovative ways of accomplishing the work of the Lord. What do you believe about the future of denominationalism in South Carolina and the SBC itself?
While it is true that all mainline denominations have been declining in the past 30 years or so, both across the state and the nation, the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention have shown increases in practically all areas of our ministries, even though some of the increases have been slight.
For a fact, the Cooperative Program sets Southern Baptists apart from all other denominations and gives us much stability and resiliency. Several years ago, I read a statement by Dr. Martin Marty of the University of Chicago that really caught my attention. He is the world’s most respected church historian.
Dr. Marty wrote that believers in Jesus have always, for the most part, banded together for support, fellowship, worship, etc. He declared that while some denominations may fade, others will rise up to take their place.
In other words, there will always be denominations of one kind or another. I think Dr. Marty is correct. South Carolina Baptists and Southern Baptists will be around for a long time to come.
Interest in, and support for, the Cooperative Program appears to be on the increase among Southern Baptists. What would you like to see happen in South Carolina regarding the Cooperative Program?
For the Cooperative Program to grow and expand, it will be as necessary as ever, or even more so for those who lead us, especially pastors, to be enthusiastic supporters and examples of Cooperative Program giving. That is the greatest key to growth of the Cooperative Program for these days and the years ahead.
Without a strong commitment to the Cooperative Program as the primary funding stream for all we do as Southern Baptists, we will be in big trouble. The Cooperative Program is our lifeline to the world in keeping with the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).
My personal commitment to the Cooperative Program continues to deepen with every passing year.
What do you believe is the key to maintaining harmony and a cooperative spirit among South Carolina Baptists?
Without question, the biggest factor in the South Carolina Baptist Convention for maintaining stability and harmony is a clear spiritual vision, easily understood and readily accepted by the majority of our people. That is why Empowering Kingdom Growth has been so helpful to us in South Carolina since the early 1990s. The power of vision is real.
What would you like for your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered by South Carolina Baptists?
I could hope that my legacy will be that I helped churches to catch a kingdom perspective as they grew to the glory of God, and also that the South Carolina Baptist Convention made such notable progress during my tenure that the pastors and people became prepared and poised for outstanding kingdom growth during the new century. For a fact, I sought to lead and assist the South Carolina Baptist Convention to make a constructive, God-honoring transition from the 20th century to the 21st century.