He may have been “an unknown quantity” at first, as search committee chairman Tim Williams described him, but Jim Austin will quickly become familiar to, and accepted by, South Carolina Baptists.
Don KirklandBy his wide experience, he is well-suited for the challenges he will face as executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He has a grasp of, and a passion for, the Great Commission ministries that have fostered a spirit of unity among the Baptists in our state and which have spurred our convention on in the task of helping to build God’s kingdom on earth.
Added to the obvious skills that should make him an effective administrator for the Baptist Building’s more than 100 employees and a leader for the some 750,000 Southern Baptists in South Carolina, Austin also will be well-served by two qualities that will endear him to all: his sincere humility and his sense of humor. Both were evident as he addressed messengers to the called convention prior to his election. It was a “humbling experience,” he said, to even be considered for the post of executive director.
For Austin, there will be an accent placed on discipleship in the faith as well as the evangelistic work necessary for bringing the lost into the fold to become disciples of Christ. And one of the best tools for the task of evangelism, he believes, is the home, where Christianity ought to be “modeled.”
The former associate director for Missouri Baptists embraces the principles of Empowering Kingdom Growth, which grew from a statewide emphasis in South Carolina to a national strategy among Southern Baptists. In view of its goal of strengthening the churches for their God-assigned work, it would be “impossible to improve on Empowering Kingdom Growth,” Austin said at a March 27 meeting of the convention’s Executive Board.
It is a given that Austin will give unflinching support to the Cooperative Program. Williams told messengers that at one point in the interview process Austin was asked, “Are you sold out to the Cooperative Program?” Austin replied, “I am sold out to Jesus and very committed to the Cooperative Program.” This is as it should be.
Jim Austin is assuming leadership of a convention with a rich heritage of work on behalf of the kingdom of God and a future filled with opportunity for continued service in the name of Christ.
Our hopes are high. Our expectations are great. Our resources – both spiritual and material – are, through the providence of God, more than ample for every work of ministry that our Lord expects of us. Our new executive director-treasurer can count on the collective good will, as well as the fervent prayers, of South Carolina Baptists as he ministers in our midst.
Welcome to South Carolina, Jim Austin.