South Carolina Baptist Convention Executive Board committees recommended to the full board several convention organizational changes and addressed the end of the Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis in South Carolina, which will officially conclude next month.
In a recommendation by the planning and ministries committee, the board approved a planning timeline for a new vision emphasis. The timeline covers most of next year and would culminate with a new emphasis presented at the 2008 annual meeting in Columbia.
Mark Powers
Roger OrmanAn interim convention staff reorganization was also approved by the board. Effective Nov. 1, Roger Orman, current team leader of church development team, will be the director of a new communications and ministry development team that includes all communication related groups, the Cooperative?Program and stewardship group, and print and data services.? A permanent staff reorganization will be completed next year to support the new EKG plan. ?
The administrative committee also approved Mark Powers as the director of the convention’s worship and music group. Powers is currently the minister of music at First Baptist Church, North Augusta.
In his first Executive Board meeting, executive director-treasurer Jim Austin encouraged board members to expand the reach of the convention.
“We’ve been fishing in the same pond with the same result when there are so many other ponds,” he said.
Austin mentioned the challenges of ministering to churches with multi-generational congregations and ethnic minorities.
“One issue we have to address is the polarization of our churches,” he said. “We have our work cut out for us. Let’s get busy.”