Moments after he was elected president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention on Nov. 12, Rudy Gray said during a press conference that he hopes to bring his experience as a marriage and family counselor to bear on the state convention’s newly adopted spiritual emphasis, “Experiencing Kingdom Life.”
Rudy Gray, pastor of Utica Baptist Church, Seneca, addresses reporters following his election as president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention on Nov. 12 at the convention’s annual meeting in Columbia.“If I could have anything to do, it would be to talk about strengthening families,” said Gray, author of a recent book, “Marriage That Works Is Work.” Gray also writes a column for The Baptist Courier about keys to healthy marriages and families.
“I think the home is basic,” Gray said. “If I could incorporate ways to strengthen families into [Experiencing Kingdom Life], that would be what I’d want to emphasize,” he said.
Gray, pastor of Utica Baptist Church in Seneca, also responded to questions from reporters about:
– The role of South Carolina churches in the midst of a national economic crisis: “We have to help those who need help. I think that’s biblical. The people that God has blessed are the people who need to be faithful in stewardship, even in hard times.
– Encouraging greater attendance and participation at the SCBC annual meeting: “We’re beginning to have a divide at the national as well as state levels. We’re not reaching a lot of the younger people. We need to find some ways to do that.”
– Challenges regarding the traditional role of denominations: “We’ve got to find a way to somewhat change the methodology without changing the message, without changing the doctrine. I think it’s doable. I don’t think you have to compromise the message of the truth to change the methodology, but I don’t think every methodology is good, either. You have to be careful. We don’t have to reflect the culture, but I think we can reach the culture more effectively by making some changes in the way we do things.”
Gray also spoke about his “personal mission work,” his weekly visits to “Home with a Heart,” a non-denominational men’s residential facility near Liberty for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. “This place works,” he said. “Guys are getting sober, and families are getting their daddies back, and wives are getting their husbands. It’s rough, it’s tough, but it’s a blessing.”