Sonny Holmes, 61, pastor of Northwood Baptist Church, North Charleston, has been elected president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
Sonny Holmes talks with reporters Nov.17 following his election as president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.Of 569 ballots cast by messengers at the SCBC annual meeting in the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on Wednesday morning, Nov. 17, Holmes received 356 votes. D.J. Horton, pastor of Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church, Moore, received 213 votes.
Holmes was nominated by Skip Owens, director of denominational relations at Charleston Southern University and pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Meggett.
“Sonny’s ministry experience, passion for souls, vision for missions and desire to enhance others entering the ministry qualify him to serve as our convention president,” Owens said.
“Sonny is a servant leader,” Owens said. “Northwood has baptized 100 in the past two years, and he has kept the church focused on missions. During a $5.2 million building program, the church gave 10 percent to the Cooperative Program, and continued to support the [Charleston] association. He has guided the congregation to plant churches in South Carolina and Central Asia.”
By acclamation, messengers also elected Brad Atkins, pastor, Powdersville First Baptist Church, Easley, as first vice president; Brad Kelley, pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church, West Union, as second vice president; Faye Carroll, a member of Bethel Baptist Church, Westminster, and ministry assistant at Utica Baptist Church, Seneca, as recording secretary; and Frankie Melton, pastor, First Baptist Church, Heath Springs, as registration secretary.
At a press conference following his election, Holmes spoke about confronting polarization occurring within the state convention, especially as it relates to the Great Commission Resurgence, funding of the state’s institutions, and relational gaps between younger and older pastors.
He also spoke about restoring the local church’s confidence in the state convention.
“I’ve been grieved at this meeting by the either-or attitude [over several issues],” he said. “We are in serious times, and we’d better get with it. We have difficulties, and we can’t keep batting them from one committee to another. I just believe we are geared for slow on many things, and we need to speed up.”
Holmes admitted that the presidency is a one-year opportunity, but “the president has a microphone and a seat at the table. I will use my voice.”
He encouraged South Carolina Baptist institutions, saying, “I really don’t believe it’s in the heart of Baptists in the pews of our churches to eliminate or defund or disassociate ourselves from any of our – institutions.”
On behalf of young pastors, he said, “Young leaders are not swayed by words. We must demonstrate a seriousness regarding our role and mission as a state convention. Having a dinner or even a great speaker is not going to bring them to the table. They’ll come to the table when we get serious about defining our mission and who we are as a denomination and become this new buzzword, missional, we hear about these days.”
Holmes said it’s important for the convention to evaluate “how we do our business and reorganize our business. Let’s streamline, and if we do that, we are going to find a whole lot of money for missions and ministry. We will be more efficient and effective. I’d like to look back in a year and see that we found a fresh way to do things.
Newly elected SCBC officers, from left: Frankie Melton, registration secretary; Brad Atkins, first vice president; Sonny Holmes, president; Brad Kelley, second vice president; and Faye Carroll, recording secretary.“We have become so predictable in what we do and what we say. Our meetings are just like they were 50 years ago. We have meetings and pray and say we’re going to reach the world for Christ. We’ve been saying that for 2,000 years. Let’s get on with it.”
The new president hopes to get out and visit in churches across the state, saying, “I have a great staff at Northwood, and that will free me to get out and visit churches.” He already networks with young church planters in and around North Charleston, and meets regularly with pastor friends Curt Bradford, Marshall Blalock, and Ron Dillon, who “represent different churches and different approaches to ministry. Along with church planters, these are the guys I hang out with.”
Holmes said he has been a member of a Baptist church since his mother wrote “Baby Holmes” on the nursery roll in 1949.
Holmes and his wife, Harriett, have been married for 37 years, and the couple has two grown children and one grandson. He is a Citadel graduate and spends each Friday morning sitting on the porch of The Citadel’s Mark Clark Hall, where he finalizes his sermon for the coming Sunday and meets with cadets, some of whom are thinking of becoming military chaplains after college.
Holmes said his “Fridays with Mark Clark” (Clark was a World War II general and was president of The Citadel from 1954-66), provide a good setting for him to reflect, gather his thoughts for the weekend over a cup of coffee and to “interact with some cadets God is going to use in the future.” Holmes said he encourages cadets thinking about the chaplaincy to consider attending Southeastern Seminary, where he serves as a trustee.
Originally from Greenville, Holmes holds a business administration degree. After working eight years in commercial banking and hospital financial administration, he answered a call to ministry and entered Southeastern Seminary, where he earned a master of divinity degree in 1980. In 1990 he completed requirements for the doctor of ministry degree.
He has served as pastor at Northwood Church since 2003. He previously pastored Hampton Heights Baptist Church in Greenville (1986-2001) and First Baptist Church, Goose Creek (1982-1986). From 2001-2003, he was director of pastoral ministries for the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
Holmes has been a member of the SCBC’s committee on committees and the bylaws committee. He has served as a trustee of The Baptist Courier and the Baptist Foundation of South Carolina. He also has served on the credentials committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.
– Vaughan is a freelance writer for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Blume is managing editor of the Courier.