June 4, 2021
Contact: Brad Jurkovich, spokesman, Conservative Baptist Network
(318) 588-0819; [email protected]
Bossier City, La. — A group of trusted South Carolina Baptist pastors and leaders today announce the formation of a South Carolina chapter of the Conservative Baptist Network. The national network of churches was launched in 2020 to bring positive, biblical solutions that strengthen the SBC in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission.
With gratitude for the kingdom work in South Carolina and around the world, South Carolina leaders form a new chapter. The South Carolina state chapter leaders include: Chad Campbell, immediate past president of the South Carolina Pastors Conference and senior pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Easley, S.C.; Kyle Caudell, current member of the South Carolina Executive Committee and senior pastor of Union Baptist Church in Iva, S.C.; Wayne Dickard, retired South Carolina pastor and former SCBC president; Tommy Kelly, former SCBC president and senior pastor of Varnville First Baptist Church in Varnville, S.C.; and Joey Deese, senior pastor of Oakdale Baptist Church in Rock Hill, S.C.
The South Carolina state chapter also includes men such as Tom Tucker, who has served as president of the SCBC, as chairman of the South Carolina Baptist Executive Committee, and who is a current member of the Network’s national Steering Council.
Chad Campbell, serving as South Carolina’s state coordinator, expressed his excitement about the launch of the new chapter.
“One of our greatest desires is to assist our state convention in accomplishing its vision of every life being saturated and transformed by the hope of the gospel,” Campbell said. “We can do that while championing the sufficiency of the Scriptures. It’s been encouraging to hear from grassroot Baptists that desire to have a collective voice. So many have disengaged from Convention life because they feel they have no voice. It’s my hope that this state chapter provides a platform for these vital voices to be heard.”
Former SCBC President Wayne Dickard offered similar sentiments.
“I am so pleased to be a part of the launch of a state chapter of the Conservative Baptist Network,” Dickard said. “We will boldly proclaim that the Scriptures are sufficient, reliable, and trustworthy for every issue of our age. I’m proud to stand in support of a state chapter.”
Kyle Caudell, a current member of the SCBC Executive Committee, said he looks forward to seeing much of what has transpired on a national level in the Conservative Baptist Network take place on a local level in South Carolina.
“I’ve already been blessed by some encouraging and edifying conversations and events that have taken place as well as many gospel saturated connections that have been made through the Conservative Baptist Network,” Caudell said. “I am thrilled to know that these things will now continue on a deeper and more intimate level through the formation and launch of a state chapter here in South Carolina.”
Gene Hogan, a layman who attends Highland Park Baptist Church in Hanahan S.C. and who served from 2006 to 2019 as a member of the SCBC Executive Committee, suggests fellow Baptists seize the moment to engage themselves in the new state chapter as well, fostering representation and involvement in the SBC among both ministers and laymen.
“As a layman I am excited to see a state chapter of the Conservative Baptist Network and encourage my brothers and sisters in the pews to engage as well,” Hogan said.
Former SCBC President Tommy Kelly said he, too, appreciates the opportunity to form the new state chapter.
“The Conservative Baptist Network has been a breath of fresh air for may Southern Baptists,” Kelly said. “I fully endorse this grassroots movement that will champion the gospel and the sufficiency of Scripture.”
Learn more and join the South Carolina chapter on the Network’s website at ConservativeBaptistNetwork.com/South-Carolina.
###
The Conservative Baptist Network is a broad-based grassroots movement of Southern Baptists of all generations who are committed to the sufficiency of Scripture for all facets of life and application. Its 55-member Steering Council includes pastors and laypeople from across America, including well-known figures such as former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, past SBC President Charles Stanley, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Vice President Tom Phillips, and immediate past SBC Executive Committee Chairman Mike Stone. The Steering Council can be found online at ConservativeBaptistNetwork.com.
