South Carolina Baptist Convention messengers unanimously elected Tony Wolfe as the new executive director-treasurer Monday afternoon (March 20) in a special called meeting at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia.
Wolfe will start his new position April 1 and will replace Gary Hollingsworth, who is retiring after serving in that role for eight years.
Ian Geimer, search committee chairman, said the process of finding God’s man to lead South Carolina Baptists required months of interviews, research, prayer and discussion, but in the end, Wolfe emerged as the clear choice.
‘Humble nature,’ ‘godly character’
“We believe Dr. Tony Wolfe’s qualifications begin with his love for Jesus,” Geimer said. “Ever since his salvation, he has dedicated his life to loving, following and trusting the Lord. This love for God is best exemplified in his being a godly husband to Vanessa, a godly father to Ethan and Aaron. It was also recognized by our committee his humble nature, the numerous testimonies to his godly character, and his unrelenting desire to go only where God calls him.”
Wolfe, a Louisiana native, comes to South Carolina after having served as associate executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas since 2017. The 40-year-old Wolfe is the son of a Baptist pastor and has served in Texas and Louisiana in various ministry positions, including pastor, worship leader, counselor, educator and denominational leader, with 23 years of ministry experience.
Wolfe said it became clear to him early in the process that God was calling him to serve Baptist churches of South Carolina.
“After my first interview with the search committee, I was convicted and convinced that there was something special happening here,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe outlined three priorities that will occupy the first six months of his work: meeting Baptists of South Carolina, asking them questions and building trust.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Jeff Robinson and originally published by Baptist Courier.
