GREENVILLE, S.C. — James Rudy Gray, a pastor, writer and Christian counselor with roots in journalism, has been named the 11th editor and president of the Baptist Courier, the official newspaper of the South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC).
Gray, 59, was elected unanimously by members of the Courier’s board of trustees at their fall meeting in Greenville, S.C., on Sept. 7.
He will succeed Don Kirkland, 68, who announced in March that he will retire at the end of 2012, capping a 38-year career with South Carolina Baptists’ denominational newspaper. Kirkland has served as editor and president since March 1996.
In addition to holding a degree from Anderson University, Gray is a graduate of Southern Wesleyan University and Luther Rice Seminary, where he earned master of theology and doctor of ministry degrees. He is also a graduate of Liberty University with a master of arts in counseling.
He previously served as pastor of Roebuck Baptist Church; First Baptist Church, Central; and Unity Baptist Church, Starr — all in South Carolina.
He was elected president of the SCBC in 2009 and is a past board member and chairman for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He served two terms on the Courier’s board of trustees in the 1990s and was back on the board in a current role when elected as editor.
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