Royston to step down from N.C. convention

Royston to step down from N.C. convention

CARY, N.C. — Jim Royston will step down as executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. George Bullard, associate executive director since 2003, has been named as interim.

Royston, 57, plans to retire from denominational service and become senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Mooresville, N.C., near Charlotte.

The North Carolina convention is deeply divided between conservatives and moderates. Recent annual meetings have featured bitter battles over the convention’s officers and budget. But Royston said his decision is spurred by his desire to return to the pastorate. “There’s never been a doubt in my mind that in Baptist life the rubber hits the road where congregations impact their communities with the gospel,” he wrote in a column announcing his resignation.

Bullard will serve as acting executive director until the convention’s annual meeting in November, according to the state convention’s newspaper, Biblical Recorder. If the board of directors does not have a candidate to present at that time, he could be reappointed for the next year or another person could be appointed as acting executive director. Bullard stated that he is not a permanent candidate, based on his personal belief that persons in interim positions should not be considered on a permanent basis. (BP)