Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries (CMCM) is excited to announce the appointment of Philip Turner, current Pastor of Discipleship at First Baptist Church of Columbia, S.C., as the new Director for Church Engagement. He will begin his new duties at CMCM in March 2023.
Turner has a wealth of experience, having served nearly 25 years in church ministry across South Carolina. Currently, he serves as the Pastor of Discipleship at First Baptist Church of Columbia, S.C., since 2014 and previously was the Middle School Minister for four years. Before those roles, Turner served as the Lead Pastor at First Baptist Church of Wagener, S.C., the Student Pastor at Catalyst Church and Hampton Heights Baptist Church and worked as a student intern at Edwards Road Baptist Church, all in Greenville, S.C.
Dr. Danny Nicholson, President of Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries, believes Turner’s arrival is critical to achieving CMCM’s bold and ambitious 10-year strategic plan, A Decade of Dreams. “We are beyond excited to have Philip join the Connie Maxwell family! He will play a valuable role in helping us accomplish a broad spectrum of engagement to our South Carolina churches”.
Turner currently serves on the Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries Board of Trustees after joining the board in 2019. “Like many, I grew up seeing the Connie Maxwell calendar on my grandmother’s kitchen cabinet and serving on campus while on a mission trip in high school,” Turner shared.
Dr. Nicholson connected with Turner while speaking at FBC Columbia in 2019. Turner reminisced about his time with Danny stating, “I was able to learn what God was doing on campus and his vision for the future of CMCM. We laughed and cried as he shared testimonies and stories of the children and families they were serving. A few weeks later, Danny called and asked if I would be interested in serving on the board.”
Being on the board has been a joyful experience for Turner. “Every time I leave the CMCM campus following a board meeting, I am fired up about what the Lord is doing. I would call my wife and tell her all about it”, Turner said. He went on to share, “After being in the same room with Danny and seeing the clear vision of where he wants CMCM to go, it’s clear he will honor the Lord and CMCM’s history as he seeks to fulfill the ministry’s vision and help the dreams of children and families come true.”
Jay Boyd, Senior Vice President for Strategy & Engagement, believes Turner’s new role helps build upon the 130-year history of church support. “From prayer warriors and volunteer groups to financial support, South Carolina Baptists have always been leaders in helping children and families receiving care at Connie Maxwell,” Boyd said. “We aim to build on this foundation. We want to equip and engage churches with meaningful opportunities to serve vulnerable children in their community and across the Palmetto State.” Boyd continued, “Every church – regardless of size, style, or location – can make an impact, and Philip is an ideal candidate to lead this important initiative!”
Turner stated, “In this role, I’m excited to start meeting with pastors and church leaders and share all that CMCM is doing. I want to develop a plan to help them equip and engage their congregations in the foster care ministry initiatives and highlight the other challenges we face at CMCM.”
A native of Florence, S.C., Turner is a two-time graduate of North Greenville University in Tigerville, S.C. He received his Bachelor of Christian Studies in 2004 and Master of Christian Ministry in 2014. He was ordained in 2008. Turner is in the final stages of his doctoral studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Turner is married to Emily Ann Winburn Turner. They have three kids, Manning, Wyatt, and Sally. They reside in Lexington, S.C.
