Brian Toney has been the pastor at Furman Baptist Church since March of 2016.  Pastor Brian grew up in the town of Clemson where he was very active in his home church, Clemson United Methodist.  He is a 1993 graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.  In 1999, Pastor Brian met his wife Anna Greene Toney who is originally from Estill.  In 2002 ,they moved home to Estill where Pastor Brian still currently works as store manager of Wiggins and Son Hardware.  Brian and Anna have two beautiful daughters ages 17 and 13.

 

Brian's call to ministry began not long after his active role in the youth program at Lawtonville Baptist Church in Estill.  There he spent 7 years building a rock solid foundation of Christ's love in the hearts and minds of many teenagers.  Brian contributes the many years of mission trips, youth retreats, and strong spiritual guidance of people of faith to helping him hear God's calling him to the ministry.  In 2016, Brian was ordained as a pastor.  As Pastor Brian grew in his ministry, he was recently chosen to attend a ten day pilgrimage to the Holy Land with other pastors from across the county.  When asked about his time there, he says "My experience of walking in the footsteps of our Lord has deepened my love and desire to share God's word.  After being in the Holy Land, the scripture now comes to life.  Being able to have a visual with the word of God enhanced my relationship with Him and I know my ministry has never been the same since." 

 

Pastor Brian's thoughts about his ministry and Furman Baptist Church?  "My goal in ministry is to speak the truth of scripture and to share with others the joy in walking daily with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Through persistent prayer, in depth Bible study, and by standing firmly in God's word, I pray that Furman Baptist Church will always remain a shining light on a hill - one that shines bright for Jesus Christ."

 

Pastor Brian's favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.