Don Wilton, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church Spartanburg, announced Aug. 14 his intention to retire.

A native of South Africa, Wilton has pastored the church 29 years. He also serves as president of The Encouraging Word television ministry and has written several books and numerous magazine articles.

Wilton was close friends with evangelist Billy Graham, who was a member of FBC Spartanburg from 2008 until his death in 2018.

Wilton served with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s schools of evangelism in the 1980s but didn’t meet Graham until 1993. Wilton had just preached his first sermon as pastor of First Baptist. The service was televised as part of the church’s TV ministry.

“Following my very first message, my telephone rang, and it was Dr. Billy Graham,” Wilton recalled after Graham’s death. “He was most kind to me. One can only imagine what was going through my mind.”

During Sunday’s announcement, Wilton expressed deep love and appreciation for his congregation and said the decision has been in the works since 2018.

Then in early 2020, the church was “absolutely booming,” and he prayed: “Lord, we need fresh leadership. I need to make way for a new pastor, just as I was when I was that age. Our church needs to go and find God’s man.”

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, pushed pause on his departure, and the church council’s initial target year of 2022 was put back in place.

“We knew it was time and that the time is now,” Wilton said Sunday. “Everything we’ve done has been with one heart and soul with the Lord Jesus. … God is on His throne, and He always has been.”

Following the announcement, Mickey Sobeski, the church’s chairman of deacons, said Wilton had agreed to stay as pastor until at least early 2023. Wilton brought the convention sermon at the 2006 SBC annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. He was president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention at the time.