When Clay Warf became president of the N.C. Baptist Foundation 25 years ago, he admitted to not having a lot of experience in financial investing, which is something he said he’d need to learn more about in his new role.

One thing he did know about, however, was investing in people, which paid huge dividends throughout his long ministry in N.C. Baptist life as a pastor and denominational leader.

Warf retired on Dec. 31, 2023, after serving more than 50 years in vocational ministry, the last 25 of which were spent leading the work of the N.C. Baptist Foundation, which was renamed Provision Financial Resources of N.C. Baptists in September.

“I’ve told anyone who would listen that I’d retire on Dec. 31 and on Jan. 2, I’d be looking for a job,” said Warf, a Reidsville, N.C., native who pastored churches in Durham and Roxboro for nearly 30 years before being chosen to serve as the foundation’s president. “My sweet wife has reminded me regularly that the Bible says nothing about retirement, and she’s right.” 

Warf, who turns 79 this month, described himself as a “a blessed man” for the opportunity to serve N.C. Baptists for so long. He added that he’s still in good health and believes he still has some good years of ministry left in him.

“Sure, I might kick it back a notch, but I’m more of a pedal to the metal kind of person,” Warf said.

He’ll still be involved with the ministry of Provision. Warf will serve as an ambassador for the ministry he led for so long, and during a retirement celebration held in early December, Provision board chairman Rodney Hicks announced that the board and Provision staff were bestowing on Warf the honorary title of president emeritus.

“You’ve been president and served well, and now we want to honor you in perpetuity,” Hicks said during Warf’s retirement celebration. “Nothing that’s said or done here tonight will ever be enough to show our appreciation, but we love you. You’ve impacted so many lives.”

Harry Nelson, who became president of Provision on Jan. 1 and spent the last half of 2023 serving alongside Warf as president-elect, described Warf as a humble leader and said working with him has been a joy.

“Even though it’s been such a short time, getting to know and learn from Clay has been a great highlight of my life,” Nelson said. “He’s already been an encourager, friend and mentor to me. I see the indelible fingerprints of Clay’s decades of leadership on Provision, and I’m humbled to follow in his footsteps.”

Warf became the fourth president of the N.C. Baptist Foundation on April 13, 1998, and during his 25-year tenure as president, the organization’s assets under management more than doubled, growing from $70 million to nearly $180 million.

Warf also grew the number of trusts and endowments managed by the foundation and also added professional asset management consultants to assist with investments. Warf raised the visibility of the foundation’s ministry by hiring area managers across the state while also providing services that focus on Christian estate planning, academic scholarships, church loans and other local church ministries.

As a pastor, Warf developed a heart for biblical teachings on stewardship, finances and investing in kingdom causes, which helped pave the way for his success as the foundation’s president.

“Not only were we able to grow assets, but more importantly, we were able to develop relationships with a lot of North Carolina Baptists and churches we might not have reached otherwise,” said Dolly Pierce, Provision’s executive vice president and chief financial and operating officer.

And it was those personal relationships and investments in others that Warf made throughout his ministry that many of his coworkers, colleagues and friends recalled during his retirement celebration. Pierce said she was among those who benefitted from Warf’s kindness, grace and compassion through the years.

“Clay emulates the kind of loving concern for others that Jesus does for the human race as described in Matthew,” Pierce said. “I personally have been the benefactor of his prayers and expressions of loving concern through the years, and I know that most of you, if not all of you, have as well.”

Along with Pierce, numerous other friends and colleagues recounted times when Warf was there to walk with them during times of both joy and sadness in their lives. Many of them used similar words in their descriptions of Warf – colleague, mentor, friend and more.

In his early days of ministry, Daryl Trexler said he considered Warf a “Baptist celebrity” that he would see each year at the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s annual meeting. Then one Sunday afternoon, Trexler ran into Warf at a local barbecue restaurant in Leland, near Wilmington. After working up the nerve to approach him, Trexler said he found Warf to be gracious and humble.  

“He was so nice,” Trexler said. “He was much more down to earth than I ever expected a Baptist legend to be.”

In 2015, Trexler joined the foundation’s staff and now serves as Provision’s assistant vice president for financial services. Trexler said Warf spent a lot of time with him through the years and would frequently ask about his interests outside of work, like his family, his children, sports or his golf game. All of that left an impression on Trexler.

“I heard Clay say when he first came to the foundation that he wasn’t much of an investment guy, and  he had to learn that piece of it,” Trexler said. “Clay, I don’t know about then, but I will tell you now, in my eyes, you are an investment expert.

“Thank you for investing in me, thank you for investing in my children, thank you for investing in my family, thank you for investing in us. My prayer is that your investment will return great, great returns.”

Others recounted similar stories of Warf’s investment in their lives.

Jeff Roberts, senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh where Warf is an active member, described Warf as a Baptist statesman, churchman and servant of Jesus. 

Drawing upon Psalm 71, which reflects the prayer of an aging saint that many commentators believe to be King David, Roberts shared three truths that Warf exemplified throughout his ministry – that God is faithful, we are dependent upon Him and He has a plan for us.

“No matter our season of life, we have a future in the kingdom of God,” Roberts said. “We still have work to do, songs to sing, good news to tell. So Clay, you’ve been an inspiration to us. You’ve modeled for us this Psalm. You’ve reminded us of the faithfulness of God. You showed us how to rely upon God day after day, year after year, season after season. You kept telling the good news.

“I pray for you in this transition that God still has much for you to do in the kingdom of God.”