Louisville, Ky., pastor Kevin Ezell is one step away from being the new president of the North American Mission Board (NAMB). His nomination for the position was announced Aug. 31 by NAMB presidential search committee chairman Ted Traylor.
Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church, Pensacola, Fla., said in a letter to the Florida Baptist Witness, “Kevin Ezell is a warm, personable leader who can make difficult choices in leading an organization to be laser-focused on the mission at hand.”
Ezell, the 48-year-old senior pastor of Highview Baptist Church, Louisville, and immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference, was the unanimous choice of the eight-person search committee. He will be presented for a vote of the full board of NAMB trustees during a special called meeting Sept. 14.
“I am humbled and honored by the search committee’s confidence and nomination,” Ezell told the Witness on Sept. 1. “I am looking forward to meeting the NAMB trustees and excited about the future possibilities.”
NAMB trustee Larry Gipson, pastor of First Baptist Church, Oneonta, served on the search committee.
“It is an exciting day for Southern Baptists,” he said. “We are confident that he will do an outstanding job. Our recommendation comes after much prayer and consideration of several qualified people.
“May we all pray for NAMB in the days ahead,” Gipson said, declining to answer questions related to Ezell’s nomination because the committee agreed Traylor would answer all media inquiries.
Ezell’s “communication and organizational skills” are cause for excitement for NAMB’s future, Traylor said.
“His family commitment to international adoption will be an inspiration to all Southern Baptists,” Traylor added. “He has led Highview Baptist Church, a multicampus ministry, with 12 percent of their budget being given to Southern Baptist causes. He is a loyal missions supporter.”
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, near Atlanta, said, “[Ezell] is a gifted leader, and so much of the convention was able to see what a great job he did of leading the Pastors Conference in Orlando in June.”
Wright urged prayer for Ezell “as God prepares him for this new calling of key leadership for Southern Baptists as we seek to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission.”
NAMB trustee chairman Tim Dowdy, pastor of Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church, McDonough, Ga., wrote in an Aug. 31 e-mail to trustees, “Kevin … is a gifted preacher and teacher and a faithful ambassador of the Lord with a passion for reaching the lost and touching the world for Jesus Christ.
“He has served at Highview since June 1996, when he stepped into a difficult situation to rebuild consensus and lead the church to flourish into what is now one church with seven locations in Kentucky and Indiana,” Dowdy wrote.
Dowdy praised the efforts of the search team and told trustees they will soon receive more information about Ezell, “but for now I want to make sure you know who will be presented so you could be in prayer for our meeting.”
A native of Paducah, Ky., Ezell was born in Germany during his father’s service in the U.S. Air Force.
Ezell has served on the board of trustees of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., including as its chairman, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of Boyce College, the undergraduate school of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, as well as Union’s Board of Reference.
He earned a bachelor of science degree from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, and a doctor of ministry degree from Southern Seminary.
Information from the 2009 Annual Church Profile maintained by LifeWay Christian Resources lists 121 baptisms at Highview Baptist and primary worship service attendance of 3,260.
Highview gave $140,100, or 2.23 percent, through the Cooperative Program from undesignated receipts of $6,270,057.
Its total missions expenditures of $1,350,170 includes $50,000 for the Lottie Moon Christian Offering for International Missions and $10,000 for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.
Ezell’s nomination is the culmination of a 10-month search that began in October 2009 following the forced resignation of then-NAMB president Geoff Hammond in August 2009.
Hammond’s predecessor, Bob Reccord, also resigned under pressure in 2006.
Richard Harris, NAMB vice president of missions advancement, has served as acting and interim president of NAMB since Hammond resigned.
Serving with Traylor and Gipson on the presidential search committee were: Doug Dieterly, executive pastor, Plymouth Baptist Church, Plymouth, Ind.; Chuck Herring, pastor of Collierville First Baptist Church, Collierville, Tenn.; Lisa Knutsen, a member of Green Valley Baptist Church, Henderson, Nev.; Ryan Palmer, pastor, Seventh Metro Church, Baltimore, Md.; and Tim Patterson, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla. As chairman of NAMB’s trustee board, Dowdy serves as an ex officio member of the search committee.
(Florida Baptist Witness, BP, TAB)
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A look at Kevin Ezell and Highview Baptist Church
Kevin Ezell, 48, and his wife of almost 25 years, Lynette, have three natural children and three adopted children from three different countries: Ethiopia, China and the Philippines.
• Pastor of Highview Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky., since June 1996
• One church with seven locations in Kentucky and Indiana
2009 statistics —
• Resident Members: 4,740
• Baptisms 2008–2009: 121
• Other Additions: 358
• Primary Worship Attendance: 3,260
• Sunday School Average Attendance: 2,603
• Undesignated Receipts: $6,270,057
• Cooperative Program Giving: $140,100 (2.23%)
• Gifts to Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions: $50,000
• Gifts to Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions: $10,000
Source: BP, Southern Baptist Directory Services
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