Kenneth Clement is the new director of missions (DOM) of DeKalb Baptist Association. Interim DOM Charles Jones had served since April.
The association search committee unanimously accepted Clement for the position Oct. 6, said Jones, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Fort Payne.
“Everybody I’ve talked to is glad he is coming,” Jones said. “He is a good man and we anticipate a lot of good things happening.”
Clement, who resigned the pastorate at Mount Hebron Baptist Church West, Elmore Association, after 13 years of service, has been in the ministry for more than 40 years.
Called to preach at age 18, Clement attended Samford University and graduated in 1967 with a bachelor of arts in social studies.
Upon graduating, he began teaching at Centre Elementary School and coaching football at Cherokee County High School while pastoring Tates Chapel Baptist Church, Centre. Later, he taught and coached at Hokes Bluff High School while serving as pastor of Ivalee Baptist Church, Gadsden.
From 1969 to 1971, Clement attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary while teaching and coaching at John Curtis High School in New Orleans.
After graduating with a master’s degree in theology, Clement accepted a pastor position at First Baptist Church, Indian Springs, in Pelham. He remained there until 1990 when he accepted the pastorate of Mount Hebron West.
A native of Gadsden, Clement has been deeply involved in missions work through the years, and has traveled to Nigeria, England, Hong Kong, Brazil, Guatemala, Belize, Jamaica and Mexico on preaching and evangelistic crusades and construction projects.
In addition, he has preached in more than 12 states and is locally involved in ministries for prisoners, nursing home residents, college students and unwed mothers. Clement is a member of the board of governors for Judson College and a trustee at LifeWay Christian Resources and Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega.
He also served on the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Although he will miss his church family in Elmore, Clement looks forward to working with the 66 churches in DeKalb Association.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “The churches of the association have a great record of both ministry and missions, and I look forward to helping them to expand that.”
Clement has been married to his wife, Cecilia, for 36 years and has three sons and five grandchildren.
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