The Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions called two new state missionaries in mid-May — Bryan Blass, who will serve as director of the office of LeaderCare, and Kennedi Kruger, who will serve as a Baptist campus minister for Auburn University. Both begin their new roles June 1.
Ken Allen, who has been serving as director of the office of LeaderCare, is shifting into the role of director of the office of associational missions and church planting with the upcoming retirement of Rick Barnhart, current director of that office. Allen and Barnhart will overlap in the role for one month prior to Barnhart’s June 30 retirement.
Since 2011, Blass has served as associate pastor of Central Baptist Church in Decatur. In that position, he’s taken on a variety of duties ranging from those of a missions pastor to an interim music minister to an administrative pastor.
Before his time at Central Baptist, he served as pastor of First Baptist Church Gadsden and New Home Baptist Church in Titus.
‘Difference maker for Christ’
Rick Lance, SBOM executive director, said he “gladly” welcomes Blass to the State Board’s “family of servants” and called him a “difference maker for Christ.”
“Bryan is uniquely qualified to serve as director of the office of LeaderCare,” he said. “He brings a wealth of experience and a heart for the calling to assist leaders and churches to become healthier and stronger in their Great Commission efforts.”
Lance said Alabama Baptists can be assured that Blass, along with the rest of the SBOM staff, are available on request to help as needed.
Investing in students
That includes Kruger, who will be serving as a Baptist campus minister along with lead campus minister Clint Culpepper, who also recently joined the staff.
Since 2022, Kruger has served as a ministry associate with the Baptist Campus Ministries of East Tennessee State University. For two years before that, she served as a campus missionary for the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and before that, she served in a variety of other missions and ministry roles.
She also recently earned her master of arts in Christian education from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
‘Rich training and equipping’
Ben Edfeldt, director of the SBOM office of collegiate and student ministries, said he is excited about Kruger’s future ministry.
“Alabama Baptists ask BCM campus ministers to reach, equip and send students. Kennedi is passionate about investing in this current generation of students and sees them as catalytic to fulfilling the Great Commission,” he said. “Thanks to our friends in Tennessee, Kennedi has experienced rich training and equipping as a campus minister and will now invest in Auburn students.”
Edfeldt said he is “thrilled” to have Kruger on the SBOM team.
“I believe there are great days ahead for the AU BCM,” he said.
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