ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)—The presidential search committee of the North American Mission Board's trustees unanimously has nominated Kevin Ezell, senior pastor of Louisville's Highview Baptist Church.
Trustees received word of the nomination Tuesday night, Aug. 31, in an e-mail from NAMB trustee chairman Tim Dowdy.
Ezell, 48, is the immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference. He has led the multi-site Louisville congregation since 1996.
"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," Dowdy, pastor of Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Ga., wrote to trustees.
The nomination is the culmination of a 10-month search that began in October 2009 with the appointment of a seven-member search committee. NAMB's full trustee board membership will vote on Ezell's nomination at a special called meeting Sept. 14 at NAMB's headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga.
Information from the 2009 Annual Church Profile maintained by LifeWay Christian Resources lists 121 baptisms at Highview Baptist Church 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.
NAMB's presidential search committee members are: chairman Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla.; Doug Dieterly, executive pastor, Plymouth Baptist Church, Plymouth, Ind.; Larry Gipson, pastor of First Baptist Oneonta, Ala.; Chuck Herring, pastor of Collierville First Baptist Church in Collierville, Tenn.; Lisa Knutsen, a member of Green Valley Baptist Church in 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.
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