The presidential search committee of the North American Mission Board’s trustees has unanimously nominated Kevin Ezell, senior pastor of Louisville’s Highview Baptist Church.
Trustees received word of the nomination 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 was to vote on Ezell’s nomination at a special called meeting Sept. 14 at NAMB’s headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga. (This issue of the Courier went to press before the vote. Visit BaptistCourier.com for results from the Sept. 14 NAMB meeting.)
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 on Sept. 14, 2010.”
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 include $50,000 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and $10,000 for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. – BP