Kevin Ezell currently serves as the newly appointed President of the North American Mission Board. Born in Germany (where his father served in the Air Force), Kevin was raised in Paducah, KY, where he graduated from Lone Oak High School. From there, he went on to obtain a bachelor of science degree from Union University in Jackson, TN, an M.Div from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a D.min from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Kevin’s call to ministry began with an opportunity to use his talent on the tennis court as an opportunity to attend Union University on scholarship. During this time, he was always known as a “cut-up” and a people person, but even more as a young man who really loved people and who was serious about doing ministry. Since that time, Ezell’s reputation as a “cut-up” hasn’t subsided, but has actually served greatly to his advantage in numerous ministry and leadership venues. Prior to his nomination at NAMB, Ezell served faithfully as a Southern Baptist pastor. His first pastorate was at Hilltop Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX where, he will tell you, he received his “first and only unanimous vote…seven to nothing.” After that, he went on to serve as pastor of First Baptist Church of Hartsville, TN from 1989-1991, of First Baptist Church of Marion, IL from 1991-96, and then of Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY from 1996 to September 2010 during which time Highview grew to seven campuses, in two states, in different counties. In addition to serving as a pastor, Dr. Ezell has also been highly engaged in denominational life serving as Chairman of the Nominating Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, on the Board of Reference at Union University (his alma mater), on the Advisory Council at Boyce College (a school of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), and as President of the 2010 SBC Pastor’s Conference.
Kevin is a pastor’s pastor. During his time as a pastor, he has devoted a significant amount of time and energy to investing in the lives of pastors of all ages. He has always exhibited a burning heart for seeing young men called, trained, and launched into full-time ministry. As a result, dozens of young men (including more than a couple B21 contributors) have been sent out to preach the Gospel all over the world. While Kevin is widely regarded as one of the most effective leaders in the SBC, his most important leadership venue is his home. He and his wife Lynette have six children: Anna (21), Shelly (19), Taylor (15), John Michael (13), Libby (9), and Micah Lyn (6), We are thrilled to have Dr. Ezell joining us on the panel for the B21@SBC event. His is both a voice you need to hear and an example you need to see.
About the B21 Panel SBC2011:
When: June 14th, during the SBC lunch break (roughly 12pm-1pm)
Where: Phoenix Convention Center (PCC), West Building in Room 301A
What: A lunch panel discussion on Mission, the SBC, and more…
Who: Danny Akin, Kevin Ezell, Albert Mohler, John Piper, and David Platt
Registration Details:
– General Registration (April 26th – June 10th) – $15
Note: This $15 will include a lunch. We understand that $15 may seem high, but it is an average price at convention centers. We are not doing this to make money. In fact, we are attempting to raise money with sponsors to keep the cost at $15. Lunch in Phoenix downtown area will be costly, why not spend the time at a lunch listening to men like John Piper and David Platt talk about critical issues for the church. Thanks for considering this and we hope to see you there!!