On this Friday morning I want to say thank you to all who have prayerfully supported our NAMB Presidential Search Team. Earlier this week we announced Dr. Kevin Ezell will be presented to the trustees for a vote on September 14 in Atlanta. As chairman I have never had a more challenging or rewarding Baptist assignment. NAMB gave me a great team with whom to work. These choice servants are my friends for life.

As people hear the news of Dr. Ezell’s nomination, they ask how we concluded this was the Lord’s leading. The bottom line is we sensed this was the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in Kevin’s ministry. The team was unanimous in this conviction. Several things stood out to us.

1. NAMB needs a leader more than ever. The GCR report has given the agency a fresh direction. The ball is teed up and action is demanded. Kevin Ezell is a leader. His fourteen years at Highview Baptist in Louisville gave us a glimpse into his skill set. He inherited a church that needed to be refocused. He can make the tough calls getting a ministry on target. More than anything we were looking for a strong leader. We found one in Dr. Ezell.

2. Church planting is a big assignment at NAMB. The GCR report points us toward making it 50% of our work. Highview currently is involved in eight church plants. Kevin is a friend to church planters. He knows how to support and encourage them.

3. NAMB is a Southern Baptist entity. We were looking for a man who knew and supported SBC work. Below is paragraph from the Florida Baptist Witness report announcing the nomination of Dr. Ezell.

Highview’s missions giving goal for 2010, according to its website, is $1.3 million, with $400,000 for Cooperative Program, $100,000 for Lottie Moon, and $10,000 for Annie Armstrong. The “Million for Missions” program also has a goal of $582,000 for local missions, including $340,000 for four campus missions, $145,000 for a “mentoring/intern program” at Southern Seminary, and $1,200 for the Long Run Baptist Association in Louisville, Ky. The website notes, “Actual expenditures will be determined by offerings to Mission to Missions.”

4. NAMB needs a man who can build partnerships with state convention leaders. Our team found Kevin to have a winsome personality. His wife Lynette is a delightful and godly woman. Their commitment to adoption is a story that will inspire Southern Baptists as they get to know this family. Our committee likes Kevin and we believe our state leaders will like working with him.

Thank you for praying. I ask that you give the morning of September 14 to praying for the search team and Dr. Ezell as we make our presentation to the trustees.

Pastor Ted Traylor