NASHVILLE (BP) — Dennis Manpoong Kim, pastor of Global Mission Church of Greater Washington in Silver Spring, Md., will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the June 10-11 SBC annual meeting in Baltimore, Texas pastor Dwight McKissic announced yesterday (May 20).
“The SBC will not have to compromise integrity, leadership, sound doctrine, CP support, missions/evangelism/discipleship commitment, or any expectation of an SBC President by electing Dr. Kim. His leadership among Maryland Baptists is significant in how he has grown a strong, vibrant ministry outside of the South and he is equipped and uniquely positioned to lead the Southern Baptist Convention in growing in areas and among cultures where we have not traditionally had a strong impact,” McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, wrote in an open letter to Southern Baptists stating his intention to nominate Kim.
Kim, who has served as president of the Korean Council of Southern Baptist Churches in America, has pastored Global Mission Church for 23 years. Since March 2013, the congregation — which has a predominantly Korean membership and is the largest church in the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware — has reported more than 1,000 salvation decisions, the BCMD said in a news release.
Kim is the third announced nominee for SBC president, joining Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd and Kentucky pastor Jared Moore.
Kim is a member of the Pastors’ Task Force on Evangelistic Impact and Declining Baptisms, a national task force convened by the North American Mission Board to address the continued decrease in baptisms among Southern Baptist churches. He also served on the SBC Resolutions Committee in 2012 and 2013.
Following the historic presidency of Fred Luter, Kim would lead Southern Baptists “to continue our growing ministry to a rapidly diversifying America,” McKissic, an African American, wrote. He noted that Kim is bilingual in Korean and English and has traveled to more than 40 countries to do ministry.
Global Missions Church has produced more than 50 International Mission Board career missionaries, McKissic wrote, and has planted churches in Maryland, Virginia, Washington State, North Carolina and South Korea.
“Either of the announced nominees for President, thus far, are fine men,” McKissic wrote. “But, our Convention will be better served if Dr. Kim wins the election. By virtue of training, experience, missions travel, Kingdom expansion, cooperation, church development and discipleship ministries, Dr. Kim is by far the most qualified, announced candidate for the Office of President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Kim’s church gave 4.5% of their church budget to the Cooperative Program last year, while engaged in local, state, national, and global missions as a church family.”
The full text of McKissic’s letter on behalf of Kim is available at sbcvoices.com.
In addition to serving at churches in South Korea and the U.S., Kim has taught courses at Southern, New Orleans and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminaries.
He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Korean institutions; a master of arts in theological studies with a concentration in pastoral counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, Mass.; a master of divinity from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky.; and a doctor of theology in pastoral psychology from Boston University in Boston, Mass.
Kim is the author of “Pulpit Counseling,” “Answer with the Bible!” and other books. He has translated more than 60 books from English to Korean.
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Compiled by David Roach, chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention’s news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists’ concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
