LOUISVILLE—A longtime Kentucky pastor and regional church consultant is being promoted to head the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s Evangelism and Church Planting Team.
Todd Gray, who served 20 years as a pastor before joining the KBC, was recommended for the job by Executive Director Paul Chitwood.
“Todd was an evangelistic pastor, leading his churches to grow spiritually and numerically, and had a strong focus on church planting,” Chitwood said. “In his consultant’s role with KBC, Todd is widely respected in his region by megachurch pastors, as well as bivocational pastors and church planters. I really couldn’t imagine anyone being a better fit for this team leader role, and I am thankful to God for His call upon Todd’s life to serve Kentucky Baptists.”
Gray worked five years as a territory manager for Midwest Equipment Co., handling millions of dollars in outdoor power equipment sales before becoming a pastor. He served in three churches: New Hope Baptist in Cadiz; Bethel Baptist in Memphis, Ind.; and First Baptist of Oak Grove.
Since 2012, Gray has served the western Kentucky region as a church consultant, providing training and encouragement to pastors, directors of missions, church planters and congregations.
Both the KBC Administrative Committee and Mission Board voted to promote Gray.
“I feel that in 24 years of vocational ministry the Lord has been shaping me for this role,” Gray said.
“Evangelism and church planting are both areas of ministry passion for me, and I could not be more pleased by the opportunity to try and impact these areas in the state.”
Gray said his approach to the position will be to work directly with people in the field.
“I love being in the field with pastors, church planters and directors of missions, so I hope to work the position from a field orientation,” he said. “My plan will include developing a statewide training schedule to help pastors and church leaders put in place an intentional evangelism strategy for the church.”
Steve Rice, leader of the KBC’s Church Consulting and Revitalization Team, said he believes Gray is “a perfect fit” for the position.
“Todd Gray is one of the hardest working men I know,” Rice said. “He can get more done in 20 minutes than most of us can do in two hours. He is a strong, biblical preacher and a great administrator.”
As a church consultant, Gray has regularly reached out to nearly 500 congregations across western Kentucky, helping them formulate strategies for equipping the saints and reaching the lost.
“There is no evangelism silver bullet, but if the gospel seed is sown consistently, prayerfully, and in a multitude of ways, then people will be saved,” Gray said. “Pastors are the key to churches becoming more evangelistic. A church will likely not rise above the evangelism example and leadership of its pastor, but on the other side of things, many churches have been willing to adopt the evangelistic zeal and passion of their pastor.” (KBC)