PRESTONSBURG—Tim Searcy, pastor of Allen Baptist Church near Prestonsburg, will be nominated for president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention at their annual meeting in Pikeville in November.

In announcing Searcy’s nomination, Tommy Reed, pastor of First Baptist Church of Fitzpatrick, said, “The Lord has taken this man all over the world to share the gospel. He has a vast knowledge that crosses so many bounds. He could do whatever he wants to do, but he chose to come to the mountains to serve as pastor.

“He is not living his life for himself; he is living it for Him,” Reed noted.

Being nominated for convention office was very unexpected and not something he would have sought, Searcy said. However, “if the convention was so led as to elect me as president, I would serve, and I mean it when I say ‘serve,'” he added.

“I am a firm believer in servant leadership and taught that principle at the International Baptist Seminary in Cali, Colombia, at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary,” Searcy said.

Citing Mark 9:35, Searcy continued, “If elected to the role of president, the key word in this passage for me would be the word ‘all.’ The president should serve all the churches of the Kentucky Baptist Convention equally in their endeavor to preach the gospel to all of Kentucky.”

Pledging to working alongside KBC Executive Director Paul Chitwood and the Mission Board in their vital work for the Kingdom, Searcy affirmed the biblical principal of unity expressed in John 13:35. “It is vitally important to the work of the Lord that we work together in love for the cause of Christ so that the world may see our good works and glorify our father in heaven,” he said.

Allen Baptist Church, where Searcy has served for three years, has an average worship attendance of about 225 and recorded 18 baptisms in 2017, according to KBC statistics. The congregation gives approximately 1.5 percent, or $4,200, of its undesignated receipts of $290,000 through the Cooperative Program. The church also gave approximately $7,000 through state, national and international missions offerings.

Having served churches in Kentucky and Mississippi, Searcy has extensive experience in church and denominational life. He has been a youth minister, minister of music, associate pastor, pastor, professor, missionary and church planter.

His international experience has included Costa Rica, Colombia, Russia, Nicaragua, Cuba, Nepal, Cambodia, Myanmar and Brazil. His work in Cuba was with the Baptist Seminary in Havana assisting in the training of teachers and developing curriculum, and his work in Nepal involved a pastor’s school, evangelistic crusades and Christian conferences.

He also has significant experience in higher education, serving as a professor of Christian education for The International Baptist Theological Seminary of Cali, Colombia; as associate professor of Christian education for Clear Creek Baptist Bible College; and several positions with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, including director of its Doctor of Educational Ministries Program and professor of philosophical foundations, among others.

Searcy holds three diplomas from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, including Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees. A graduate of Oneida Baptist Institute, he also has earned degrees from Clear Creek Baptist Bible College and Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn.

Describing Searcy as being personable and very approachable, Reed told Kentucky Today, “He can relate to those in the mountains and the hollows of eastern Kentucky. He can relate to the people in the realms of higher education. He can relate to people in the slums of New Orleans or the jungles of Columbia or the monks of Nepal.

“I just think, from Paducah to Pikeville, from Williamsburg to Covington, he can relate to any part of the state,” Reed said. (WR)