It is with great pleasure and glory to our faithful God, that the Pastor Search Committee brings this glad announcement-- we unanimously believe Kevin Binkley is the man God desires for us to present to you as candidate for Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Kevin comes to us from Louisville, Kentucky, having recently graduated from Southern Baptist Seminary with a Diploma in Theology. Kevin and his family have been pastoring a church in the Louisville area for the past two years.
Kevin tells his own Spiritual Pilgrimage this way:
"I was reared in a Christian home and attended a Christian High School. I did everything a Christian was expected to do when I was young, but I never had a personal relationship with God. God got my attention when I was a student in college. I realized I was not in a relationship with God and had been only professing faith up until that time. I repented of my sin, trusted in the saving work of Christ on the Cross, and dedicated my life to God at that time (1981).
"God began a work in my life that continues until this day. I have a burning desire to teach God's word (the Bible) as having God's answer (Jesus Christ) for man's problem (sin). I have taught in various capacities for most of the past 20 years. My wife and I have held numerous small group Bible studies in our home and I led a morning Bible study before work at my company.
"After many months of God working in our lives and on our hearts, we decided on December 17, 2000 to sell our business interests to pursue vocational ministry. Heidi and I together feel God's call to "feed the sheep," and to invest our lives in that which will never perish -namely, the kingdom of God. I desire to serve God by passionately preaching and teaching the Word of God (2 Tim 4:1-5), equipping believers to do the work of ministry (Eph 4:11-16), and inviting a lost world to experience God's grace available through Christ Jesus (Rom 1:14-17). I can think of no greater honor, no higher calling, and no loftier ambition, than spending my life with fear and trembling in the proclamation of the infinite majesty and Glory of God."
Kevin was born in Lititz, Pensylvania in 1962, but has spent most of his life in the Austin, Minnesota area. He and his wife Heidi have been married for almost 21 years and have two children- Joshua, age 18, and Lauren, age 16. Joshua recently graduated from High School and will be attending Union University in Jackson, Tennessee this fall.
As Kevin mentions in his testimony, prior to following God's call to attend seminary, Kevin was a farmer as well as the owner/general manager of a building construction corporation which he started in Elkton, Minnesota.
While attending seminary in 2004, Kevin was awarded the Clyde T. Francisco Preaching Award. Other ministerial experiences include three mission trips to Mexico, a mission trip to Ghana, Africa, and guest lecturer for the Austin, Minnesota Community Bible Study. Kevin has also served as a Sunday School teacher for the Young Married, College and Career, Senior High and Adult classes at various times over the past 20 years. Kevin and Heidi have hosted numerous small group home Bible studies.
Calendar of Events
| Sunday, May 22nd | First public announcement and mailing to all church families (this letter) |
| Sunday, May 29th | Second public announcement |
| Sunday, June 5th | Kevin Binkley preaching in view of a call for both the 8:00 am and 10:45 am worship services. All-church fellowship dinner at 5:30 pm with a Q&A session at 6:30 pm. |
| Sunday, June 12th | Single "Unity" service at 10:45 am. Congregational voting. |
In accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws, Kevin will preach as our guest candidate in view of a call on Sunday, June 5th for both the 8:00 am and 10:45 am services. Come the evening of June 5th for a church-wide supper. Following supper, Kevin will be available to answer questions and let you get to know him and his family better.
On June 12th, the regular 8:00 am and 10:45 am Sunday morning services will be combined into a single "Unity" service at 10:45 am. A portion of that worship service will be set aside to conduct a called business meeting where a formal, detailed motion to call Kevin will be presented by the Pastor Search Committee. Your secret ballot on that motion will be a vote to call or not to call Kevin as our next Senior Pastor.
Thank you for your faithful prayers these many months! Please continue to pray for us, Emmanuel, and Kevin and his family. Watch for more details as plans for the next few weeks unfold...
God Bless You!
Your Pastor Search Committee,
Kim, Jean, Erika & Jim, Pam, Wayne and Jim