NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Bill Henard, senior pastor of Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky., will be nominated for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, a fellow Kentucky pastor announced May 19.
Kevin Ezell, senior pastor of Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, said he will nominate Henard for the post during the SBC’s June 10-11 meeting in Indianapolis.
Henard has served the Lexington congregation since 1999. Prior to that he was pastor of churches in Birmingham, Ala., Lawrenceburg, Tenn., Decatur, Tenn. and Decatur, Texas.
He currently serves as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and is trustee chairman for LifeWay Christian Resources. He also is assistant professor of evangelism and church growth at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.
“Porter Memorial has averaged more than 100 baptisms per year for seven of the last nine years under Dr. Henard’s leadership, setting a new record both in the number of baptisms in one year and in consecutive 100+ baptism years,” Ezell said. “The church is a strong supporter of the Cooperative Program and this year will reach the $7 million dollar mark in total cumulative giving to the Cooperative Program.
“Porter Memorial also has a strong commitment to missions, sending nearly 400 volunteers on short-term mission trips each year,” Ezell added. “Porter Memorial is a strategy coordinator church with the International Mission Board for church planting in the Acari Valley in southern Peru. In addition, the church gives 10% of its Capital Stewardship offerings for relocation to missions.
“Bill Henard is a man of with a servant’s heart and visionary leadership,” Ezell concluded. “I am excited about the possibility of him serving our convention in this way.”
A native of Birmingham, Ala., Henard is a graduate of University of the Cumberlands and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a D.Min. from Southwestern Seminary and completed work on a Ph.D. at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2006.
He and his wife Judy have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Information from the 2007 Annual Church Profile for Porter Memorial Baptist Church lists 43 baptisms and primary worship service attendance of 1,092. The church gave $241,650, or 10.6 percent, through the Cooperative Program from total undesignated receipts of $2,277,203. According to the ACP, the church also received $43,822 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and $10,420 for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.
Henard is the second announced nominee for SBC first vice president this year. Georgia pastor John Connell’s nomination was announced April 29.
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Compiled by Mark Kelly, an assistant editor at Baptist Press.
