The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) Board of Directors will host an inauguration ceremony for NAE President Walter Kim on March 4, 2020 in Washington, D.C. The inauguration ceremony will honor Roy Taylor for his long-time service as NAE board chair, and install new leadership, including Kim as NAE president; John Jenkins as NAE board chair; and Jo Anne Lyon as NAE vice chair.

“Walter Kim has been a steady and faithful voice for decades,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. “Evangelicals can be confident of his leadership and his wisdom. His bridge-building, humble and thoughtful approach exemplifies the kind of leader that evangelicals need now.”

Kim serves as pastor for leadership at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, and will continue in this role as he leads the NAE. He previously ministered for 15 years at Boston’s historic Park Street Church, and has been a member of the NAE board since 2013.

The NAE board made three top leadership elections at its semi-annual board meeting on October 17, 2019. Kim assumed the president role on January 1, 2020. Jenkins and Lyon assume their new roles at the March 5, 2020 board meeting, where Roy Taylor, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America, will conclude over 13 years as NAE board chair.

“This March, a new chapter under new leadership begins for the National Association of Evangelicals,” said Heather Gonzales, NAE vice president and COO. “We are grateful for Roy Taylor’s steady leadership of the NAE board, which has enabled the NAE’s ministry flourish. His warmth, sense of humor, and deep understanding of the Church will be missed. As we enter this new season, we look forward to how God will use the NAE to make a significant difference for evangelicals in the United States.”

Jenkins has served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland, since 1989. He has been on the NAE board since 2008, most recently serving as vice chair. Jenkins is board chair for Project Bridges and The Skinner Institute. He is also a board member of Denver Seminary and past vice president/executive director of National Ministries with Converge Worldwide.

Jo Anne Lyon is general superintendent emerita and ambassador of The Wesleyan Church, after serving as general superintendent from 2008–2016. She is founder of World Hope International, a relief and development organization, and vice president of Wesley Seminary in Marion, Indiana. She has served on the NAE executive committee for nine years.

The March 4 event will include an inaugural address from Kim, music led by a First Baptist Church of Glenarden praise team, and prayer for the new leaders.


A photo of the NAE leaders may be downloaded here.

Possible cutline: Leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals include from left to right: Roy Taylor, stated clerk of Presbyterian Church in America; Leith Anderson, NAE president emeritus; Walter Kim, NAE president; John Jenkins, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden; and Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent emerita and ambassador of The Wesleyan Church.

Photo credit: JeffreyGrounds Photography