The Rev. Dr. Marian McClure Taylor was selected by the Executive Board of the Kentucky Council of Churches to serve as the sixth Executive Director, at their meeting in Lexington, on Tuesday, April 28. The Kentucky Council of Churches is the largest state-wide religious association in the Commonwealth, and was founded in 1947. The Rev. Dr. Taylor will succeed the Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper, who has served as the Council's executive since 1991. Dr. Taylor will commence her duties on June 15, 2009.

Above: (Left to right) KY Council of Churches' Executive Director Search Committee Chair, the Rev. Dr. Kent Gilbert; KY Council of Churches' Executive Director Elect, the Rev. Dr. Marian McClure Taylor; and current KY Council of Churches' Executive Board President Melissa Holland.

Dr. Taylor is currently serving as the Associate Director and North American Representative of "Edinburgh 2010: Witnessing to Christ Today," the centenary celebration of a pivotal world mission conference held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1910, that challenged Christians to greater ecumenical and evangelistic collaboration. From 1997 - 2006, Dr. Taylor was the Director of the Worldwide Ministries Division of the Presbyterian Church, USA, located in Louisville, Kentucky, where she currently resides. Her role with the national Presbyterian body was to lead the world mission program, including oversight of over 400 world mission and field staff, 100 U.S. based staff, and coordination with 165 interdenominational mission partnerships. Dr. Taylor has degrees from the University of the South, in Sewanee, TN, where she was Phi Beta Kappa; a Ph.D. from Harvard University in political science; and a Master of Divinity from the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

After her selection by the Executive Board of the Council-a body composed of the heads of the denominations and their administrative units, along with fifteen persons elected as at-large representatives of the churches in Kentucky, Dr. Taylor spoke to the Executive Board about her hopes for the future of the Council:
"With God's help, the Christian community in Kentucky will reach deeper and wider - deeper as we enjoy learning from each other's traditions, and wider as we partner for the good of our most vulnerable fellow citizens. May all Christians join us as we humbly offer our unity as a witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

The Rev. Kent Gilbert, minister of the Church of Christ, Union, congregation in Berea served as the chair of the search committee to find a successor to Rev. Kemper. A national search was conducted, with applications received from Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and California, and from a broad range of denominations including United Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Presbyterian, Evangelical Lutheran, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Roman Catholic and Baptist. Rev. Gilbert stated: "We feel God is calling Dr. Taylor to the position of Executive Director of the Kentucky Council of Churches. Further, we believe that her background and prior ministry gives Dr. Taylor a wealth of knowledge as well as the passion for the work of the Council. She is that rare candidate who brings world-wide breadth and passionate depth to the hope and prayer of Jesus in John 17, that his followers might all be one so that the world may believe."

For a press release that you may share in PDF form, please visit:
http://www.kycouncilofchurches.org/Director_Election/New_Council_of_Churches_Director_Press_Release.pdf

For a press release that you may share in MS Word form, please visit:
http://www.kycouncilofchurches.org/Director_Election/New_Council_of_Churches_Director_Press_Release.doc
For a photo of Dr. Marian McClure Taylor, please see:
http://www.kycouncilofchurches.org/Taylor.jpg