The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) hired Jimmy Kinnaird to lead its Church Planting Group, which actively works with churches and associations to identify strategic areas of Oklahoma in need of new churches.

This marks Kinnaird’s second term of service with the BGCO. In 1997, he came to the BGCO to serve as evangelism specialist and eventually became Church Outreach Team Leader. Prior to his first BGCO stint, he led a New Orleans church plant for eight years.

While working at the BGCO, he planned seven evangelism conferences, led Crossover events in various parts of the country, oversaw a State Fair evangelism ministry, helped establish the “Most Important Thing” website and wrote “Cross Training” Materials, which are still used to this day. After serving seven years, Kinnaird left the BGCO to become pastor of Stillwater, Eagle Heights.

After serving at Eagle Heights for three years, Kinnaird was called to the North American Mission Board, where he was evangelism resource coordinator for four years. In 2011, Kinnaird and his wife Karen, who serves as Baptist Messenger advertising manager, came back to Oklahoma, where Kinnaird served as pastor of Oklahoma City, Village.

“It’s an exciting time for church planting in Oklahoma,” said Kinnaird. “We love the Oklahoma Baptist family, and I am truly thrilled to be part of this Kingdom-work of church planting.”

As church planting specialist, Kinnaird will lead the church planting group, which includes Emerson Falls, Chris Forbes, Steven Earp, Nick Tarter and  Antonio Conchos.

“We are blessed to have such a talented, godly group of people working in church planting,” said Alan Quigley, leader of the BGCO Mobilization Team in which the Church Planting Group resides. “Jimmy approaches church planting with a great passion and the experience and skills of a practitioner. God is opening doors of ministry all across this state for church planting that will make an eternal impact on the lives of people.”

For more information about BGCO church planting, visit www.bgco.org/churchplanting.