Board Calls Don Gillett as Regional Minister

Rev. Dr. Donald K. Gillett II

Rev. Dr. Donald K. Gillett II has been called as the new regional minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky. The regional board voted unanimously on Saturday, May 22, to approve the Regional Minister Search Team’s recommendation that Rev. Dr. Gillett be called to this position. He will start in this position on Aug. 1.

Rev. Dr. Gillett has deep roots in the Kentucky region, having served the last 22 years as senior pastor of East Second Street Christian Church in Lexington. Since June 2017, he has been the Executive Director of the Kentucky Council of Churches and has served as an adjunct lecturer at Lexington Theological Seminary.

Rev. Dr. Gillett stated, “I am honored and privileged to have been called to regional ministry in Kentucky. I am truly excited and feel called to this ministry at this moment in time and look forward to working with all who make up the Christian Church in Kentucky.”

“After an extensive search, the team felt that Rev. Dr. Gillett was the person God was calling to this position,” said Rev. Kory Wilcoxson, chair of the Regional Minister Search Team. “His relational nature, his dynamic presence, and his commitment to the health of the region will be a blessing to Kentucky as we move forward.”

Rev. Dr. Gillett holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Tex.; a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago; a Master of Business Administration Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Ind.; and a Doctorate of Ministry Degree from Lexington Theological Seminary.

In addition to his current work, he has extensive experience at the local, regional, and denominational level. He currently serves as the chair of the UCMS Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He is the immediate past President of the National Convocation Board of Directors for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He has served as Chair/Co-Chair of the Division of Overseas Ministries Board of Directors of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Co-Chair of Global Ministries of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ. He is a former Moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in KY and President of the Kentucky Christian Missionary Convention.

“I live by the passage in Ephesians,” said Rev. Dr. Gillett. “’The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.’”

Reverend Dr. Gillett has four children, Jeremy, Liyah, Tasia, and Donald, III (Trey) and one grandchild, Jayda. He is married to Dr. Charisse L. Gillett, President of the Lexington Theological Seminary.

One thought on “Board Calls Don Gillett as Regional Minister

  • August 2, 2021 at 4:30 PM
    Permalink

    “A Limer-Rick for the Rev. Dr. Donald K. Gillett II”
    by Rick Loader, August 2, 2021

    You’re destined to be one to make us proud,
    To know when to stand up or to be bowed.
    May you receive counsel
    From the poor and the bountiful,
    And listen when it’s God saying, / “Can you hear Me now?”

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