McFayden named president-elect of Association of Presbyterian Church Educators

Rev. Dr. Kenneth J. McFayden (D.Min’86), academic dean of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, and professor of Ministry and Leadership Development has been chosen to serve as president-elect beginning in January 2017 for the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators, Inc (APCE). McFayden will be installed as the president-elect at the APCE Annual Event in Denver, Colorado in January 2017and as president at the Annual Event in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2018. As an officer of this association, he will serve on its Executive Council, Coordinating Council, and Administrative Ministry Team over a three-year period.

“We are excited about Ken joining our leadership team. With his commitment to ministry and expertise in leadership development he is positioned perfectly to help APCE connect, enrich, empower, and sustain God’s people who are passionate about educational ministry,” said Von Clemans, president of APCE. “Working with our five denominational partners across North America — the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Moravian Church in America, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America – Ken will help shape the pastors and educators, paid and volunteer, who will prepare the church for ministry in the world.”

The association’s expressed purpose is to advance educational ministries in the church and increase the ongoing witness of our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. APCE encourages professional recognition through certification and/or designation, provides opportunities for improvement of professional skills, supports personal enrichment, actively advocates for church education, serves as a channel to and from denominational structures, and recognizes achievements and innovative contributions of church educators.

“As Academic Dean, Ken has brought a wealth of experience in strategic planning and administrative acumen. These same gifts will benefit the ministry and planning of APCE as it charts its course for the coming years,” said Brian Blount, president of Union Presbyterian Seminary. “His work with educators as a colleague on faculty and in the work of the Leadership Institute and his joy in the ministry of Christian Education will serve Ken and APCE well in this new position. I can think of no one more equipped for and passionate about this service. What a wonderful match of skillset and mission objectives.”

Prior to joining the seminary faculty in March of 2000,  McFayden served as Executive Director of North Central Career Development Center in New Brighton, Minnesota, from 1994-2000. Previously, he served as a hospital chaplain in Louisville, Kentucky, from 1991-1994, and as an associate pastor in Alliance, Ohio, from 1986-1990. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).