Rev. Emmett L. Dunn

The Reverend Emmett Lafayette Dunn serves as Executive Secretary-Treasurer/CEO of the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention. Appointed by the Board of Directors in July 2019, Rev. Dunn assumed the role of chief executive on November 1, 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as Senior Pastor of the West Hyattsville Baptist Church, Maryland.

Organized in 1897, Lott Carey is a multicultural, ecumenical, global Christian missional community born of African American Baptist heritage, that provides prayer partnership, financial support, and technical assistance to Indigenous communities around the world who engage in ministries of evangelism, compassion, empowerment, and advocacy. Lott Carey collaborates with people from various ethnic identities, diverse Christian traditions, and different faith communities around share values and interests to help to build a better world.

For twenty-two years, Rev. Dunn served on the Executive Staff of the Baptist World Alliance. The Baptist World Alliance is a fellowship of 228 Baptist unions and conventions comprising a membership of more than forty-two million baptized believers and a community of more than 110 million Baptists around the world. The BWA leads in evangelism, responds to people in need, defends human rights, and promotes theological reflection.

Rev. Dunn formerly served as an assistant minister and the Special Assistant to the Rev. Dr. John O. Peterson, Pastor of the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, prior to his election as the Director of the Youth Department of the Baptist World Alliance in 1994. His ministry with the BWA took him to places all over the world, where he provided skill leadership in the areas of youth leadership development, conflict resolution, mission and evangelism, church health and wellness, emerging leaders’ initiatives, and conference management. For the last 25 years, Rev. Dunn has traveled to more than one hundred countries, encouraging, equipping, and empowering faith-based communities.

In 2006 Rev. Dunn was appointed as Director of the Baptist World Congress and Conferences. In that capacity, he planned, supervised, and coordinated all aspects of the BWA international gatherings. Under his leadership, these events brought together more than 30,000 participants. His most recent events included the BWA Annual Gathering held in Vancouver, B.C. in July 2016, and the 21^st Baptist World Congress held July 2015 in Durban, South Africa.

Rev. Dunn served as the Chair of the Board of Advisors of the Ricks Institute School in Liberia, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary, and member NAACP International Affairs Committee and Board of Directors, American Red Cross of Southern Maryland. He is also a member of several professional organizations including: The Professional Conference Managers Association (PCMA), The National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners (NCBMP), and The Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA). He is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of the William R. Tolbert Foundation; Member, Board of Managers, District of Colombia Baptist Foundation; Member, Board of Directors, District of Colombia Baptist Convention, Member, Board of Directors, General Board of Ministries, American Baptist Churches, USA; Chairman, Board of Directors, Empowerment Squared-Liberia, and Member, Board of Directors, Churches for Middle Eastern Peace. Rev. Dunn was recently reelected as the President of the North America Baptist Fellowship, a regional member body of the Baptist World Alliance.

His education includes a Bachelor of Theology Degree from the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary in 1986, a Graduate Certificate of work accomplished from the Protestant Episcopal Seminary of Virginia (VTS) in 1989, and a Master of Divinity Degree from the Howard University School of Divinity in 1991.

Rev. Dunn has received many awards and distinctions to include an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Divinity (D.D.) from the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary in March 2014.

He is married to the lovely Suan J. Dunn, and they have three beautiful children, LeAnn Amal, Emmett Lafayette, Jr., and Annette Olivia. They reside in Fort Washington, Maryland, USA.