Ken has a great love for the local church. His thirty years of ministry have been built around ministries of the local church. He loves to see the church live to its full Kingdom potential and has devoted his life to find ways to help churches and their leaders.
Ken is a native of Louisiana, but moved to North Carolina as a teenager. He graduated from Myers Park High School in Charlotte, NC, in 1975. Then, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gardner-Webb University with Summa Cum Laude honors in 1978 and his Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, in 1981.
Ken has served churches and local associations in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. His experience focuses on helping churches deal with strategic, organizational, and leadership direction. One of the biggest assignments Ken has overseen is the relocation project of a large church in Tennessee, but he has also led congregations and local districts and associations in SSJ processes, leadership training, and staff team building.
In 1995, Ken earned a Doctor of Ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His doctoral ministry project was in the adult education ministry area of church life. His learning emphasis has been on coaching church members and church leaders to grow in their learning capacities in personal, spiritual, and leadership areas.
Ken is also a Certified Ministry Leadership coach through Valwood Coaching and a member of the International Coaching Federation. He serves as a personal ministry and life coach for many leaders and many congregations.
He presently serves as Team Leader for Empowering Leaders at the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. The Empowering Leaders Team seeks to partner with our churches to nurture healthy relationships and caring networks for pastors and church leaders as they advance the Kingdom.
Ken is known best as the husband of Teresa Vaughn of Greenville, SC, and the father of three sons, Kevin, Bryan, and Jacob.
In his spare time, Ken loves to read, play golf, follow college sports teams in basketball and football, and coach his youngest son in whatever sport is popular at the moment.
Contact Ken at KKessler@TheColumbia Partnership.org or 804.338.5058
Check out Ken's Travel Free Learning Articles and Dialogues:
Download Kessler, Hope White, 11.29.11 Edition
TFL Dialogue, Ken Kessler on Hope White
Download Kessler, Watch Out for That Blind Spots, 9.6.11 Edition
TFL Dialogue, Ken Kessler on Watch Out for Blind Shots
Download Kessler, Followership, 6.14.11 Edition
TFL Dialogue, Ken Kessler on Followership, The Neglected Skill
Download Kessler, A Heart of War or A Heart of Peace, 3.29.11 Edition
TFL Dialogue, Ken Kessler on A Heart of War or A Heart of Peace
Download Kessler, Shaped My Reading Life, 12.14.10 Edition
Download Kessler, Ten Commandments for Team Development, 9.20.10 Edition
TFL Dialouge, Ken Kessler on Team Development
Download Kessler, Connecting People to the Kingdom, 6.7.10 Edition
