VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 6/17/20)—The District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC) announced on June 15 that Rev. Dr. Trisha Miller Manarin has been called to serve as its next Executive Director/Minister. DCBC’s Board of Directors voted to approve the Search Committee’s recommendation to hire Dr. Manarin during a regularly scheduled board meeting held last week. Dr. Manarin, who currently serves as Executive Coordinator with Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, will be entering into her new position as the Executive Director/Minister of the DCBC on August 17, 2020.
Dr. C. Jeff Woods, Interim General Secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, said, “I am excited for Dr. Manarin and for the region! Dr. Manarin brings a wealth of experience in working with denomination and a keen understanding of the issues facing today’s congregation. I look forward to her leadership as she helps to navigate DCBC through these turbulent times that are also bursting with opportunity.”
Rev. Dr. Trisha Miller Manarin met her husband, Tim, while serving as a missionary in Zambia, and they have three children: Peter, Nathaniel, and Maggie. A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Dr. Manarin has a Bachelor of Music in Education and Performance from Samford University, where she was a ministerial student. She has a Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Palmer), where she earned awards in Missions and Baptist History, and a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership Excellence from Wesley Theological Seminary. Her doctoral project, Creating More Effective Clergy Teams: A Process for Senior Pastors and Associates to Grow Deeper in Their Call and Their Understanding of Each Other, assists clergy teams and enhanced her experience as the former Director of Supervised Ministry at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Arlington, Virginia.
Ordained in 1997 by Trinity Baptist Church (SBC) in Philadelphia and 2018 by the American Baptist Churches, USA, Dr. Manarin enjoys building relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world! She served as the Coordinator for the Division on Mission, Evangelism, and Justice at the Baptist World Alliance for several years. She has been the Executive Coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, serving churches in Washington, DC, Delaware, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and West Virginia for the past six years. She earned a graduate certificate in Strategic Foresight from the University of Tennessee, Haslam College of Business, and is a certified coach.
Dr. Manarin has a heart for the world, as well as a love for the local church seeking to live out the Great Commission and Great Commandment collectively. Her passion is pastoring pastors and equipping congregations for the ministry God has called them to do. She looks forward to being in ministry with DCBC and living out One Faith, Many Cultures, Endless Possibilities.
The search for the region’s new Executive Director/Minister began in November 2019. The Search Committee received and prayerfully considered 23 applications from across the country before calling Dr. Manarin to the position.
The District of Columbia Baptist Convention is an “International Missional Network” of more than 160 member churches working together to strengthen Baptist congregations and advance God’s kingdom in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Georgia, Florida, and beyond. DCBC is aligned with American Baptist Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. DCBC is also a member of the Baptist World Alliance.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.