Aponte named as IMB vice president of mobilization

During their August 23-24 board meeting, International Mission Board (IMB) trustees announced Edgar Aponte, director of Hispanic leadership development at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), as the IMB’s new vice president of mobilization beginning late fall. 

“Edgar Aponte is an incredibly talented man of God. The Lord has blessed him with a wide range of abilities and talents,” said SEBTS President Danny Akin. “This is a sad day for Southeastern and me personally. However, it is a great day for the IMB and the advancement of the Kingdom. He goes to our very close sister entity with my blessings and prayers.”

Aponte has faithfully served SEBTS since 2013, teaching theology, overseeing Spanish programs and working with seminary partnerships in Latin America. In his new role with the IMB, Aponte will serve on the executive leadership team with a focus on mobilization. He will lead networking efforts among churches to encourage the sending of limitless missionary teams and will develop relationships between the IMB and Southern Baptist entities. Aponte will also continue to teach courses for SEBTS.

“The role of mobilization is a significant one for the IMB, and Edgar Aponte is a godly man who wants churches involved in reaching the nations for Christ,” said SEBTS Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Evangelism and Missions Chuck Lawless. “We will miss him at Southeastern Seminary, but I’m glad to have him as part of the IMB leadership team. I trust that his time at our Great Commission seminary has helped prepare him for this task.”

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Aponte previously served as minister counselor for political affairs at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Washington, DC. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a graduate degree in corporate finance and a master’s degree in business administration. He also earned a master’s degree in Christian ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and a doctoral degree (to be completed in fall 2016) in theological studies with a concentration in systematic theology from SEBTS. 

Edgar and his wife, Sara, have three children and attend Christ Covenant Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

“We are Southern Baptists because of missions,” said Aponte in a recent visit with IMB mobilization team leaders. “Missions is the heart of who we are as a denomination…taking the gospel to where Christ has not been preached. Working together, we can do more than working by ourselves.”

“As IMB we have to emphasize the centrality of the CP in our work of cooperation,” he said. “The CP has shaped Southern Baptist life for almost 100 years, and God has used it as a means to bless our churches and the nations.”

Read the IMB news release here. 

Julie McGowan, public relations leader for IMB, contributed to this story.