Kansas Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists (KNCSB)

NAMB honors Western Nebraska director of missions

Ken Weathersby (left) presents the “Dennis Hampton Rural Church Planting Award” to Doug Lee, director of missions in western Nebraska. Weathersby is vice president for church planting for the North American Mission Board. The award is named for the late Dennis Hampton, the long-time KNCSB rural church-planting strategist. (Photo by John Swain)

By Mickey Noah
Doug Lee, director of missions in Oregon Trail Baptist Association in western Nebraska for the past 12 years, was honored with the North American Mission Board’s “Dennis Hampton Rural Church Planting Award” during NAMB’s recent summer senior leadership meeting in Atlanta,

The award is named for the late Dennis Hampton, long-time rural church planter strategist for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. Hampton died of injuries suffered in an automobile accident on July 28, 2005.

“At the very core of Doug’s heart is evangelism and church planting,” said the NAMB citation accompanying the award. “His life is driven by these Biblical mandates. He is always asking for prayer for someone he’s just led to faith in Christ. Doug follows all the principles that Dennis Hampton employed while he was here.

“Doug has started home Bible fellowships called ‘Places of Light’ all over western Nebraska and many of these have become churches. He has started over 30 churches throughout rural western Nebraska.

“Doug networks and meets with church planters and pastors regularly to mentor, coach and equip them,” according to the award citation. “His peers not only consider him a church planter and strategist but a tremendous soul winner.”

Lee attended NAMB’s summer meeting in Atlanta with his wife, Brenda. He was born in Tulsa, Okla., and grew up in Valentine, Neb. He is a graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. Lee has served as a church planter/pastor in Kansas, Nebraska and North Dakota. Earlier in his career, he worked as a police officer.

The Lees have two sons, Andrew and Adam.