The Nevada Baptist Convention’s (NBC) executive board announced July 4 that Damian Cirincione, executive pastor of Shadow Hills Church in Las Vegas, will be the convention’s new executive director-treasurer.

According to a letter sent to NBC churches, Cirincione will serve as executive director-elect until beginning the full-time role Sept. 7.

The board unanimously elected Cirincione during a called meeting on June 4, and he officially accepted the offer June 13.

The board said Cirincione, who also had been serving as president of the NBC, had “removed himself from any responsibilities as president of the convention,” as it pertained to the search process for a new state executive director, in order to avoid a conflict of interest.

He has served in full-time ministry at Shadow Hills since 1996 and has been the executive pastor for 10 years.

The search for a new state executive began in February, after it was announced that former executive director Kevin White had resigned in December 2020.

In a letter to Nevada pastors, White, who had been in the role eight years, announced his resignation “with a sad and broken heart,” saying he had battled depression and anxiety for years.

“For the sake of my health, I believe it’s best for me to step down at this time while seeking God’s plan for my future,” he wrote.

The convention’s executive board confirmed White’s resignation to Baptist Press (BP) on Jan. 23. In a statement released Jan. 28, the executive board said White resigned “for personal reasons concerning anxiety and depression, which led him to make some improper decisions while serving as interim pastor at a Las Vegas church.”

White did not respond to inquiries from BP in January.

In the letter announcing Cirincione’s hiring, the board said every step in the process of naming a new director – from approving a job description, to processing applications, to conducting final interviews – was “saturated in prayer.”

“Each applicant was personally prayed for and we asked God for clear guidance and direction from Him,” the board said in its letter.

“The Executive Board prayed individually, collectively, diligently and specifically for God’s will to be clear to us and the candidate. We asked Him for a unanimous vote and candidate acceptance to confirm His will to us. He answered! We gave thanks then and now. He did immeasurably more than all we asked or imagined, according to His power that was at work within us.”

Cirincione will work contractually as executive director-elect while he transitions out of his role at Shadow Hills Church.

He also will officially step down from his role as NBC president. Tim Royal, the current vice president, will serve as acting president until the NBC annual meeting Oct. 18-19.

The letter from the board concluded with a message of hope to its churches, “We are excited for the future days of NBC and covet your prayers during this time of transition. God Bless you all and thank you for what you do to serve our churches in this great state of Nevada.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Timothy Cockes is a Baptist Press staff writer.)