The Rev. Dr. Denton Lotz, formerly General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, representing the community of 110 million Baptists, has been called to be pastor of Tremont Temple Baptist Church (TTBC) beginning September 6, 2009. By calling Dr. Lotz, TTBC has shown its desire to renew its historic multi-racial witness and ministry to downtown Boston.

An internationally acclaimed speaker and author, Dr. Lotz is recognized for his work as a missiologist who looks at how the context in which people live can best be used to bring them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He currently serves as President of the International Religious Liberty Association.

Formerly the General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance from 1988 until 2007, Dr. Lotz began his long career of mission and ministry by serving in Eastern and Central Europe as a missionary of the Board of International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches USA. During that time, he taught for 11 years as an Associate Professor of Missions and Homiletics at the Baptist Theological Seminary, Rüschlikon, Switzerland, where he founded the Summer Institute of Theological Education (SITE), a short term, intensive theological program for Eastern European pastors and leaders for whom theological education was virtually unattainable at that time.

Prior to becoming BWA General Secretary in 1988, Dr. Lotz served as the BWA Director of Evangelism and Education (E&E) and Director of Youth beginning in 1980.

As General Secretary, Dr. Lotz was chief executive officer of the Baptist World Alliance and responsible for every aspect of the work of the BWA for almost two decades, serving as the official representative of the BWA to meetings of Baptist bodies and other Christian groups. His commitment to racial reconciliation was the catalyst for the formation of the BWA Special Commission of Baptists Against Racism and Ethnic Conflict which produced the Harare Declaration. He instituted the BWA Decade for Racial Justice and focused the world of Baptists on the need for the globalization of mission and for more emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in Baptist mission today. He also promoted good relations with the Christian World Communions and established good relations with the China Christian Council.

Dr. Lotz received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1961, and the Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Harvard Divinity School in 1966. In 1970, he received the Doctor of Theology from the University of Hamburg, Germany. He has also received several honorary doctorates: Campbell University, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dallas Baptist University and Alderson-Broaddus College. A former Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, he is the recipient of the Freedom Foundation Award and was honored by the BWA as the first-ever General Secretary Emeritus.

Dr. Lotz and his wife, Janice, are the parents of two sons and one daughter, and have ten grandchildren. Janice and Denton currently reside in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.