Meet Allegheny East Conference’s New President

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

Trevor Kinlock was recently selected to serve as the new president of the Allegheny East Conference (AEC). Though new to the role, Kinlock is not new to AEC. He was the senior pastor of the Metropolitan church in Hyattsville, Md., from March 2016 to June 2024. Previous to that, he served at the Emmanuel-Brinklow church in Ashton, Md., and the Calvary church in Newport News, Va. We recently sat down with Kinlock to get to know him better.

AEC: What do you value?

Kinlock: I value Christ and His kingdom and fully believe that the Second Coming of our Lord is imminent. Our focus, then, must be toward building the kingdom of God where we are (Matthew 6:33). I also value justice and the liberation of oppressed people and communities. Christ’s ministry was one of liberation, therefore liberation from the circumstances, systems and structures of sin must always remain at the heart of Christian ministry (Luke 4:18).

AEC: What are you looking forward to as AEC’s new president?

Kinlock: AEC is a broad and culturally diverse conference covering the Mid-Atlantic states. We exist in one of the most diverse regions of the nation. Our conference looks like our regional territory. As president, I’m looking forward to celebrating and elevating our cultural and ethnic diversity while helping position our churches and communities toward evangelistic growth and vitality.

AEC: Tell us more about your interest in education and young people.

Kinlock: I received the call to ministry in my senior year of high school. I am the product of publicschool education in Los Angeles and came to experience the power of Seventh-day Adventist education through Oakwood and Andrews universities where I completed my undergraduate and graduate education, respectively. When I joined AEC, every church where I was assigned had a church school. Hence, in the last 22 years of my professional journey, I have come to value the elevating impact of Adventist Christian education. While I have many passions in ministry, youth and education are right up at the top.

AEC: What are some of your hobbies?

Kinlock: I enjoy reading a good book, playing the piano, working out in the gym, playing table games with my kids and traveling. I enjoy the National Basketball Association (NBA) and, being from Los Angeles, I am a lifelong LA Lakers fan.

AEC: Please introduce us to your family.

Kinlock: My beautiful wife, Carleen, is an early childhood educator and administrator who has worked as a center director at a local Washington, D.C., university since 2005. Together, we have two daughters, Cayla Rose and Ava Janell.