Earlier this year, Ken Kim was announced as MCC Canada’s new executive director. He officially began his role on March 3, 2025. Before this role, he served as director of both World Renew and Presbyterian World Service & Development and spent nearly 20 years as a board member of Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
We wanted to give MCC supporters a chance to get to know him a little bit, so we sat down with him for an informal Q&A session. Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: I’ve heard you addressed as Ken and Kenneth; how do you prefer to be addressed?
A: My name is Kenneth Hee Kyum Kim. My middle name is my given Korean name. I just go with Ken, but often when I'm traveling, I have to use Kenneth Kim because people have a hard time hearing it well, especially those for whom English is not their first language.
Q: In the wake of the success of the Barbie movie last year, have you experienced a lot of “I’m just Ken” sentiment?
A: No, there were a few of those, [laughs] but I was very appreciative when I was at a course with other humanitarian leaders, and they gave me the prize for being “Kenough.” I thought it was fantastic.
Q: Working with the Foodgrains Bank for as long as you have, what about MCC’s approach to its programs enticed you or has you excited?
A: I think what's important is that we are there not as the saviors of other communities and people, but that we walk humbly with God. That means walking humbly with the communities that we work alongside of, and in that way, our service is to walk and work in accompaniment of people who are outside the world we live in, or the wealthy Westernized world.
Q: You’ve had a chance to travel to many countries in your previous roles, are there any off-the-beaten-path hidden gems you’ve discovered in those travels?
A: A hidden gem? Well, I think I would honestly say Afghanistan was the most beautiful country I've ever visited. I've been to lots of countries — just for fun, I counted a while ago and I thought I was near 50, but it was actually closer to 70 countries that I’ve been to, but I would say Afghanistan left an impression like no other.
Q: Is there a hymn or piece of worship music that you’d call a favorite of yours?
A: There's a song called The Servant Song: “Brother, sister, let me be your servant; Let me be as Christ to you.”
That for me has a great deal of meaning because I think it speaks to what we do at MCC and in my other organizations in terms of Christian service ministry.
Q: Being the father of four children, including a set of triplets, has there been a lesson learned from parenting that you’ve seen translate to your professional life?
A: I think it trained me early on to be sleep deprived [laughs], so yes, I could work longer and harder than many, but the other part is that I think when, as we were raising our children, we wanted them to be individuals.
We recognize that they're part of a family unit and they're part of a grouping because they always played together. But nonetheless, we encourage individuality and their expressions to come through, and I think that also comes through in our work. We work in community and respect the diversity of cultures and beliefs present in the world.
Often, we as supervisors have to work with diverse teams and we want to encourage the strengths of each one, not necessarily to harp on their weaknesses, because we all have those, and the other part, we recognize some people are going to be faster in learning and doing and other people are going to take a little bit longer.
Q: Looking to your own childhood, is there a memory or experience that’s shaped how you engage with the world to this day?
A: I think it occurred early on when I recognized that somehow not everybody was like me. My family’s home [in the Republic of Korea, or South Korea] had proper brick walls and a sturdy roof, and we had more than a simple shelter. We had a formal tiled roof over our heads and running water in the house, but then when I went to grade school for the first time, I recognized that my friends didn't come from homes like mine, they came from the surrounding hills where the homes were basically shacks where recycled metal, wood, paper or dirt were used. The roads to their homes were all dirt if I recall, but my street was actually paved.
Q: Where in Korea did you grow up?
A: I was born in Seoul, the capital, and my mother's family is from Seoul. My father's actually came from an area that is now North Korea [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK], he fled as the only son of his family. His family urged him to leave that area and did not want him to be caught by the soldiers. He couldn't go back — ever. And so, my father passed away without ever seeing his sisters and his family home.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your faith background
A: I do not come from an Anabaptist background. Many Korean Christians are either Presbyterian, Methodist or Catholic. I come from the Presbyterian line. Having said that, my family includes Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Catholics, Episcopalians and Presbyterians.
Q: What’s excited you about coming to lead an Anabaptist organization like MCC?
A: I have been involved with the work of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, I've been on the board for nearly two decades. Having understood the history of the Foodgrains Bank, what we've been able to achieve over its history and the fact that it started originally as the Mennonite Foodgrains Bank has meant that I have always respected the work and ethos of MCC.
For me it was a very revealing character of Anabaptists, particularly those at MCC, to share a ministry that was so good, that could have been very successful — meaning as an MCC ministry — to give it away. I think that is what the whole point of our faith is, to give generously; grace is meant to be given away. Over my career I saw the leadership characteristic of every Anabaptist person that I had the blessing to work with, they shared generously, and for me it left a very strong impression
Everywhere I have worked or visited, I’ve met MCC workers and staff, and for me, they embody the best of what it is to live our faith in Christ, in community with all of God’s people and creation and to walk humbly doing so.