Kemp, Joseph William

1872-1933. Kemp, born in England, was orphaned at the age of nine. He trained at the Glasgow Bible Training Institute 1893-1895. He had three pastorates in Scotland, with his final one (Charlotte Chapel, 1902-1915) witnessing significant revivalist dimensions and hundreds of conversions. Two pastorates in the United States followed, 1915-1919. He then had his final pastorate at the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle, 1920-1933, packing the building to overflowing. Kemp fostered revivalist evangelism and fundamentalism in New Zealand. His passion for evangelism meant that he could work with others who were less conservative theologically than he was but shared that passion. Kemp was founder of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute (now the Bible College of New Zealand) in 1922 and its monthly journal, the Reaper, in 1923. He was a member of the Baptist College Committee 1923-1933 and President of the Baptist Union in 1929. Ref.: DNZB.