5 things to know about new US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee

1. He is a former pastor and president of the Arkansas Baptist Convention

The Almanac of American Politics, published in 2000, details Huckabee’s educational and professional background before entering politics.

The publication, which contains information about all governors and members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives at the time, noted that Huckabee graduated from Ouachita Baptist University at 19. 

After finishing his studies at the Arkansas institution, Huckabee attended Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, for four years. He served as pastor of Beech Street First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Arkansas, from 1986-1992. Before arriving at Beech Street, he led Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. 

“In both towns he started a 24-hour television station, where he produced documentaries and hosted a program called Positive Alternatives,” the almanac stated. In 1989, Huckabee became president of the Arkansas Baptist Convention, which has a membership of nearly 500,000 people as of 2000. 

The Almanac for American Politics attributes Huckabee’s passion for his Christian faith to a “profound spiritual experience” he had when attending a two-week youth fellowship program at Cape Kennedy at the age of 15.