General Council Elects 2008-2010 Council of Eighteen
By Cameron Fisher
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(l-r): Nick Park, David Munguia, Donald M. Walker, Grant McClung, William Isaacs, Oliver McMahan, Gary W. Sears, Mark Walker, H. Loran Livingston, T. Bryan Cutshall, R. Lamar Vest, Michael Chapman, M. Thomas Propes and Jentezen Franklin. |
Chosen to represent them on church matters for the next two years, the General Council completed election of the 18 members of the Council of Eighteen during Wednesday morning’s session. The Executive Council meets with the Executive Committee on matters pertaining to the general church, including setting the agenda for the General Assembly.
Elected by the General Council were the following ministers: T. Bryan Cutshall, pastor, Twin Rivers Worship Center, St. Louis, Mo.; H. Loran Livingston, pastor, Central Church of God, Charlotte, N.C.; William E. Isaacs, state overseer of Louisiana; David Cooper, pastor, Mt. Paran Central Church of God in Atlanta; Tony D. Scott, pastor, The Church on Strayer in Sylvania, Ohio; Donald M. Walker, state overseer of North Georgia; Grant McClung, professor at the Church of God Theological Seminary; R. Lamar Vest, executive vice president, American Bible Society; Jentezen Franklin, pastor , Free Chapel Gainesville, Ga., and Free Chapel Orange County, Calif.; Oliver McMahan, Dean of Ministries, Church of God Theological Seminary; Fedlyn Beason, World Missions Field Director for the Caribbean; David Ramirez, overseer Southwestern Hispanic region; Gary W. Sears, pastor, Mt. Olive Church of God, Cleveland, Tenn.; Nick Park, pastor of Solid Rock Church, Drogheda, Ireland; David Munguia, president of South American Seminary in Quito, Ecuador; Michael Chapman, pastor of City Church, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Mark L. Walker, pastor, Mt. Paran North, Atlanta, Ga.; and M. Thomas Propes, state overseer of South Carolina.
The new Council includes veteran members, as well as a mixture of new faces. Executive Council members serve for a period of two years and are eligible for two consecutive terms. By definition, the Executive Council must have at least nine pastors and two representatives from outside the United States as part of the body, according to the Church of God General Assembly Minutes. Once the voting was complete, the General Council commenced to discuss the agenda of business before them.
The six new members of the Council who are serving for the first time are Franklin, Park, Munguia, Chapman, Walker and Propes. International representatives are Park and Munguia, while the nine pastors are Cutshall, Livingston, Cooper, Scott, Franklin, Sears, Park, Chapman and Walker. Also serving on the Executive Council is the moderator for the Full Gospel Church of God in South Africa, Anton van Deventer and the national overseer of Indonesia, Jacob Nahuway.
