Faith News Network

Assistant General Overseer Ramirez Wins Alumni Award

Bishop David E. Ramírez, third assistant general overseer for the Church of God, has been named winner of Asbury Theological Seminary’s Distinguished Alumni award for 2023.

Asbury Seminary’s Distinguished Alumni award is designed to honor graduates who, in their personal lives and public ministries, exhibit the Seminary’s values of preparing a theologically educated, sanctified, Spirit-filled evangelistic ministry to spread scriptural holiness across the world.

Bishop Ramirez, raised in Chile, has a rich family heritage as a third-generation pastor in the Church of God. As a young teen, he came to America to study at the Church of God Spanish Institute of Ministry. He received a Master of Divinity at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary (2002), and two honorary doctoral degrees recognizing excellence in Christian leadership. As a professor, Ramirez specialized in teaching church growth, Christian leadership, practical theology, and biblical preaching.

He has a wealth of experience as a missionary, local pastor, church planter, and CPE Chaplain. For six years, he served as president of South Cone Ministerial Seminary in Argentina, followed by 14 years as the founder and president of the South American Theological Seminary in Quito, Ecuador. In 2006, he was appointed to serve the Southwest Hispanic Region as Administrative Bishop. From 2008 to 2016, he provided leadership to all of Latin America as the World Missions field director.

In addition to previous election to the Church of God International Executive Council and serving on multiple denominational boards, Ramirez has served on advisory boards and committees for several international ministry organizations: the Lausanne Movement, the 4/14 Window Movement, Compassion International, Empowered21, Oral Roberts University Board of Trustees, and the Pentecostal World Fellowship World Missions Commission.

In 2016, Ramirez was elected to the Church of God International Executive Committee as the Third Assistant General Overseer and also became the Executive Director for the Division of Education. He and his wife, Fernanda, are parents to Santiago, Fernando, and Valeria.

“Along with being a colleague in ministry, David Ramirez has been a trusted friend,” said General Overseer Tim Hill. “This award is well deserved and represents his dedication to spreading the gospel around the globe.”