Wood Re-Elected to Lead AG, Woman Elected to General Presbytery
George O. Wood was re-elected general superintendent of the Assemblies of God (AG) today during the denomination’s biennial General Council meeting being held this week in Orlando, Fla.
Later in the day, the 3 million-member Pentecostal denomination elected a woman to the General Presbytery under a newly adopted resolution that calls for greater representation of women and pastors under the age of 40 on the denomination’s second highest policy-making body.
The Rev. Elizabeth Grant, coordinator for the denomination’s Women in Ministry Network and a member of the board of directors for the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Zion Bible Institute, became the first woman elected to the General Presbytery under the new resolution. The Rev. Bryan Jarrett, 35-year-old pastor of North Place Church in Sachse, Texas, was elected to the governing body under the same resolution.
According to Wood, some 40 percent of the denomination’s adherents are 25 or younger.
“As the denomination has aged, our leadership has progressively moved up in age,” Wood told the Lakeland Ledger before the vote. “It freezes out the rising generation. Without some action, it will probably get worse. The message the resolution sends to younger ministers is you don’t have to sit still, keep your mouth shut and wait.”
In addition to Wood, all of the denomination’s other executive leaders were re-elected to their positions, including General Secretary James T. Bradford, General Treasurer Doug Clay, and Zollie Smith, executive director of U.S. Missions.
The Assemblies kicked off its General Council on Monday with its first Influence Leadership Seminar, which brought in such speakers as Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., Ed Young Jr. of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, and Bible teacher Beth Moore.
Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy spoke Wednesday during a Discipleship luncheon, and pastor Rick Warren is scheduled to speak on Friday, the last day of the council meeting.
(Source: Charisma Online)
