Summary of the 2008 Church of God International General Assembly
Delegates began arriving in the city of San Antonio, Texas days before the Monday, August 4 evening opening service of the 72nd Church of God International General Assembly. Hundreds were involved in transforming the Alamodome into a business and worship venue, while across I-35 in the Gonzales Convention Center, even more were erecting exhibits, preparing rooms for special events, placing signage and preparing for hundreds of teenagers to compete in Teen Talent. Banners hung from utility poles along Market Street, welcoming the thousands of delegates from around the world. Shuttle buses were commissioned to transport those delegates from the more than two dozen hotels across the city filled with those attending the Assembly.
Two pre-conference events were conducted as the Chaplains Commission hosted dozens of chaplains and their spouses, taking time for fellowship and training at the Hilton Palacio del Rio. The event also featured some special recognitions, including Voluntary, Institutional and International Chaplaincy Awards. The top award for Distinguished Chaplain was bestowed upon Eugene Wigelsworth for his more than 25 years as a prison chaplain in Mississippi.
A few blocks away at the Hyatt Regency, World Missions spent two days in their pre-conference event where they, too, took time for fellowship and prayer and to learn of the latest trends in missions. The group heard from keynote speaker, Rev. James O. Davis, founder of Cutting Edge Ministries.
Other departments of the Church of God conducted their conferences or events during the week where they, too, recognized award winners, hosted special guests and conducted business. Those departments included Music Ministries, the Division of Education (National Conference of Educators and institutional reunions), Laity Ministries, Black Ministries, Women’s Ministries and Hispanic Ministries.
Primary activities of Monday August 4 were filled with registration and the opening of the exhibit hall. The hall featured the four divisions of the Church of God – Care, Church Ministries, Education and World Evangelization – and the massive Pathway Bookstore to the rear. In between were dozens of para-church ministries and vendors from gifts and handbags to travel agencies and monument companies.
On Monday evening the opening keynote address featured General Overseer G. Dennis McGuire who challenged the packed dome with a message related to the theme of the Assembly, Walking in the Spirit. “I’ve been on a search for who we are and where we come from,” McGuire said. “And a year ago it was revealed to me. While looking at the Minutes of the first General Assembly, I read the words ‘strong men wept.'” He went on to say, “It is only when the Church of God and strong men are willing to weep for hurting people that we are ourselves!”
On Tuesday morning, McGuire gaveled the General Council of ordained bishops into the first of three sessions of the day. The first order of business was to nominate the Executive Committee for the upcoming 2008-2010 Assembly period. Accepting the top nomination for the office of general overseer was Raymond F. Culpepper, first assistant general overseer since he was elected in 2004. Culpepper’s nomination by the Council was a mandate as he received more than the required number of votes on the initial nominating ballot.
Tim Hill, second assistant general overseer of the past two years, was nominated to fill the post of first assistant for the ensuing two years. Hill, who was elected secretary general in 2004 and then to second assistant two years later, also went in on the nominating ballot.
The final three positions on the executive committee went to newcomers to executive committee leadership. For second assistant general overseer, the General Council nominated Mark Williams, who at the time of his nomination was state overseer for the states of California and Nevada. Williams’ nomination was followed by the nomination of David Griffis, state overseer of Tennessee to be third assistant general overseer, followed by the nomination of the secretary general, Wallace Sibley, who is the first African-American to be nominated to the Executive Committee.
The General Council continued with nominations on Tuesday by choosing the director and assistant director of Evangelism and Home Missions. Previous assistant director Jimmy Smith was nominated to move to the director position, while his replacement at assistant director will be Rev. Larry Timmerman who in 2006 completed eight years in the department at both leadership levels.
The ordained bishops nominated Thomas Madden and Gary Lewis to lead the youth and Christian education department for the next two years. Madden was elevated to the director’s role, while Lewis, who was serving as state youth and C.E. director of South Carolina, will move to Cleveland to assume the role as assistant director.
The final nominations were for the two leaders in World Missions. They are: J.B. Douglas Leroy, voted to be elevated to the director’s spot, followed by the second historic nomination of the day, the placement of the first Hispanic in an elected post, Victor Pagan, who will be the assistant director for at least the next two years.
With leader nominations complete, the General Council proceeded to elect the Council of 18, which, combined with the Executive Committee comprises the International Executive Council. Elected to serve for the ensuing two years were: T. Bryan Cutshall, pastor of Twin Rivers Worship Center in St. Louis, Mo.; H. Loran Livingston, pastor of the Charlotte Central Church in Charlotte, N.C.; William E. Isaacs, state overseer of Northern Ohio; David Cooper, pastor of the 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.
With the nominations and elections completed, the General Council proceeded with the agenda business. All total there were 19 items to be debated or acted upon, including what proved to be some sensitive issues. Item #3 dealt with the realignment of church finances which sparked heated debate and a spontaneous prayer gathering (see sidebar). Eventually the entire measure was referred to the Executive Committee and Council to assess an impact report on World Missions, an impact study on the International Offices (both finances and personnel), and a workable schedule of reduction down to 10%. It was further noted that the Executive Council and World Missions leadership and representatives from the states as appointed by the General Overseer function as a committee of action to perfect the model of reallocation as stated in the substitute motion and that said motion be announced by September 2009 and enacted by September 2010.
Subsequent items addressed several initiatives of the church, including reports on church planting, group health insurance, expansion of pastoral benefits, the bylaws, the divisional structure of the Church and an amendment to the Minutes redefining suspension and revocation of credentials. The Council also passed a measure that would allow younger ministers with active and verifiable ministry experience to receive their ordained bishop credentials sooner than the required age level. Another measure lengthened the paperwork time period for churches wishing to affiliate with the Church of God to five years, while another item gave a report on a study of churches located internationally affiliating with the Church of God.
In item 12 dealing with doctrinal fidelity, the Council went on record as “making a renewed commitment to our Pentecostal heritage and beliefs and our Pentecostal statement of faith in the Declaration of Faith, and in the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart and in speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.”
There were two items dealing with the youth and Christian education department. One measure which passed stated that in states/regions where the Administrative Bishop and State Council shall determine there are not enough qualified ministers to consider, exhorters can be considered eligible to serve on the state youth board. A second item reducing the tenure of state directors back to four years was defeated.
In the final portion of the agenda, the General Council heard a report on the USA National Council and Assembly and that a Local Church Development Plan be implemented by in conjunction with each respective state/regional overseer for the purpose of increasing the missional effectiveness of local churches through a plan designed to involve lay leadership together with pastoral oversight for church growth. When the General Assembly business session convened on Friday August 8, action taken by the General Council was ratified including the nominations of all executive and department leaders. The Assembly delegates also passed eight resolutions dealing with several topics, including voting, pastoral affirmation and covenant relationships, Care and the Creation, the Centennial of Church of God World Missions and resolutions of appreciation to Dennis McGuire, Orville Hagan, Paul Walker and the City of San Antonio.
A highlight of the Assembly week are the keynote speakers for the evening services where thousands gather together in worship and fellowship. On Wednesday, Sean Teal, a pastor in Chattanooga, Tenn., delivered a riveting message on the theme, Planting Life-Giving Churches. On Thursday, Hispanic regional administrative bishop Angel Marcial delivered a bilingual message on Reaching the Unreached, while the final evening service on Friday featured Barry Clardy, pastor of Princeton Pike Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio, who was assigned the topic, Challenging Our Youth.
On Saturday morning, a special commissioning service to install the new general overseer began at 9:30 in the Alamodome. Outgoing general overseer Dennis McGuire presented the ceremonial gavel and Bible prior to Rev. Culpepper’s message. Former general overseer Paul Walker installed the new leader, while former church leader Floyd Carey invoked the dedicatory prayer. Culpepper challenged the audience to “Ask largely” of God, themselves and of others and to go, “Forward Together in Changing Times.”
The 2010 Church of God General Assembly will be held for the first time in Orlando, Florida, on the last weekend of July at the Orange County Convention Center. The Church of God Web site as well as faithnews.cc has complete details of the General Assembly including the agenda of business, resolutions, PDF versions of the five editions of General Assembly Today newspaper, the complete list of elections and appointments and a menu of over two dozen videos entitled GA Now which cover everything from daily updates from the stage at the Alamodome to Teen Talent to the exhibit hall. The Web link will stay active over the next several months.
