Supt. H. Burnett & The Dunamis Word Blog extends our highest regards to The Most Right Reverend Bishop J. Drew Sheard and his family and wishes the greatest success in HIS Kingdom work!
Official Press Release From The 'Grand Ole' Church Of God In Christ:
THE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST ELECTS
BISHOP J. DREW SHEARD AS ITS NEW PRESIDING BISHOP
Memphis, TN (March 20, 2021) Bishop J. Drew Sheard has been elected as the new Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country.
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) General Assembly, the legislative body of the denomination, has voted Bishop J. Drew Sheard of Detroit, Michigan as the leader of the worldwide organization.
Presiding Bishop Sheard says, “I am humbled and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve this extraordinary organization, the Church of God in Christ, as its new leader and Presiding Bishop.”
He adds, “To be elected to serve as the Presiding Bishop for the Church in which I was born, raised, and have learned and served all my life, is a dream and desire that can only be fulfilled by God’s loving grace and guidance. The opportunity to serve such an extraordinary organization at our highest recognized level of priesthood is beyond humbling. I am so grateful for the unparalleled support of my loving wife, Karen, who has served diligently alongside me in ministry, and for my children. I could never adequately honor or appreciate my parents for demonstrating holiness by sheer example. With complete excitement and joy, I look forward to serving the Lord’s people.”
Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard was born on January 1, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, to Bishop and Mrs. John Henry Sheard. After graduating from high school, he matriculated to Wayne State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, and a Master of Education degree in Mathematics. Bishop Sheard is a former mathematics teacher and has served as senior pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ since 1988. He is the prelate of the Michigan North Central Jurisdiction, was a former Auxiliary In Ministries (AIM) Convention chairman, and International Youth Department president for COGIC. Since 2012, he has served as a member of the General Board. Sheard is married to Mrs. Karen Clark-Sheard, a member of the legendary Grammy Award-winning group – The Clark Sisters – and is the father of Kierra and J. Drew II. He has two grandchildren: Jacob and Kallie Drew.
The General Board – the twelve bishops who serve as the Board of Directors of the Church – the following persons have been elected:
- Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Michigan
- Bishop Jerry W. Macklin, California
- Bishop Sedgwick Daniels, Wisconsin
- Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten, Sr., Missouri
- Bishop Brandon B. Porter, Tennessee
- Bishop Darrel L. Hines, Sr. , Wisconsin
- Bishop Michael E. Hill, Sr., Michigan
- Bishop Prince E. Bryant, Sr., Texas
- Bishop David A. Hall, Sr., Tennessee
- Bishop Loran E. Mann, Delaware
- Bishop Malcolm Coby, Oklahoma
- Bishop Charles H. McClelland, Wisconsin
Presiding Bishop Sheard has chosen Bishop Jerry W. Macklin and Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten, Sr. as his first and second assistant Presiding Bishops respectively.
The Installation for the Presiding Bishop, General Board members and General Officers will be held at a later date.
Founded in 1907 by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason and headquartered in Memphis, TN, The Church of God in Christ is one of the oldest Pentecostal denominations in the World and the 4th largest Protestant group in the United States with 10,000 churches in over 112 countries worldwide and millions of adherents.
Bishop J Drew Sheard had a relatively quick ascension. He became a Bishop back in 2009 and a Board member in 2012. He has one of the largest churches in Detroit, been there several times. The last time was for the funeral of Mother Jean Anderson who was the daughter of Bishop O T Jones Sr.
ReplyDeleteI attended Bishop Daniels church when I lived in Milwaukee. His church is comparable to Sheard's in size I guess. But it seemed like Daniels campaigned so much harder than Bishop Sheard did.
But I guess that Bishop Sheard had more name recognition, partly because of his wife. Speaking of which, I think that was something that hurt Bishop Daniels chances, the fact that he has never been married. If he was widowed, it probably wouldn't have counted as much against him.
Also, even though no one will admit that this is a reason they voted for Bishop Sheard, humans are very visual creatures and decide a lot based on physical appearance. People rate taller men as being more capable and competent leaders than shorter men. I think Bishop Sheard is 6'2 or 6'3 something like that. The average height of a corporate CEO is 6'1 and the average height of a U.S. President is something similar. Statistically, if Bishop Sheard was a foot shorter and had the same credentials, it is unlikely he would be the Presiding Bishop. Not only is he taller than Bishop Daniels, he's also a lot slimmer, which made him a more appealing choice.
I think that Bishop J Drew Sheard will be a good Presiding Bishop and while he's an older man (at least to me as he's my parents age) he's still young enough to have a long reign as Presiding Bishop, assuming he keeps getting re-elected as he'll likely be around for the better part of 20-30 years. He could be Presiding Bishop as long as Bishop J O Patterson was.
Just a question, not an aspersion or negative against you or your commentary, but do you see God in any of this?
DeleteYou've made a case based on many things, including marriage, average height and appearance.
What place do you think, in your opinion, that God has to do with the Bishop's ascension? And how does one assess that?
Thanks.
Oh, I was just mentioning how those factors probably influenced the way people voted more than we think. But, whatever the case on how he got there, Bishop J Drew Sheard is the man God wants there.
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