Bishops and Networks

Thursday evening a significant event occurred in the Church of God, although it is unlikely that most people are aware of it. You probably will not read about it in the next edition of the CHOGNews email blast.  

A significant number of African American church leaders from across the country gathered in Fresno, California (my current abode) for the episcopal consecration of Paul Binion, pastor of the Westside Church of God here. Paul, a good friend of mine, is a prominent figure both within the Church of God, and in the city of Fresno due to his active civic involvement. On Thursday, Paul was bestowed the title of “Bishop” from leaders of the Berean Fellowship, a network of African American church leaders (from both inside and outside the Church of God) led by Bishop Timothy Clark, pastor of First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, and former chairperson of our General Assembly. 

My head has been spinning since this ceremony, so I wanted to write down a few reflections arising from my experience of this very formal event. While there is so much that could be said (including a lengthy primer with background details), I am limiting my thoughts here to a couple of key insights I gleaned from the evening. These, I believe, are relevant to issues currently confronting the Church of God.