Bishop J. Drew Sheard is installed as Presiding Bishop for another term and what it means for the future of the Church of God in Christ

Photo: Presiding Bishop J Drew Sheard

It's official!

Bishop J. Drew Sheard has been installed for another term as Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC)!

The Quadrennial Service of Inauguration & Installation was held at Temple of Deliverance Church in Memphis, TN on Wednesday, April 9th.

Temple of Deliverance is the former church of the late Bishop GE Patterson.

Bishop Sheard was voted Presiding Bishop during the COGIC General Assembly in November 2024.

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is the largest predominantly Black Pentecostal denomination in the US.

Bishop Sheard's new term lasts for 4 years.

As Sheard takes the the helm again, he must deal with a number of pressing contemporary issues. For example, a number of churches are dealing with declining enrollment, particularly among Gen Z'ers. Moreover, although most churches are financially supported by only 20% of their respective congregants (i.e., the 80/20 rule), many churches within the Church of God in Christ are still struggling to regain their financial footing after COVID.

Also, how churches market themselves is changing. Churches are no longer competing just against neighboring churches for people's attention and wallets, they're also competing against any church with an online presence, especially those with celebrity mega-church pastors with well-produced church services who are able to dominant messaging with their ubiquitous social media presence.

Another issue that Bishop Sheard must contend with is how to best serve COGIC churches in need. It goes without question that Bishop Sheard's heart is in the right place when it comes to community outreach and caring for member churches. He raised over $300,000 for those who were impacted by the California wildfires. However, one of his challenges will be how and with whom he engages in strategic partnerships going forward.

While inter-faith collaboration efforts should be celebrated, COGIC's tenuous partnership with the Church of Latter Day Saints fizzled because of poor, rash messaging that curtailed the promise of the collaboration. Announcement of the partnership came out of the blue, with little acknowledgement of the history of the Mormon Church or its recent attempts at racial reconciliation. Moreover, the partnership seemed to imply an implicit hierarchy whereby the Church of Latter Day Saints with its bountiful of riches was helping the downtrodden congregations of the Church of God in Christ. This power imbalance struck the wrong chord among many COGIC members and downplayed the agency and power of one of the largest Black denominations in the nation.

In addition, Presiding Bishop Sheard must deal with Memphis, the city of its corporate headquarters. For the first time in years, COGIC Holy Convocation will be moving outside of Memphis in 2026. While the "Bluff City" will always have a special place in the heart of the Church of God in Christ, the city is dealing with rampant crime, persistent poverty, and declining population. Moreover, city leadership has been unable to figure out how to jumpstart growth. Even Bishop Brandon Porter has publicly admitted his difficulty in dealing with city leadership, particularly in addressing hotel price gouging during Holy Convocation.

Finally, as the Church of God in Christ grows in membership and prominence, Bishop Sheard increasingly will be tasked with corralling in and managing the vitriol of certain well-known bishops whose persuasive political rhetoric could threaten the COGIC brand.

Nevertheless, Sheard and his new leadership have vowed to focus on the following as part of their strategic plan:

• Fostering spiritual revival,

• Social justice,

• Youth empowerment, and

• Global missions

What Bishop Sheard has going for him as he seeks to enhance the Church of God in Christ is that he is extremely well-liked and respected. In addition, people seem to like his wife and children who are always by his side.

It remains to be seen how he utilizes his good-will to navigate these next four years and execute on his strategic plan.

Please keep Bishop Sheard and his leadership in your prayers as they embark on their new term in office.

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