Assemblies of God Elects First Woman to Serve as U.S. General Secretary

Rev. Donna L. Barrett will succeed James T. Bradford to the post

The leadership of Assemblies of God, the most prominent Pentecostal denomination in America, has unanimously elected Donna L. Barrett to general secretary position.[/tweetit] Other than being the first woman secretary, she also holds the distinction of being the first female on the executive team of this denomination.

First Woman to Serve As U.S. Assemblies of God General Secretary[/tweetthis]

Reverend Donna L. Barrett, lead pastor of a church in Independence, Ohio, will fill the position of James T. Bradford. The latter's term has not expired. He resigned earlier in April to serve as senior pastor at Central Assembly in Springfield, Missouri.

Barrett is 58-years-old. She worked as a paralegal before joining the ministry. She has been a minister in the Assemblies of God since 1988. Barrett has served on both national and the state organizations. The Assemblies of God claims to have 3.2 million members in the United States. Its worldwide membership is estimated to be 68 million.

I am thrilled to announce the newest member of the Executive Leadership Team…Donna L. Barrett, general secretary of the Assemblies of God. #MadamSecretary #History https://t.co/Q5LxLWuLO0

— Doug Clay (@dougclay) April 23, 2018

Doug Clay, the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, stated his support of Barrett’s election to such a highly ranked post. He had only fulsome praise for her, saying that she had exhibited humility with leadership potential in her service as general presbyter, church planter, and district leader. He mentioned he saw her wisdom when she spoke on difficult topics at both district level and also at the national level.

In her new role as the Pentecostal denomination's general secretary, she will have oversight of credentialing all ministers and chartering of churches. She will also collect official statistics. The position comes in third in the hierarchy of Assemblies leadership preceded only by the general superintendent and the assistant general superintendent. Barrett will begin her term June 1.

Assemblies of God have accepted female ordination since 1914. It is estimated that approximately a quarter of ministers serving in the church are women. Barrett said she is humbled by the opportunity God has given her and she has huge responsibilities in front of her.

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