First woman elected to Executive Presbytery of AOG
A woman has become the first woman elected to the leadership of the national Assemblies of God USA.
Elizabeth (Beth) Grant, a veteran missionary and coordinator of the Women in Ministry Network, was greeted with a standing ovation from ministers and delegates after her election as the ordained female executive presbyter. The Assemblies’ Executive Presbytery is a 20-member body that serves as the board of directors for the 2.8 million-member fellowship of Pentecostal churches.
She was one of four candidates for the position on the Executive Presbytery that the 2007 General Council set aside for a woman, the first female position on that body.
“Ladies, thank you for hanging in there. But after 90-something years, what’s a few hours?” she said.
“We are here today and we in this vote are saying thank you God for the women in our Movement,” she said. “As I travel this nation, I meet many of you (women), and you inspire us, you inspire this Movement by your obedience to God.”
Grant had already made a little bit of history two years ago, when she was one of the three candidates in the final rounds of balloting for assistant general superintendent. Based on available records and memories at the time, Grant was the first woman to advance that far in the election for a top executive office.
Grant and her husband David have served as Assemblies of God missionaries to Southern Asia for 28 years. They currently run Project Rescue in India, a ministry to prostitutes and sex-trade workers in five cities.
Report taken from the North Escambia local news. http://www.northescambia.com/?p=10161
One thought on “First woman elected to Executive Presbytery of AOG”
I suppose it is no surprise that among the Pentecostals, who seem to take Galatians 3:26-4:7 more seriously than the rest of the Protestant churches, were the first to seek reconciliation between black and white Christians and work together in evangelistic and social ministries. Now they are the first to recognize and formally confirm the Spirit’s gifting and calling of Elizabeth Grant to be on their national board of elders. Hats off to them! May the Holy Spirit bring about such change in other church bodies, so that men and women together, united in the Lord and empowered by his Spirit, may powerfully spread the Gospel in our own generation. O Lord, may it be so! Amen!