BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
Last week the Greater Tabernacle Worship Center brought together several pastors from around the city and held a leadership conference at the church.
The pastors touched on different issues that many churches face on regular basis.
They spoke about topics such as church growth or lack thereof, maintaining a church in a crisis, being a godly leader and how to heal hurting people.
Apostle B.J. McCloud, senior pastor of Greater Tabernacle, says she wanted to have the conference because these are issues that many churches deal with and need answers to.
“I wanted to have the conference for the unity and diversity of it,” McCloud said. “When we all get together we can all honor God and get along and make bigger things happen. The points that were made were that we all need Jesus and we all need him to help us in our every day life.”
Bishop Phillip G. McLeod Sr. of Fresh Fire Worship Center spoke about the growth of a church and how some become consumed by it. He says that if you keep the focus on, God the growth of the church will happen. He thinks that worrying about the numbers in your congregation is contradictory to what the church focus is meant to be.
“In order for us to help Pastor Andria Walker of Living Word Christian Worship Center spoke about the pastor’s role as leader of the church. She says church leaders are supposed to let God lead their lives and give Him the glory whenever possible.
others, we have to be in our respective places and allow God to use us to His glory, for His glory,” Walker said.
Apostle Edward Allen of Ambassador Cathedral touched on how to maintain the church during a crisis. He posed the question, “How do you maintain a church in crisis?” His answer was that you bring that crisis to the Lord.
“It takes time to build a leader and a godly leader takes time,” Allen continued. “God’s timing is not our timing. When he completes the work, then the work is ready for the leader.
First Lady Alice Carlisle of Exodus United Baptist Church, wife of local NAACP chapter president, the Rev. Alvin Carlisle, dealt with the topic of hurt people and how to help them. She says as leader they need to be anointed to be able to help hurting people.
“When you are anointed God will send you to the right place at the right time for the right person,” Carlisle added. “As leaders we must get back to a place where God can truly use us effectively. And if we get our lives back in line with the Word of God, then we can reach the hurt-ing and we can reach the world and bring them to Christ and where he would have them to be.”
Following the speakers, the church group leaders were acknowledged and McCloud gave her final remarks on the evening. She stated the conference was just the “genesis” of something larger that she has planned for the future called “The Fellowship.” She says this will expand upon her feelings of unity and fellowship that she holds very dear to her heart.
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