Bishop J. Drew Sheard, the presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ, has been described as “a difference-maker” in his base city of Detroit and beyond.
In Memphis for the international denomination’s 114th Holy Convocation, the presiding bishop fielded a question about that description during a conversation with The New Tri-State Defender’s Associate Publisher/Executive Editor Karanja A. Ajanaku.
The description is one he readily embraces, calling himself “extremely blessed” to have served in key positions where he could make a difference. He particularly referenced “reaching out and being inclusive of the disenfranchised people who may have not had the kind of opportunities that others have had.”
It has, said Bishop Sheard, “been my lot to reach out and grab other people and bring them along. I was not always the person that people said, ‘OK, come on, let’s let him do it,’ but somehow, through the divine intervention of God, I would end up in key places. … I understand how it feels to not be included in the ‘clique.’”
The Holy Convocation, which officially began Tuesday (Nov. 8), extends through Nov. 15. The theme is “The Challenge We Face” and with it in mind, here is more from the conversation with Presiding Bishop Sheard.
K.A. Ajanaku: I’m of the mind that we’re all called to ministry in a way in the service of God. However, not all of us are called to be an evangelist or a preacher. Would you share your revelation about being called to be of service as a preacher?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: You hit a key point when you said we’re all involved in ministry because, and this is what I call “Drew-ology,” my definition of ministry is meeting the needs of people. I’ve always said, if you don’t meet the needs of people, you’re really not doing ministry.
So consequently, I’ve always been a person who didn’t mind looking out for our seniors and younger people, and God has blessed me to be in ministry.
My ministry has been to revolutionize some people’s lives that were going in the wrong direction. People who may have not thought they had an opportunity or could do the things that they are doing.
I’d like to think that I’ve been a catalyst in trying to propel them into the area that God has called them to be. My specific trait, if I can say it like that, is to help people to obtain the ministry that God has for them. …
As preachers, leaders of the Gospel and of our community … (we) should be interested in helping you to obtain the anointing, the ministry that God has tailor-made for you. … I shouldn’t be so into trying to make carbon copies of myself as I am in trying to get you to be what God wants you to be.
Ajanaku: The New Tri-State Defender (last week) observed its 71st anniversary. The lead headline (in the first edition) was “Saints Call 44th Convention. Church of God in Christ Plans Mammoth Meet.”
Bishop McEwen, who was the executive aid … to Bishop C. H. Mason, the senior bishop and founder of the Church of God in Christ, said that the meeting would highlight, “A solemn period of fasting and praying for the healing of the sick, unity, love, atonement, and devotion for all mankind.”
Would that description fit this week’s convocation? Or how has the goal of the convocation changed in any way?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: Absolutely. That’s what we are about. Actually, we’ve been praying and fasting up to this moment. We want a spiritual meeting. We want God to intervene, and we want unity, and we are praying for people sick to be healed, delivered.
We are praying that people will see God, that they will, through the messages that will be brought, through the songs that will be sung. And just through our actions.
We are praying that people will be touched in such a way that they’ll say, “I’d like to see more about that. I’d like to know more about that.”
We are praying that all of the people that will converge upon the city of Memphis will have that in mind. That we are going here to not only make a difference in Memphis. … Of course, Memphis has been what many have entitled our mecca … the Church of God in Christ’s headquarters. …
We’re praying that we’ll make an impact on this city … we’ve been gone for 12 years, and we are praying that the city of Memphis and surrounding other areas will be glad that we came back. That we will not just make an economic impact, but that we’ll make a spiritual impact in this city.
Ajanaku: Memphis being the world headquarters of COGIC … this is home, yet the convocation has been away for several years. In terms of the convocation, are you home for good or at least for a little while?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: Well, we are home for a little while. Now, being home for good depends … on the business, the economic part of whether the city is anxious to have us here for good.
I must give kudos to (Memphis) Mayor Jim Strickland. He has been phenomenal in getting us to come back to Memphis and Ken Moody (special assistant to the mayor). …
I know that it may be a little different now, different players at the table, but hopefully, if Memphis is willing to keep us here, that they can convince us to do that. We’d love to stay.
Ajanaku: Regarding the role of women in the leadership of COGIC, how would you assess that status?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: I think that question is more of a question posed by those outside of COGIC.
I think if you would take a real good look at the women or even interview those in leadership in Church of God in Christ, I think that they, for the most part, are not terribly upset.
Of course, we can all do some improvement. And I’m open to the improvements. … Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis … our general supervisor of the women’s department … I think is an excellent leader for the women in ministry in our church.
But I think that those questions, those concerns are from people outside of our church, more so than people inside the church.
Ajanaku: I take it that you’ve heard those concerns before.
Presiding Bishop Sheard: Yeah … The Church of God in Christ is very unique because I don’t think any other organization has the setup to have our women in leadership like we do.
I mean, that’s why I say I think it’s more from the outside that people are complaining about women being ordained or whatnot.
And that’s a very slippery slope because as I talk to some of the women in our church, they’re not bothered by that issue. That’s just people outside that want to make it an issue for us. …
Like I say, there are some improvements, and we are working at them, but there’s no time for a rebellious activity or anything. That’s not in our church.
Pictured: Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard (center) with Supt. Kiemba Knowlin (left) of Chesterfield, Michigan and Bishop William McMillan of Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku/The New Tri-State Defender)
Ajanaku: A number of denominations are struggling with lower, dwindling participation by young people in particular. Is that an issue within COGIC generally, and if so, why? And if it isn’t, why not?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: It is an issue. And it’s an issue simply because of the, I guess the leaders, and I may not say this right, but I guess the leaders of those issues were people who felt disenfranchised with our leadership.
I served as the youth president for a number of years. I served over the AIM convention, and we were encompassing those young people, but there’s a new group that’s coming along that feel disenfranchised by the status quo of religion.
And … the season of the pandemic didn’t help us because now they’ve become more and more comfortable not attending church.
So now they sit up at their computers and watch church and they say, “I got it,” when we are saying, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together,” and we are talking about our buildings.
We as a church, as the people of God, have got to find ways to not only get to those people who we know welcome coming back to church. … we got to find ways to minister to those who ain’t going nowhere but in their living room and look at the computer.
It is time for our ministries to expand so that those people will feel like they’re part of our ministries.
I’m dealing right now with the issue of cyber churches. How are we going to include them into our fellowship because they’re happening? … There are some pastors, ministers who only have cyber churches.
We got to figure out how we are going to identify or classify them as far as our organization is concerned. Yes, it is a problem, but we are working on it.
Ajanaku: Relative to the idea or the concept of philanthropy, how do you go about that?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: We have an arm by the name of COGIC Charities.… One of their main purposes, I happen to be the chairman of the board, is to find areas where disasters have hit, and we are there.
We’re there with our finances, not just talking. Then at the same time, we are giving scholarships away to young people who can qualify. …
As you see here in Memphis, we are committed to low-income housing and building houses whereby those who need them can have a place to stay.
We just completed another 20-unit, low-housing complex here in the city, and we got some more that’s coming. …
With the monastery in Frayser that was a gift to the Church of God in Christ, we’re going to do some building and whatnot, where we’re going to look at some clinics, medical clinics.
But by the same token, we are interested in preventative medicine and that’s going to be a part of that. …
We are interested in not just saying that we are pro-life, and that’s a slippery slope now, but we are interested when we say pro-life, “OK, don’t abort the child, but here’s some help to keep the child to live so that they can be successful in our community.”
That’s what we mean by pro-life. … Let’s help the child. Let’s help the mother to get to a place where they can be productive as citizens in our communities.
Ajanaku: How does COGIC counsel its leaders relative to civic and or political engagement?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: I’m very active in the political and civic areas. Of course, we urge our leaders to be a part because there are programs that the government and civic leaders can direct our way, which will benefit the people that we lead. …
As a church, we’re talking about ministering to the whole man … not just his spirit man … he’s got to live here on the earth.
And so, we need to make these connections with the politicians in our areas. We need to make these connections with the civic leaders and civil rights leaders. …
Ajanaku: Last month, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Isabel Wilkerson was here (and) given a Freedom Award. Known for writing about the migratory patterns of African Americans, she referenced a next generation of migration that she defined as spiritual and that would help transcend arbitrary divisions. Do you see such a spiritual movement coming generally, and if so, where might we be in that journey?
Presiding Bishop Sheard: I understand what she meant by that, and I don’t think that it may be galvanized in our next generation, but it is definitely happening now.
I’ve had an opportunity to meet with the leadership of the Assemblies of God, which is white leadership. I’ve met with the Jewish leaders and was over in Israel, and I sat down and talked to the Jewish leaders over there.
There was a commonality that we have. And our commonality cannot be shaded by me being a Black man, they being white or anything like that. …
The commonality is that God is real. … If we could get to the foundation of God being a person, and not just this abstract … man in a cloud, sitting in the cloud waiting for you to mess up, so he can throw bolts of lightning at you.
If we can get past that and understand that the God that we serve, that we all speak of, He always requires love for our fellow man. If we can get to that, then there’s a commonality that can bring us together.
