Rev. Craig T. Robinson, Jr., 4th Episcopal District
The 51st Quadrennial Session of the AME General Conference has commenced in an unusual fashion. The Orlando gathering usually attracts throngs of attendees who come to witness the hustle and bustle of our denomination’s penultimate business meeting. Attendance numbers having been decreased due to Pandemic precessions, nevertheless, the usual energy of the general conference, while altered, is not extinguished.
Today’s candidate’s forums (the only forums of their kind being held during the General Conference) had some of the usual spark of General Conference’s in the past. At the noonday “Eat and Greet” event, candidates aspiring to head one of the Church’s Connectional Departments (called General Officers) and those aspiring to be elected to the Judicial Council made a final push for election ahead of the impending vote at the weeks end.
Rev. Dr. Mark Tyler, Pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church, and Mrs. Bernella Knight-Rose, President of the Ninth Episcopal District Lay Organization moderated the hybrid event that was sponsored by the Social Action Commission as well as various corporate sponsors including Door Dash and not for profit organization, People for the American Way.
A cadre of enthusiastic candidates for General Officer positions made their impassioned pitch for why the AME church should trust them with these important roles within the church. Each candidate offered his or her vision for a better church. Issues varied depending on the candidate. Monica Spencer, Candidate for Executive Director, Global Witness and Ministry explained; “The depths of despair and poverty…are very personal for me.” Pastor Mark Griffin, a candidate for Executive Director, Department of Retirement Services remarked, “Pastors are not able to fully retire.”
Contested offices include Executive Director of Church Growth and Evangelism, Executive Director of Retirement Services, Executive Director of Global Witness and Missions. Each candidate was given two questions to answer by the moderators. Responses to questions like: “What keeps you up at night?” and what will candidates bring to their respective office in light of the AME Church’s strategic plan goals were thoughtfully crafted in spite of time constraints.
After a short break, the candidates for the judicial council were seated for their panel. The Judicial council of the AME Church is the “highest judicatory body of the AME Church. It is an appellate body (a panel of review to determine whether or not the rulings and judgments of the subordinate panels were correct) elected by the General Conference, to which it is amenable. Members of the judicial council come from every corner of African Methodism.
When asked, “how does your current work, professional life, prepare you for service on the Judicial Council, and if your current roles create potential conflicts of interest, how would you handle them?” Candidates gave thoughtful, provocative, and impassioned answers to the questions posed to them.
The AME Church is gearing up for a significant transition on the eve of the election. Several connectional positions stand open: Bishop, General Officer, and Judicial Council. All of the candidates believe that they have what it takes to lead our connectional departments to higher heights. We are waiting in anticipation for the results of the election.
Rev. Craig T. Robinson, Jr. is the pastor of St. James AME Church in Chicago, Illinois.
