First Ever On-line Pastoral Covenant Group Formed In New Mexico
On Tuesday, September 29, the first on-line Pastoral Covenant Group (PCG) took place in the state of New Mexico under the guidance of Administrative Bishop Bill Claypoole and State Director, Chuck Ferrell.
“To overcome the obstacle of distance between churches, use of video technology connects these pastors who are sometimes 5-8 hours apart,” said Bill Isaacs with the Center for Pastoral Excellence. “Typically, a Pastoral Covenant Group will be made up of pastors in the same regional area and will meet monthly at a common location.”
According to Isaacs, Pastor Anthony Braswell of Raleigh, North Carolina will serve as facilitator with the goal of training a local pastor to lead the group in the future. The group in New Mexico will meet on-line each month and then have in-person sessions three times a year scheduled around state meetings. Bishop Claypoole states, “I’m completely onboard with the concept and appreciate that this is available to our pastors in New Mexico. This is another part of our overall state vision for care and support of pastors.”
Pastoral Covenant Groups are part of the overall strategy by the International Executive Committee and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in forming the Center for Pastoral Excellence, with Bill Isaacs as director. Since the 2014 General Assembly, PCGs have been reorganized and active in fourteen states with more than 1,000 pastors engaged. New groups are forming in Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Florida, Cocoa, Canada and Western Canada, among others.
If you are interested in being part of a Pastoral Covenant Group, email bill@forwardleadership.org or contact your state or regional offices.
