The Search Team members were Efrain Cirilo (chair), Arnetta Bailey, Timothy Clarke, Geremy Dixon, Jeannette Flynn, John Fozard, Andrew Gale, Jeff Stewart, and Erin Taylor.

Following the results of the survey commissioned in the fall of 2023, the Ministries Council and Search Team felt called to a strategic pivot of focus and direction for Church of God Ministries. This led to deferring the appointment and ratification of a General Director and instead pursuing an intentional interim period, led by an Interim Director who would serve as a transitional leader to walk alongside as we research and imagine alternate structural models for the Movement. This interim period allows space to engage in deeper conversations, gather additional insights, and address key issues in order to become a movement that is leadable and united.

Specifically, this interim period also gives space for a Structural and Polity Task Force to be formed. Working with the Interim Director, this task force will evaluate our current systems, governance structures, and decision-making processes as they conduct listening sessions, assess what’s working and what needs improvement, and seek wisdom from both within and outside the Movement. All of this will help ensure that when we call our next General Director, we are fully prepared for strong, healthy, and sustainable leadership.

The Interim Director will play a critical role in working with leaders and organizations across the Movement, utilizing task forces and building representative teams that are able to assist in reviewing and evaluating the entirety of our organization’s structure, governance, and operational processes. This position will involve assessing current challenges, striving to develop and strengthen cooperative and united solutions, addressing unclear structures, identifying any apparent lack of authority that causes a failure in fulfilling the mission, grappling with issues concerning centralized versus decentralized leadership, most effective Ministry Council constituency, and other concerns that hinder organizational equity, relationship, and missional effectiveness. This role is expected to be completed within 12-24 months.

This Interim Director position is designed to be a temporary one. The contractual agreement is that this is a 12- to 24-month assignment.

While the Search Team was open to the possibility of this role being remote, Monté Dillard has expressed a strong desire to be onsite. He sees tremendous value in being physically present to build relationships, engage with the Movement more directly, and lead effectively during this important season.

This is a very full-time position that begins June 1, 2025.

The Ministries Council believes and is committing to prayer that a permanent leader can and will be discovered during this period. In the event, however, that the Search Team is unsuccessful, the Ministries Council has policies in place to provide temporary leadership in the event of a void in leadership. Those policies and processes would guide the Ministries Council in next steps.

While the current Search Team has completed its assignment, the Ministries Council and its leadership are already in the process of forming a new search team to carry forward the next phase of this important work. Our goal is to have this new team in place and working before June 2025. The new search team will bring fresh views and new voices from the previous search team to provide continuity and build on the thoughtful work already done.

No. All parties have been very clear that this is an interim position with no expectation of automatic succession. While acknowledging that scripture teaches all of us to hold future plans loosely in order to be available to better directions from the Lord, Monté has stated clearly that he feels called to be an interim in this time period and believes that returning to a pastorate in a local congregation will be his next step.

In both the church and the nonprofit world, interim leaders are typically appointed by the organization’s leadership rather than ratified by the larger body. This approach allows for timely decision-making and ensures stability during transitional seasons. The last time in our history in which an Interim served was by appointment of the Ministries Council when Dr. Forrest Robinson served as Interim General Director for over a year between Rev. Robert Pearson and Dr. Ronald Duncan.

Additionally, this process allowed for a crossover period between the current General Director and the Interim Director, creating space for mentorship, knowledge transfer, and a smooth transition as we continue moving forward together.

The Interim Director values all people and believes that diversity of political opinion, at its best, is an opportunity for iron to sharpen iron. At its worst, however, diversity of political opinion can lead to disunity and distracts the body of Christ from focusing on our mission as given by our Lord. For this reason, Monté Dillard has built his ministry around the commitment to be apolitical from the pulpit, in the boardroom, and across his ministry. He is committed to maintain this posture as he serves as our Interim Director.