Rev. Jim Lyon Ratified as General Director of Church of God Ministries

On June 26, 2013, the 85th General Assembly of the Church of God ratified Jim Lyon as general director of Church of God Ministries, with a majority vote of 92 percent! This marked the passing of the mantle from Ronald V. Duncan to Lyon and signals an important new era of leadership for this movement. In his first address to the Assembly after ratification, Lyon lifted an important vision, captured in the phrase “Jesus is the subject,” based on Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 2:2.

As Lyon shared, Jesus must be the subject around whom the Church of God comes together, for it is through him that we come to knowledge of God and his purpose for his church. “Knowing who we are and owning that with one voice, with one mind, and with one spirit, is the essence of unity. It is our identity in Christ.”

Lyon talked of the church as a “masterpiece,” as described in Ephesians 2:10. “Who we are as a people,” he said, “how we are adopted by the hand and providence of God for his purposes, his destiny, his providential will—that is what empowers us to change the world.” In this new role, as Lyon looks to the future, his prayer is for the Holy Spirit to lead the church forward, keeping Jesus as the subject in all that we do. Together, we can become a body that is a true “masterpiece of God, the authentic representation of the presence of the living Jesus.”

Watch Jim Lyon’s full address to the 2013 General Assembly at www.chog.org/gg-media.

Jim Lyon assumes his duties on August 5, 2013. If you would like to share comments or questions with Jim prior to that date, please contact Becky Arthur at barthur@madisonparkchurch.org.