Bishops Re-elected at GC11

Bishop Jim Tuan of the Philippines prays to commission Bishops Roller, Thomas and Kendall as the delegates of General Conference 2011 lift hands to pray over them.

General Conference 2011 delegates overwhelmingly voted Friday to re-elect the three bishops of the Free Methodist Church – USA.

Bishops David Kendall, David Roller and Matt Thomas each received more than 170 votes to win re-election. Arthur Brown and Matt Whitehead were the other nominees in the field of five.

Earlier Friday, delegates voted 214-22 to approve Resolution 53, which keeps the number of bishops at three. Another resolution proposed limiting the Free Methodist Church – USA to a single bishop.

Board of Administration Chairman Larry Roberts said denominations with a single leader have not experienced the same level of growth and effectiveness as the Free Methodist Church has experienced in the last 25 years with multiple bishops.

Bishop Matthew Thomas shakes the hands of General Conference 2011 delegates after being re-elected.

The three bishops thanked the delegates for returning them to their important work.

“Thank you very much for your prayer, support and encouragement,” Bishop Matt Thomas said. “It’s a thrill to serve with these two gentlemen.”

Bishop David Kendall asked for prayer and said he can feel when people are praying for him.

“We will praise the Lord together and serve together,” Kendall said.
Bishop David Roller said he has learned much from his fellow bishops and other Free Methodists.

“My heart was hoping to continue because I think we can do this. I really believe in this church,” Roller said. “We have momentum. We’re moving forward. This is not a moment to sit back and rest.”

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