Leadership

Bishop Rob Bailey is an ordained bishop in the Church of God. He has served in numerous leadership roles before being appointed as the Administrative Bishop for the Church of God in Texas, where he currently serves. These roles include International Director of Youth and Discipleship, and State Youth and Discipleship Director in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina. He has also served as the lead pastor of the New Life Church of God and as a staff pastor in Tennessee and Alabama.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling. Additionally, he has been awarded two Doctorate of Divinity degrees – one from SEMISUD in Ecuador and another from the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministry in the Philippines. Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee as well as the Board of Directors for Semisud Seminary in Ecuador. Rob is also on the Board of Directors for Church of God Publications.

In addition to his ministerial experience, Rob is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. His partner in life and ministry is his wife, Christal, an Ordained Minister in the Church of God. Together, they have been blessed with four children and five grandchildren, with two more on the way.

Bishop Ernie Wright is an ordained bishop and a third-generation Church of God pastor. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and his wife Michele is a native of Indiana. They have four children together. His ministry has taken him on a diverse journey, from metropolitan areas to rural areas in Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Michigan. This diversity of experience reflects his adaptability and versatility in serving the Kingdom of God.

Ernie’s scope of ministry includes youth ministry and 20+ years as a senior pastor, where he also served as District Overseer. He has served on Home Missions and Evangelism Boards, Youth Boards, and Winterfest steering committees. Before serving as the Texas Youth and Discipleship Director, Ernie served in that same role in the state of Michigan and the Heartland Region.

In addition to ministry experience, Ernie worked for 20 years in the commercial construction industry as a labor foreman, carpenter foreman, superintendent, and other various roles. While positions, roles, and titles may change, his primary endeavor is cultivating leaders and expanding the Kingdom of God. He has a core belief that everyone has a calling and potential that needs to be ignited by the power of the Holy Spirit and that no one is too young to be used by and called by God.

Christal Bailey is an ordained minister in the Church of God. She and her husband, Rob, have been married and partners in ministry since 1993. They are blessed with four children and five grandchildren, with two more on the way. Christal is a published author and ministers the gospel through teaching, preaching, training, and writing.

Currently, Christal serves as the Women’s Ministries Director for the Church of God in Texas. Previously, she held the position of International Girls Ministries Coordinator for the Church of God at the International Youth and Discipleship Department in Cleveland, Tennessee. Christal also served as the State Girls Ministries Coordinator for Church of God congregations in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina. Additionally, she has served as the Fine Arts Director for multiple local Church of God congregations. Christal currently serves as a member of the Smoky Mountain Children’s Home Board and the Iris B. Vest SpiritCare Center Board.

Michele Wright is a credentialed minister in the Church of God. She and her husband, Ernie, began their ministry in 2001 and have four children together. She has served as the Girls Ministries Coordinator and Credentialing Coordinator for the Heartland Region and the state of Michigan. Michele has held various ministry leadership positions in local congregations where her husband served as Senior Pastor.

Michele holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and has worked towards attaining a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Before entering ministry with her husband, she worked as a corporate and staff accountant in various industries. She is now a certified elementary educator and has served as editor for the Church of God Sealed curriculum, the I Sense Jesus preschool curriculum, and the CAMS for Students textbooks.

Bishop Brandon Bohannon is an Ordained Bishop in the Church of God. Brandon is the 4th generation of Church of God Lead Pastor and currently serves as the Lead Pastor of The WORD@Lakeside since 2017 and the founding Pastor of The WORD@Springtown (2023) and the upcoming The WORD@Aledo (2025).

He is excited to serve his Texas COG family in the dual-role of Pastor and State Evangelism Director. Brandon is passionate about sharing and learning as well as encouraging and equipping healthy pastors, healthy churches, and healthy church planting. Brandon has also served as the Lead Pastor at Vision Heights Church in Brady, Texas, the pastor of Student Ministries at Griffin Center Point Church in Griffin, Georgia, and the youth pastor at Spotswood Church of God in Monroe Township, New Jersey. Brandon currently serves on the World Missions Board for the Church of God and has served on the Board of Directors of the Smoky Mountain Children’s Home and the Iris Vest SpiritCare Center, both in Sevierville, Tennessee. Brandon has also served on Texas COG elected boards and appointed committees. He is a District Overseer, a conference and camp speaker, and active on multiple elected city, community, school and government boards. He loves Evangelism, outreach, and missions and has now preached the Gospel on 4 continents and across the US. ALL Glory to Jesus!

In addition to his ministry experience, he holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from Texas Tech University and was a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union for professional stage actors. He performed professionally at Casa Mañana in Fort Worth, Gaylord Entertainment’s Rockin’ at Rockville High, and for Texas Tech University’s office of the Chancellor. He and Kelly, an award winning High School Math Teacher, have been married for over 27 years and have two amazing sons, Keats and Kemp.

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