Assemblies of God names first female executive

Photo provided by Assemblies of God

Donna Barrett

Assemblies of God has named its first female executive in its more than 100-year-old history.

The 21-member Assemblies of God Executive Presbytery voted unanimously to make Donna Barrett the religious organization’s 11th general secretary. She succeeds James Bradford, who resigned to become a full-time pastor at Springfield’s Central Assembly, according to a news release.

Barrett joined Assemblies of God as a minister in 1988, first serving as a youth pastor in Youngstown, Ohio. She then worked as an associate pastor in Cleveland before planting Rockside Church in Independence, Ohio, in 2002.

“While Donna was not selected on the basis of her gender, I know this moment will be meaningful for many women who feel God’s calling on their lives,” Assemblies of God General Superintendent Doug Clay said in the release. “Through her service as a church planter, district leader and general presbyter, Donna has shown humility paired with a special gifting for leadership.”

As general secretary for the Springfield-based Pentecostal denomination, Barrett will oversee the credentialing of ministers, church charters, official statistics collection, and the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, a Springfield museum, research and archives center. Her term is scheduled to start June 1.

“I look forward to what God has in his heart for the future of the Assemblies of God, and I’m honored to be part of this outstanding team of leaders,” Barrett said in the release.