The leaders of the Assemblies of God have elected Rev. Donna L. Barrett as general secretary, making her the first-ever woman in the history of the Pentecostal denomination to fill the role.
The denomination announced on Monday that Barrett was unanimously elected to replace James T. Bradford, who had resigned earlier this month to serve as senior pastor at the denomination's flagship church in Springfield, Missouri.
Barrett, who became an Assemblies of God minister in 1988, will be responsible for overseeing the credentialing of ministers, chartering of churches and collecting of official statistics in her new role as general secretary, according to Religion News Service (RNS).
The 58-year-old minister said that she was humbled by the denomination's decision to let her serve as one of its top leaders.
"I look forward to what God has in His heart for the future of the Assemblies God and I'm honored to be part of this outstanding team of leaders," she said, according to KY3.
Barrett was baptized in 1975 and had served as a paralegal before becoming a minister in the denomination.
According to KY3, she spent 10 years as a youth pastor in Ohio before becoming an associate pastor in Cleveland, where she had served for seven years. She had been instrumental in planting the Rockside Church in Independence, Ohio in 2002. She will be stepping down from her position as lead pastor of Rockside when she begins her term as general secretary on June 1.
"Through her service as a church planter, district leader, and general presbyter, Donna has shown humility paired with a special gifting for leadership," said General Superintendent Doug Clay. "I've seen God use her time and time again to speak wisdom into difficult circumstances at the district and national level".
Barrett has led the opening prayers at the Ohio House of Representatives over the past two years, and she has also been leading the National Day of Prayer in her area for the past 15 years.
"I have been consistently impressed with Donna's wisdom, grace, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. This Fellowship will be blessed by her anointed leadership," Bradford said.
While other denominations assert that women cannot hold leadership position in the church, the Assemblies of God has allowed women to lead congregations and speak from pulpits since its founding in 1914.
The role of women in the denomination were later restricted, but its policy making body, the General Presbytery, concluded in 2010 that there is no "convincing evidence that the ministry of women is restricted according to some sacred or immutable principle."
