Bishop's wife teaches leadership

Ange Green knows a bit about leadership.

As the wife of Bishop W. Charles Green Sr., head of the Church of God in Christ’s New Mexico jurisdiction, Green said she’s learned a great deal about leadership from her husband that will help her conduct a special leadership conference on Feb. 13 and 14. The two-day event will meet at First COGIC, located at 3400 Vinton Street in Clovis.

“He has been pastoring the church for 46 years; he was assigned by a former bishop of our state, Bishop J.W. Taylor,” Green said. “We’ll be celebrating our 53rd wedding anniversary in June.”

Green said much of her church work over the years has focused on women’s ministries, where she serves as the spiritual advisor of the denominational Women’s Department for the state along with a number of other roles, and has previously been the First State Assistant Supervisor of Women, Supervisor of Women for the Philippines, and Central District First Lady. In addition, Green retired after 27 years teaching in the Clovis schools and served as the senior teacher at Highland Elementary.

However, Green said her conference won’t be directed just toward women.

“I have geared it to anyone who is a leader; it’s not gender-specific,” Green said. “I have set it up for parents and laypeople in the church and just everybody that is in any leadership role, whether in the church or at home.”

Green’s conference theme is “The Role of a Righteous Leader,” and she said her teaching will focus on studying the principles of Christian leadership developed by author John Maxwell.

“He is just very involved in presenting leadership and developing leaders,” Green said. “It is an ongoing necessity. Times change, people change, and our society changes, and leaders need to know how to change with it and equip themselves to change.”

According to promotional literature, some of the topics presented will include tools of communication in leadership, qualifications of a righteous leadership, and key skills needed for a leader. One thing is more important than anything else, Green said — “It’s all worthless without Christ.”

“(The program) is developed basically from the Bible,” Green said. “Since children are still my thing, we will have an intercessional prayer for the children in our society. I want this conference to be a motivation for in-depth study of the Bible.”

Green emphasized that the conference, while designed for Church of God in Christ congregations in New Mexico, isn’t restricted to COGIC members and all are welcome.

“People don’t need to be in leadership positions now, but if they are open to new ideas or want to know how to reinforce old ideas, how to make what they are doing better, they are welcome,” Green said. “I think to be involved with other people and fellowship is very good.”

Program committee chairwoman Joni Horne, a licensed evangelist with the church, said she’s looking forward to Green’s presentation.

“She has been an awesome mentor, anointed to preach the gospel,” Horne said. “She has been given a wonderful way to make the word understandable to those who hear it and she definitely practices what she preaches.”

“The Bible says sheep perish for lack of knowledge,” Horne said. “Often we are in leadership roles but don’t know how to carry ourselves in a certain manner. It is nice to sit under a leader and know what we need to be productive and successful in that leadership area.”

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Leader of the pack

Who: Evangelist Ange Green, lead speaker

What: Church of God in Christ Leadership Conference

When: 7 p.m. on Feb. 13; 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 14

Where: First COGIC, 3400 Vinton Street in Clovis

For further information: 763-4717