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Northern Illinois Delegation Endorses
Rev. Larry Pickens for the Episcopacy

After prayerful deliberation and discussion, the Northern Illinois Conference General and Jurisdictional Conference delegations considered candidates for the Episcopacy by looking at God’s call, candidate preparation and readiness to serve in the Episcopal role. After evaluating these considerations, the NIC delegation has endorsed Rev. Dr. Larry Pickens for the Episcopacy.
“It is with great humility that I enter this process,” said Rev. Pickens of his delegation’s endorsement to the Episcopacy. “This is an opportunity for me to fully explore God’s claim on my life and the leadership that I am challenged to fulfill. My ministry is committed to celebrating diversity as we utilize and honor the gifts that are shared by the people of God.”
Rev. Pickens has been a member of the Northern Illinois Conference for 23 years, having been ordained as a Deacon in 1985 and an Elder in Full Connection in 1987. Rev. Pickens is a leader with global and local experience. He has served as associate pastor at St. Mark, and senior pastor at Gorham, Maple Park and First Elgin United Methodist Churches. Pickens has served on the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church. He served as the General Secretary of the General Commission of Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, from July 2004 – December 2007.
Rev. Pickens has provided key leadership roles in ecumenical bodies. He has been a delegate to the United Methodist Church General Conference in 2000 and 2008, and a delegate to three World Methodist Conferences: Kenya, Singapore and South Korea.
As an ecumenical leader, Rev. Pickens has been a governing board member and General Assembly delegate for the National Council of Churches. He has also been a member of the Central Committee as well as a delegate for the World Council of Churches in Australia and Brazil.
Preparation for ministry and leadership for Rev. Pickens includes an M. Div. and D. Min degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Chicago Theological Seminary as well as a law degree from DePaul University. Rev. Pickens was admitted to the Illinois and South Carolina Bar, as well as the trial bar of the US District Court – Northern District in 1997.
Born and raised in Chicago, Rev. Pickens attended Chicago Public Schools. He is married to Debra, and the father of a daughter, Jessica.
In his own words, Rev. Pickens highlights a numbers of priorities he would emphasize as Bishop:
Leadership Development –There is a pressing call for leadership in our church. Leaders need vision; they need tools to learn the culture of their setting. An Episcopal leader must offer the vision of transforming leaders through a collegial and affliative approach. There is something dynamic and significant when the people of God interact. The inclusive interaction of the church is where the Body of Christ is sculpted and developed into a mission and ministry community, and where we engage the world for transforming grace.
Celebration of Diversity - Episcopal leadership carries a responsibility for commitment to geographical diversity. A bishop’s commitment reaches to ministry in urban, rural, town and country and suburban areas. A bishop must work with people who have varying theological and political perspectives. Bishops serve on behalf of the entire church, and meet the need for an undaunted prophetic voice, calling for an inclusive church in which our differences are celebrated and affirmed. Bishops must be committed to working for the unity of the church. The need for leadership that is capable of healing the divisions of the church is evident. When I encounter perspectives that are different from my own, I celebrate such views as an opportunity for growth. I am committed to celebrating diversity as a means of utilizing and honoring the gifts that are shared by the people of God.
Unity is not a celebration of sameness; it requires the church to realize the gift of our differences as it relates to ministry and mission. Laity and the ordained are called to be in partnership to meet the ministry needs of our church. I advocate that there is a need to make and support cross racial appointments. I am committed to the role of women in ministry and recognize their role as being essential to the life and future of the Church. The price that we pay for the minimization of the contribution of any of God’s people is great and threatens the foundation of the church. The celebration of our diversity includes theological, geographical, gender, racial and even size diversity.
Church Growth – Evangelism is an important issue as we train, deploy and equip clergy. Some of our churches need to be transformed. Our commitment to spirituality and Jesus Christ calls us to evangelism and the quest for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This is the particular purpose of the church. Advancing evangelism is a key element of our calling. A Bishop must be a catalyst for church growth with a fervent responsiveness to building up existing congregations and strategically looking at how we develop new congregations.
Social Justice and Faith - The mission of the church and social and political activism must be held together in dynamic tension. They cannot be separated. Social justice cannot stand alone from our task of spiritually transforming individuals and societies. Disciple making must be at the core of our social and political activity. Therefore, we must be Christ-centered and framed in the mandate of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Global Nature of the Church – The United Methodist Church is at work in more than 38 countries on four continents, and more than 20 percent of our members now live outside the United States. The church continues to reflect upon our increasingly global reality and the ecumenical and interfaith challenges facing our Communion. Amid this increasingly global church environment, United Methodists are exploring what it means to be in mission worldwide and how it should shape its organizational structure accordingly. As we think locally; global issues are a part of our reality. As a church we are challenged to take culturally sensitive steps that will enable our Central Conference churches to contribute equally to the life and mission of the world-wide church.
Rev Pickens offers this perspective, “The United Methodist Church is a connectional church. We are called to be in ministry with people of all ages, from all conditions and experiences of life. Wherever lives need transforming, The United Methodist Church should be there in ministry, calling for the best from our people as we make Christ real for this generation.”
For more information contact:
Susan Dal Porto
Director of Communications, Northern Illinois Conference
sdalport@umcnic.org
630-747-9047