Dr. Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr.
Presiding Bishop

Dr. Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr.,  is a native of  Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he was raised in the Pentecostal Holiness Church and called into the ministry at the age of 16.   After 16 years of pastoring and 11 years as conference superintendent in the Upper South Carolina Conference, he was elected Assistant General Superintendent with the portfolio of Evangelism USA.  In August 2005, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the IPHC.  He has served as the Executive Director of Evangelism USA for the past twelve years.  He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Chaplains Ministries.

Carpenter’s greatest desire is to be of service in the kingdom of God.  Because of this willingness to serve and his giftings as teacher and preacher, Dr. Carpenter is much in demand for revivals, seminars, campmeetings, and other speaking engagements.  He and his wife, Nan, have two children and five grandchildren.

  Dr. A.D. Beacham
Vice-Chairman;
Executive Director of World Missions Ministries

His wife, Susan, is a graduate of Emmanuel College and The University of Georgia.  She is Director of Pharmacy, Respiratory Therapy, and Laboratory Services at Oklahoma Heart Hospital, Oklahoma City.  Their daughter, Beth, is a graduate of Emmanuel College and the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America. She practices law in Washington, D.C.  Their son, Douglas, is a graduate of Emmanuel College and Oklahoma State University School of Osteopathic Medicine. He is in his first year of residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington.

Rev. D. Chris Thompson
Corporate Secretary;
Executive Director of Evangelism USA

Rev. Thompson comes to Evangelism USA with exception credentials.  During his tenure in the North Carolina Conference (as Evangelism Director and as Superintendent) he has been involved in the planting of more than 160 new churches, including Hispanic, African-American and Native American congregations.

Thompson served as World Missions & Evangelism Director in the North Carolina Conference prior to being elected as Superintendent. He and his wife, Betty, live in Falcon, NC. They have three children.

  Rev. J. Talmadge Gardner
Corporate Treasurer;
Executive Director of Discipleship Ministries

Rev. Talmadge Gardner was re-elected to his position in Discipleship Ministries by acclamation.  He has served the Church in many capacities for the past 22 years. He grew up the son of IPHC missionaries in South Africa before moving to the United States to attend Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA. He continued his education at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1986.

Gardner moved to Oklahoma City in 1988 to work in the Global Ministries Center. He has served in the General Christian Education Department, Evangelism USA, and the General Superintendent’s Office as Chief Operating Officer.

Gardner was ordained as a minister of the gospel in the Cornerstone Conference of the  in 1983. He is married to Stephanie Price Gardner, and they have three children. They live in Oklahoma City, and are active members of the River of Life PHC, where they have attended for the past 20 years.

Following the approval of Article I this morning, the way was open to begin the election process.  Unlike previous conferences, only four elections were necessary in light of the structural changes approved.

In the first election this morning, Ronald W. Carpenter, Sr. was elected on the second ballot over Dr. A.D. Beacham, with a close final vote of 692 to 644.

In the second election this morning, the conference returned Rev. Talmadge Gardner to the office of Executive Director of Discipleship Ministries by acclamation.

In the third election just before the break for the Plenary session, Rev. D. Chris Thompson was elected on the second ballot from a field of eight nominees.  Rev. Thompson was elected as the Executive Director of Evangelism USA, the church planting and home missions arm of the church.

In the final election after the lunch break, the conference once again elected a candidate by acclamation, Dr. A.D. Beacham to the office of Executive Director of World Missions Ministries.  This will be Dr. Beacham's second term in World Missions.

The final election was for the office of Vice-Chairman, Corporate Secretary and Corporate Treasurer.  According to the changes approved in Article I earlier in the day, this was a single ballot vote, and the officer with the most votes being declared Vice-Chairman, the second highest declared Secretary and the remaining candidate declared Treasurer.  The results of the election were:

• Dr. A.D. Beacham, Vice-Chairman
• Rev. D. Chris Thompson, Corporate Secretary
• Rev. J. Talmadge Gardner, Corporate Treasurer

With the approval of Article I of the Bylaws, which have been under consideration yesterday and this morning, the delegates of the 26th General Conference agreed with the Polity Committee that the church structure was in need of an overhaul.  Significant structural changes include:

• The reduction of elected General Superintendents from five to four officers.  The elected position of Secretary/Treasurer has been changed.  Elected officers include:
  • Presiding Bishop
  • Executive Director of Discipleship Ministries
  • Executive Director of Evangelism USA
  • Executive Director of World Missions Ministries
• Once these four have been elected, a second ballot will be cast for the three Executive Directors.  The one with the highest number of votes will be declared Vice-Chairman; the one with the second highest number of votes will be declared Corporate Secretary; and the remaining Executive Director will be declared Corporate Treasurer.
• The General Executive Board has been renamed the Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops.  This new committee will be comprised of the four elected officials.  There will no longer be non-resident members on this body.
• Merger of the General Board of Administration and the General Executive Board into a new body called the Council of Bishops.  This council includes all conference Bishops and only conference Bishops. 
• A new body called the General Ministries Cabinet has been created.  This body includes:
  • the Executive Committee,
  • all full-time department heads or ministry leaders,
  • chief executive officers or presidents of General-level institutions or organizations,
  • other department head or ministry leaders approved the the Executive Committee,
  • two Senior Pastors,
  • two laypersons,
  • two non-US members and
  • two members at large.
• The Men's Ministries and the Women's Ministries have been moved into the Discipleship Ministries Division.

In light of these changes, some of the terminology changes include:

• Affiliate -> Associate church
• Polity & Finance Committees -> Bylaws Committee
• Publications -> Communications
• General Executive Board -> Council of Bishops
• Church Education Ministries -> Discipleship Ministries
• Portfolio assignments -> Division
• Subsidiary Board -> Division Council
• Resident GEB members -> Executive Committee
• General Board of Administration -> General Ministries Cabinet
• Resource Development Center -> Global Ministry Center

Other changes are yet to be approved as the business sessions continue Thursday afternoon and Friday.  Watch these sessions LIVE online.  Just go to our streaming server here.

A final schedule has been published for the General Conference sessions.  Just click on the "Conference Streaming Schedule" link at the top of the page. 

All of the sessions that will be streamed LIVE are marked.  All streaming will be done from the same URL (see below).  The first time you go to the link below, be sure to bookmark the page.  Just return to the streaming page and check out the "Upcoming" tab immediately below the streaming window.

Go to:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iphc-26th-general-conference

Enjoy the broadcasts!

Sponsored by the IPHC Communications & Network Services.

LIVE WEBCAST OF 26TH GENERAL CONFERENCE from Greensboro, NC.

General Conference sessions begin with the Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday morning, July 29th and conclude with the Morning Business session on Saturday, August 1st.

Sessions include:
Business sessions each day
Plenary sessions with special speakers
Evening worship services

A detailed schedule, including starting times for each session, will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.

For news and updates about General Conference events, be sure to check the IPHC Online News Center or this General Conference News blog daily. You can also follow what's happening on Facebook and Twitter.