Eight New Executive Presbyters Elected

The 21-member Assemblies of God Executive Presbytery, the Fellowship’s top policy making body, has eight new members as a result of elections by the General Council in Anaheim, California.

Part of the turnover is the result of 12-year term limits, or three consecutive terms, taking effect with this year’s election. The General Council voted the restrictions at the 2015 convention.

Those going off the body are Jesse Miranda Jr., who served as the West Spanish Language Area executive presbyter since 1995; J. Don George, South Central EP since 2001; Warren D. Bullock, Northwest area EP since 2001; and Brian C. Schmidgall, who at 42 is aging out after one term as the designated EP under age 40.

The General Presbytery ratified several candidates from the names of 47 submitted for the under 40 EP slot, including: Melissa J. Alfaro, 35, of Humble, Texas; Joshua B. Canales, 38, of Carson, California; and Janelle Marocco, 39, of Wailuku, Hawaii.

Alfaro, administrative pastor of El Tarbernaculo in Houston since 2010, was selected on the third ballot. She also has been Texas Louisiana Hispanic District Girls Ministries director the past seven years, and has been on the board of LABI College since last year.

Alfaro becomes the second female on the Executive Presbytery, joining Beth Grant, who has been on the board since 2009.

Bill E. Wilson, who has been Oregon Ministry Network superintendent for a decade, will replace Bullock as Northwest Area EP. Wilson has been ordained since 1975 and spent 20 years as pastor of Portland Christian Center. In a field of 11 candidates, Wilson won on the third ballot.

Rob Ketterling, pastor of River Valley Church in Apple Valley, Minnesota, since 1999, is the new North Central Area EP. Delegates elected him on the second ballot over 13 other candidates, including incumbent Clarence St. John, who had been in office since 2007.

Kansas Ministry Network Superintendent Terry L. Yancey is the new EP for the South Central Area, replacing the retiring George.

Daniel De Leon, pastor of Templo Calvario in Santa Ana, California, since 1976, is the new West Spanish Language Area executive presbyter, succeeding Miranda. De Leon also has been the Spanish-language host for The 700 Club and a vociferous church planter. De Leon won the election on the third ballot, outpolling 14 other nominees.

Incumbent T. Ray Rachels, Southwest Area EP since 2011, was elected to another four-year term on the third ballot out of a slate of 10 nominees.

John E. Maracle, an EP since 2007, returns for a new four-year term as the Ethnic Fellowship representative. On the second ballot, Maracle won out among an original slate of 27 candidates. Maracle has been president of the AG’s Native American Fellowship since 2000.

Delegates also elected a newly created designated African-American slot on Aug. 9, making Samuel M. Huddleston the 21^st member of the body.

A seventh new EP is Malcolm Burleigh, the new U.S. Missions executive director. The eighth newcomer to the body is Rick DuBose, elected Aug. 10 to be the new general treasurer to succeed Doug Clay, who is the newly elected general superintendent. DuBose, North Texas District superintendent since 2007, originally had been elected as the South Central Area EP to replace George.

John W. Kennedy

John W. Kennedy served as news editor of AG News from its inception in 2014 until retiring in 2023. He previously spent 15 years as news editor of the Pentecostal Evangel and seven years as news editor at Christianity Today.