District Secretary-Treasurer
Jay A Herndon
2025 Annual Business Report
In my youth, I spent much time hiking and backpacking. I especially enjoyed week-long treks through the wilderness. Hikers expect and embrace two distinct experiences: one of strain, heavy breathing, sweat, dirt, and “looking down at your feet.” The other is occasional opportunities to “pause and look up” to striking beauty and spectacular views. The latter often involves a “look back at where you came from” and being surprised to see how far one can go when “looking down at your feet.”
Hiking is a good metaphor for ministry. This past year was a milestone for me—I celebrated 20 years in this office. In some respects, it seems to have gone by fast. But when I pause and look up, I am amazed at the number of major events and accomplishments that we’ve put behind us. They are too numerous to mention here. But I am left feeling grateful to the Lord for his faithfulness, and grateful to the people who comprise this district. It is a tremendous privilege to serve so many amazing people.
Now, on to my annual report.
Ministerial Roster
Our roster number changed to 1,392 due to a net gain of 7. We continue to see a net loss in transfers, but the rate of loss has diminished from previous years. We also added 65 to the roster, which is a strong number.
Jesus told us to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers. The truth is that, despite the challenges we face in society, God is still calling people to ministry. What a wonderful thing that is! God pays attention to the groanings of the people, and He responds by sending people to them with a message of hope and healing.
I am especially encouraged to note that some of these new ministers were previously involved in our CALLED program or beneficiaries of scholarship opportunities we provided. Our CALLED program has 86 enrolled, 42 of whom have been issued an Associate Commission.
The most important factor influencing our credential number is, and always has been, the attitude of the lead pastor. I want to encourage pastors to preach about The Call and inspire people to respond, then motivate them to fulfill the biblical mandate to prepare for ministry and obtain credentials.
Changes to the Minister Roster
Additions
New: 53
Reinstated: 12
Subtractions
Resigned: -11
Deceased: -22
Lapsed: -17
Dismissed: -1
Not Renewed: 3
Transfers: Net Loss: -5
Net Change to Roster: +7
Final Roster: 1,392
Finance
Our Ministerial Tithe contributions totaled $2,152,336. which was $41,163 less than the prior year. Contributions totaled $815,776 which was $184,578 more than the prior year. This is a huge increase!
Our management reports show that General Administration ended “in the black” with $47,522, and all Operations with $76,599. Please see the charts at the end of this report
Two years ago, I voiced an alert, “We are going to face a financial crisis in the future.” Over the past 25 years, cost of living has increased by over 100%, but our tithe income has increased by only 19%, and our church giving has increased by only 15%.
Furthermore, we were spending far more money than ever on assisting and rescuing troubled churches and on benevolence for hurting ministers. The situation was not sustainable.
We also realized that our funding model was overly reliant on ministerial tithe, and we’d not given due attention to church contributions (per our bylaws). So we made an appeal to Pastors and Boards: “Please contribute 1%”
The response has been amazing! The number of churches contributing increased by 15% (31). 73% of all GC/DA churches contributed. Also, those that contributed at the 1% level jumped! Total One Fund Giving increased by 30% and I want to emphasize that One Fund giving is not only crucial for providing the ministries and services our district needs and desires, but it also creates a more balanced and diverse financial foundation—so the district isn't overly dependent on ministerial tithes.
We are very pleased by the response to these efforts and we will continue to make further proposals in the coming year.
Endowment
Our endowments now total over $5,590,492 in eight endowments! $258,718 were distributed for various ministries and needs.
Missions Support
BGMC (Children) = $128,480.45
Speed the Light (Youth) = $137,051.21
Women’s Ministries = $93,293.84.
Light for the Lost (Men) = $17,480
Total: $376,305.50
Church Statistics: 439
We added 14 new churches, but “closed” 22, for a net loss of 8. “Closed” is not necessarily descriptive.
Of the closed churches:
· Nine PACs were closed by their parent church.
· Three “re-opened” as a new church.
· Two merged with another AG church.
In all these instances, the church “continued” but in a new form. Nevertheless, we list them as closed.
District Council
Minister’s Retreat - Novato and Las Vegas
Scholarships:
We are committed to raising up spiritual heirs who can continue and further this work after we have finished our race. One way in which we do this is by providing scholarship funds for those attending AG colleges or who are completing educational requirements for credentialing. I want to encourage our pastors to promote the two scholarship initiatives:
Under 25 Education Assistance Program – AKA “The Daniel Fund.”
Our district reimburses students under the age of 25, $100 for every course that satisfies credential requirements (regardless of the school). Most of these students are enrolled at Global University or Pathway, although any school that satisfies credential requirements will qualify. In 2025 we assisted 20 future ministers with a total of $6,950.
Pastor Eric Daniel passed away in February of 2026. Pastor Eric had a passion for developing young ministers. We have renamed the U25 scholarship, “The Daniel Fund.”
Bethany Legacy Scholarship
The Bethany Legacy Scholarship Endowment is now $644,293.86. In 2025, we awarded $15,562.07 to nine AG students enrolling full-time at AG colleges. Gina Bielch, Madison Bradley, Cosby Cline, Caleb Castleberry, Ella Couch, Dakota Hijar, Jordan Jimenez, Abigail Schlipp and Micah Woodard.
Memoriam and Minister's Memorial Fund:
20 ministers and 6 spouses passed away in 2025 and 2026.
Credentialed Ministers:
Charles “Church” V. Adams, Ed Armanious, Eric Daniel, Leo Duncan, Helen Goree Hoskins, Doris Johnson, Marilyn Lebeck, Artie Lookingbill, David Lucci, Clarence McCarty, Robert Pagett, Barbara Pahulu-Eatman, Jack Parks, Stephen Pruett, Glenna Self, Clover Stewart, Vaka Taimani, Delbert Tarr, Kenneth Wireman and Edith June Younger.
Credentialed Minister’s Spouses:
Beverly Combs, Richard Gagnon, Lisa Hampton, Ellen Jean Petty, Sharon Souza and Anny Wiles.
We paid a total of $14,000 to the families of these ministers, as an expression of our affection and respect.
DRC Board Training Videos - Coming Soon
This fall we will be releasing new video segments of our Board Training. Pastors, these videos will be a great resource for your current and new board members.
Conclusion
We encountered many challenges in 2025. But I’m glad to say that the Lord prepared us for these days and we were never overwhelmed by the challenges.
It is one of the great privileges of my life to serve this district, and alongside Superintendent Allen and Assistant Superintendent Huddleston.
I also want to express thanks to my wife Teri, and to my staff:
To my Executive Administrative Assistant: Faith Gallup
To my three Secretary-Treasurer teams:
Legal Records: Leanna Sheley and Rosal Galindo
Accounting Team: John Kim, Jerry Hannay, Sondra Miller, and a very special thank you to Karen Carstens, for her years dedicated to the District. Happy Retirement, Karen!
Credentials Team: Darryn Fisher and Carissa Garza
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Jay A. Herndon
District Secretary-Treasurer
