They are authorized to appoint ordained clergy to churches and other areas of ministry. They also consecrate, ordain, and commission persons in ministry to the church and world. They work with a cabinet of persons, most of who are district superintendents, to aid in the oversight and supervision of the entire annual conference. Bishops carry a primary responsibility to support and encourage the ministry of all Christians. They share with other bishops in the supervision of the whole Church, encouraging and supporting all baptized people in the exercising of their gifts and ministries, praying for them, and proclaiming and interpreting to them the gospel of Christ.
Bishops are to be prophetic voices and courageous leaders in the cause of justice for all people.
There is a listing of qualifications of Bishops. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it. Bishop Sharon A. Brown Christopher, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, was born on July 24, 1944. She is a graduate of Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, and has a Master of Divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology, Dallas. She became the assistant to Bishop David Lawson in January 1986, and in July 1988, was elected to the episcopacy.