The Calling and the Biblical Role of the Associate Minister: God's Servant, Doing God's Work, God's Way, by God's Power

This informative book will unveil and answer some of the important questions the associate minister will encounter regarding their call and role in ministry. As well, it offers guidance in how to maintain a healthy relationship between pastors and associate ministers. "I have been given the task to convey this topic from a theological and Biblical perspective," states the author, Dr. Bernard P. Goode. "I have been assigned by God to share with the 21st century church a balanced view of the Biblical role of the associate minister. My goal is to help the associate minister develop a right philosophy of ministry, while embarking on the journey of self discovery and God's calling in His kingdom."

A longtime senior executive for the Walt Disney Company, Roy Disney, stated, "It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." This iconic statement can truly provide summation to the spiritual journey of Dr. Bernard P. Goode. Shortly, after being-called into the gospel ministry, Dr. Goode was mentored by great preachers such as the late Dr. T Wright Morris (past president of Baptist General Convention), the late G.E. Patterson, the presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Dr. A Lincoln James, Jr (Past President of Virginia State Baptist Convention and Vice Pres. National Baptist Convention Congress of Christian Education), Dr. Virgil Woods (Civil Rights Activist/ Martin Luther King, Jr) and Dr. Henry Mitchell (Academic Dean/ Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology). Dr. Goode decided to further his education in theological studies. He matriculated at the Virginia Commonwealth University, College of Humanities and Science, Trinity Theological Seminary, Virginia University of Lynchburg., Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology (Summa Cum Laude), and South University College of Theology (Summa Cum Laude). He is the recipient of several advance and terminal degrees. Bachelor of Arts/ Religious Studies Degree, Master of Religious Education Degree, Master of Christian Education Degree, Master in Divinity Degree, and three Doctoral Degrees. His doctoral specialization and certification is in Management and Leadership Development, Pastoral Theology and Servant Leadership. In 2017, he was inducted in the prestigious South University Chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society for academic excellence and maintaining a 4.0 GPA in the graduate level (Summa Cum Laude). Golden Key is the world's largest collegiate honor society. Membership into the society is by invitation only and applies to the top 15% of college and university sophomores, juniors and seniors, as well as top-performing graduate students in all fields of study, based solely on their academic achievements. Dr. Goode has distinguished himself by being a Virginia Author through the Library of Congress, Richmond, VA. He is the author of "Pastoral Theology: The Task of the Pastor," "The Calling and Biblical Role of the Associate Minister" and Developing a Servant Leadership Curriculum to Excite, Equip, and Empower Pastor and Church leaders to work together as a Team Ministry. He is an administrator, counselor, mentor, educator, and theologian. He has thirty seven years in ministerial and twenty five years pastoral experience and serve as senior pastor in the residence of Mt. Salem Baptist Church. Dr. Goode is the President of the Cancer Care Ministry of Caroline and Vicinity (In partnership with Cancer Treatment Center of America). He is a certified Researcher by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research (Certification Number: 12345611). He is a member of Global United Fellowship (GUF), he serves under the spiritual leadership of Honorable Bishop Neil C. Ellis, Presiding Prelate. He also serves as past Global United Fellowship Leader of Christian Education for the Mid-Atlantic Province (churches in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia). He is a member of South University Doctoral Advisory Council, a member of Robert Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the American Academy of Religion, Religious Education Association, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC. In addition, he is a past member of the Society of Human Resources Management and past member of the Board of Trustees at Virginia University of Lynchburg.