Kenneth Hollingshed

Rev. Kenneth L. Hollingshed, a native of Fort Valley, Georgia, was elected as the General Secretary of Evangelism and Missions of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church during the 41st General Conference in June 2026. As a pastor, author, trainer, evangelist, and visionary leader, he has faithfully served the CME Church for more than four decades, advancing the Gospel through preaching, teaching, evangelism, missions, leadership development, and community engagement. In this Connectional leadership role, Rev. Hollingshed provides vision and leadership for evangelism and missions initiatives that equip churches, develop leaders, strengthen discipleship, and encourage community engagement throughout the denomination.

He currently serves as Pastor of Morning Chapel CME Church in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, affectionately known as “The Rock Church.” Under his leadership over the past eight years, the congregation has experienced significant numerical, spiritual, relational, and missional growth. He has led the congregation in developing ministries that intentionally connect the church with the surrounding community through evangelism, outreach, discipleship, servant leadership, and community engagement, reflecting his conviction that healthy churches are called to reach people for Christ, make disciples, and transform communities.

Throughout his ministry, Rev. Hollingshed has served the CME Church in several evangelism leadership roles at the local, district, regional, and connectional levels. He is recognized as a visionary leader with a passion for evangelism, collaborative ministry, leadership development, training, and equipping congregations to reach people beyond the walls of the church. His commitment to community transformation extends beyond the local church. He founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that faithfully served a North Dallas community for more than twenty years and secured grant funding to support ministry and community initiatives.

Rev. Hollingshed’s ministry philosophy is grounded in the belief that evangelism is the heartbeat of the Church and that all believers are “builders” called to participate in the Great Commission. His leadership prioritizes prayer, strategic planning, community engagement, discipleship, and missions as essential elements of healthy and growing congregations.

Rev. Hollingshed holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Engineering, a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, and a Master of Arts in Business Organization and Design Planning. He is also a graduate of the United States Army Chaplain Center and School. Rev. Hollingshed is the author of Outreach Is the Architecture of Evangelism and co-author of 40 Day Financial Renewal. He and his wife of more than 27 years, Rev. Tanesha K. Hollingshed, have two adult sons.

As General Secretary of Evangelism and Missions for The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Hollingshed is dedicated to equipping churches to fulfill the Great Commission by reaching individuals for Christ, making disciples, strengthening communities, and advancing the Kingdom of God throughout the Connection.