Bishop Jerry Wayne Taylor

Bishop Jerry Wayne Taylor received salvation at the Greater Beulahland Church Of God In Christ in 1981 under the tutelage of the late Superintendent Jasper Douglas Porter. An earnest young man with a zeal to do the will of God, he proved to be a faithful brother, deacon and minister who aided his pastor wherever there was a need. His commitment to the work of this ministry would subsequently endow him with the honor of being appointed as an assistant to the pastor. In 1987, he was ordained an elder in the Church Of God In Christ by the late Presiding Bishop James Oglethorpe Patterson, Sr.

In a step of faith and an act of obedience to the voice of God, Bishop Taylor became the pastor and founder of the Holy City Church Of God In Christ in 1988. A good steward of ministerial work, he was appointed in 1993 by the late Bishop Samuel Leon Lowe to serve as Superintendent of the J.D. Porter Memorial District which was founded by his former pastor and spiritual father, Superintendent Jasper Douglas Porter. Under his dynamic leadership, the district grew exponentially from 2 to 15 churches and at the time was the largest district in the Tennessee Fifth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. To this assignment, Bishop Taylor was faithful and diligent for 20 years. It was also during this time he served as Financial Overseer for the jurisdictional finance committee. In 2003, Bishop Lowe appointed him as an Administrative Assistant of the Tennessee Fifth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction.

With an innate call to leadership, Bishop Taylor has worked in the national church in various capacities. He was appointed to serve on The National Tithes of Tithes Committee by the late Presiding Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson in 2001. He also served as an assistant on the Finance Committee for the National Church Of God In Christ, Inc. As a testament to his humility and support of jurisdictional initiatives, Bishop Lowe would eventually recommend him for the office of Auxiliary Bishop. This recommendation was subsequently approved by the Presiding Bishop along with the General Board then ratified during the 2014 April Call Meeting. Bishop Taylor would later be chosen by the pastors of the jurisdiction to succeed his predecessor.

On November 9th, 2014, during the 107th Holy Convocation, he was consecrated to the Sacred Office of Bishop in the Church Of God In Christ by Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake thus elevating him to become the Prelate of the Tennessee Fifth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. He was the 8th Bishop to be consecrated out of 40, which was the single largest class of Episcopal Bishops to ever be consecrated in the history of our great church.

After his installation of Prelate of the Tennessee Fifth Jurisdiction, Bishop Taylor’s servant leadership continued without interruption. In April of 2015, Bishop Taylor led and organized the first march that convened from Mason Temple to The National Civil Rights Museum with the theme, “We still believe in the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the vision of Bishop Charles Harrison Mason.” Additionally, in November of 2016, he was chosen to be one of the mid-day speakers during the 109th Holy Convocation for the Church Of God In Christ. The title of his message was “How to maintain in a violent and immoral world!” The following year in September 2017, he was one of the speakers at Bishop Mason’s 150th birthday celebration at Mason Temple with the title “Contending for the faith!” Bishop Taylor was also privileged to be the speaker for the 2022 Mason Day Celebration honoring our founder Bishop Charles Harrison Mason. The title of his message was “The Lord is with us in our comeback!”

God has tremendously blessed Bishop Jerry Wayne Taylor with an abundance of talents. He is a gifted builder and contractor and has used his gifts to bless God’s people and His house. His imprint can be seen throughout the Holy City sanctuary, chapel, and Vision For Life Center. He designed and built a baptismal pool, balcony, prayer room, front foyer, signs, and speaking podium. As often as his impeccable craftmanship has been called to use, Bishop Taylor’s God-given talent has likewise extended into the national church. He erected a conference table and welcome center for the Lela Mason building at Mason Temple. Moreover, Bishop Taylor has also had the honor of overseeing the construction of the Bishop Charles Harrison Mason statue in front of Mason Temple. This monument, a wonderful tribute to our admirable and unprecedented founder, was unveiled during our 114th International Holy Convocation.

With a pastoral ministry that spans more than 35 years, Bishop Taylor often drops inspirational clichés or ‘nuggets of edification’ into the hearts of believers. Of the most encouraging is one which can be found mounted on the wall of the ministry’s chapel, a seed of hope which promises “Victory is in the Praise!” Bishop Jerry Wayne Taylor resides in Memphis, Tennessee with his beautiful high school sweetheart and wife of over 49 years, Lady Gloria Jean Taylor. They have three children, Cedric (Lutricia) Taylor, Dr. Jerri (Steven) Jackson and Stephanie (Dr. Antwan) Robinson. The Taylor’s are also proud grandparents of seven grandchildren and great-grandparents of one adorable little girl.