{ The following bio was written by a friend when I was elected as General Superintendent of the Congregational Holiness Church. It has been edited to reflect any changes that have transpired since it was first published. }
Bishop Wilson was born into the home of Rev. Vernon and Mildred Wilson in the early morning hours of a beautiful November day.
He joined the Cub Scouts at the age of five, and would become a Boy Scout, an Explorer Scout, becoming the first Eagle Scout from Union Point’s Troop 306.
In what almost seems prophetic, Brother Ronald was elected as the Junior General Superintendent of World Missions in 1971 and then as the Junior General Superintendent of the Congregational Holiness Church in 1972 in what was then known as the General Youth Congress.
Brother Ronald and Sister Marlene were married in 1972, and to their union a son, Israel, was born.
He was selected by the General Committee on December 7, 1974 to accompany Bishop Terry Crews and Rev. Charles Dial to Springfield, Missouri to work out the details for the Congregational Holiness Church to adopt Royal Rangers as the official ministry to the boys of our organization. Royal Rangers was officially chartered on April 7, 1975, and he became the first National Training Coordinator. During these years, he also served in numerous other positions, including the North Georgia District Commander. He would later serve as the National Commander for ten years. During this time, he was instrumental in organizing the Royal Ranger ministry in other denominations as well. On April 22, 2005, he was honored to be named “National Commander Emeritus,” and presented with the “Pastor’s Medal Of Achievement.” In June of 2017, he was presented with the Royal Ranger Medal of Valor.
During this time, Brother Ronald was also part of local church ministries and served in various positions on a district level. He began to pastor in 1987. He would pastor the Bethel Temple Church, the Martin’s Crossroads Church, and the Gainesville Church. He served on the Board of Trustees of Central Heights Christian School, the Board of Directors of Sharing and Caring, a community helps program. He served as President of the multi-county ministerial association in Habersham County, and as President of the ministerial association in Lincoln County. He served on the executive committee of the clergy staff of a hospital chaplaincy. He served as the Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, Second Assistant Superintendent, and First Assistant Superintendent of the North Georgia District Presbytery. He also served as the Superintendent of Home Missions and Evangelism for the North Georgia District.
He served as Chaplin of the Habersham County Sons of The American Revolution due to his fifth great grandfathers service in the Revolutionary War.
On May 8, 1992, he was elected as the General Treasurer of the Congregational Holiness Church. He would serve in this position on three separate occasions for a total of seven years.
In 2001 Brother Ronald was elected as the World Missions Superintendent of the Congregational Holiness Church. The outreach ministry of our denomination was expanded into Countries where we previously had no works, including Argentina and Zimbabwe, and the reestablishing of our work in Belize. He began “Christmas For The Children,” a shoebox ministry that saw thousands of gifts donated for children around the world.
In 2003, Bishop Wilson was elected as the General Superintendent of the Congregational Holiness Church where he served for fourteen years. During this time, the Church experienced tremendous growth worldwide.
During his tenure as General Superintendent, the Continuing Education Seminars were established. Working with Rev. Danny Jones, the School of Youth Leadership was organized. This was a rebirth and revision of the General Youth Congress he had once served in. In 2005, under his leadership the Mission USA Department was created and unanimously approved by the General Conference.
In 2011, he led in the rebuilding of the General Parsonage and the International Headquarters Building that had been destroyed by a tornado.
He served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals and was a member of the Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America, formerly known as the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America.
Bishop Wilson continues to faithfully serve our denomination. In 2017, after leaving the office of General Superintendent, he was elected as the Second Assistant Superintendent of the North Georgia District and appointed as the World Missions Promoter of the North Georgia District. On June 11, 2019, he was appointed the first Director of History and Archives for the Congregational Holiness Church. On August 31, 2020, he was elected as the Second Assistant General Superintendent of the Congregational Holiness Church to fill a vacancy created by Bishop Charles Hanson’s untimely death. On February 5, 2021, he was elected as the First Assistant General Superintendent to fill a vacancy that was created by the death of Bishop Wayne Hicks. At the 2021 General Conference, he was unanimously elected to continue his duties as the First Assistant General Superintendent.
For more than fifty years, he has ministered the Word in revivals, conferences, camp meetings, youth camps, seminars, retreats, homecomings, hospitals, civic organizations, and more. He has served in leadership positions on the local, district, national, and international levels. He and his wife, Marlene, continue to enjoy their lifelong pursuit of seeking God and finding fulfillment in living lives of obedience to the Father’s calling.
Ronald & Marlene Wilson
