09/03/2026
Welcome Bishop-Elect Paul Lawler!
The General Conference of the Global Methodist Church elected all 8 of our bishops today!
The Alabama Emerald Coast Conference celebrates the election of the Rev. Paul Lawler as bishop for Episcopal Area 7 of the Global Methodist Church. Area 7 is a global family, bringing together the Alabama Emerald Coast, South Georgia, North Georgia, Central Europe, Zambia, Northern Nigeria, and Venezuela Annual Conferences.
Bishop-elect Lawler brings more than four decades of ministry experience shaped by evangelism, discipleship, church planting, renewal, and a deep commitment to the Great Commission. He serves as Senior Pastor of Christ Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Before coming to Memphis, he served fifteen years as Senior Pastor of Christ Church Birmingham and sixteen years as the founding pastor of Chase Valley Church in Huntsville.
His ministry has looked beyond the walls of the local church. Lawler has helped lead church-planting efforts resulting in hundreds of new congregations among unreached people groups in Asia, and thousands of first-generation believers. He also co-founded the Patricia B. Hammonds Homes of Hope, serving children who have been trafficked or are vulnerable to trafficking in Thailand.
A graduate of Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary, Lawler has also served the Global Methodist Church through the Connectional Council, Kingdom Advancement, and strategic planning.
At the heart of his ministry is a conviction that Methodism is not meant merely to be an institution, but a Spirit-filled movement—making disciples, multiplying churches, spreading scriptural holiness, and carrying the Gospel to the nations.
We welcome Bishop-elect Paul Lawler and his wife Missy, and we look forward with great expectation to this next season of ministry ahead! We can’t wait for you to meet him as we plan for him to visit our annual conference as soon as possible.
Please pray for Bishop-elect Paul Lawler and his wife and family as they prepare for this new chapter!
Blessings
Dr Lester Spencer
Conference Superintendent
Alabama Emerald Coast Conference
