ABOUT

BISHOP ROBERT G. RUDOLPH, JR.

At the precocious age of five, Bishop Robert G. Rudolph dedicated his life to the Lord. He preached his first sermon while standing on a chair in the pulpit two years later. It was clear to all around him that God’s hand was on his life and at the age of 11, Bishop Rudolph was licensed as a minister. Public speaking and discourse were gifts Bishop was given by God, after being delivered from a condition of stuttering. This led to him winning the National Oratorical Contest of the Church Of God In Christ as a teenager. Shortly thereafter, this young man was summoned to the denomination’s world headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee where the late Presiding Bishop J. O. Patterson, Sr., formally ordained him as an elder at the tender age of 16. Before graduating from Malvern High School, his peers elected him Governor of Arkansas Boys’ State. Rudolph has 33 years of pastoral experience and continues his pastorate at the Calvary Church Of God In Christ and Davis Memorial Church Of God In Christ. Bishop Rudolph is happily married to Lady Michelle Parham Rudolph who supports his ministry wholeheartedly.

In 2016, he was appointed by Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake as the Adjutant General of the Church Of God In Christ. As the Chief Minister of Protocol of the denomination, from 2016-2021, the National Adjutancy Corps experienced exponential growth. He instituted innovative trends in technology, expanded the organizational and administrative structure and developed monumental platforms for service. Rudolph has held other numerous positions within the Church Of God In Christ at all levels. These positions have included: C. H. Mason Foundation Board of Directors, Special Assistant to the General Secretary – Elder A. Z. Hall, Jr.; Assistant General Secretary, Scribe of the National Adjutancy, Associate White House Liaison, Interim Prelate, Auxiliary Bishop, Clerk to the late General Board Secretary – Bishop Frank O. White; Executive Administrative Assistant to the late General Board Members – Bishop George D. McKinney and Bishop Matthew Williams; Administrative Assistant and Executive Secretary to Bishop D. L. Lindsey and Bishop Frank J. Anderson, Jr.; Jurisdictional Secretary, Jurisdictional AIM Chairman and District Superintendent.

In 2014 at the 107th Holy Convocation of the Church Of God In Christ, he was consecrated to the Office of Bishop. Shortly before the formal ceremony of consecration, Bishop Rudolph was honored by his peers to be elected President of the largest Episcopal Class in the history of the denomination. In November, 2019, he received the official Episcopal Appointment as Prelate of the St. Maarten Rehoboth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, Church Of God In Christ, Inc. In this position, he provides executive direction and leadership to several eastern Caribbean churches and ministries.

Rudolph’s secular career spanned three decades of service in the areas of politics and government which included: a reading clerk for the Arkansas General Assembly, an aide to a United States Congressman and as a Special Assistant to the Governor of Arkansas. In all, Bishop Rudolph has worked in the administrations of four Governors. In 2021, after serving diligently on the Youth Justice Reform Board, Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed him as a member of the Arkansas State University System Board of Trustees. The ASU System, based in Little Rock, serves over 40,000 students annually on campuses in Arkansas, Mexico and globally online with a $353 million budget. His board service allows him involvement with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

Bishop Rudolph is completing a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Texas at El Paso; and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Henderson State University where he served for two years as student body president. He is an active brother in the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. As an undergraduate, he won the fraternity’s Belford V. Lawson National Oratorical Contest and was elected as the Southwestern Assistant Vice President which enabled him to be a student member of the fraternity’s national board of directors. As a result of his academic achievements, he was a Fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Bishop Rudolph also has been awarded with two honorary doctorates for his lifelong contributions in the fields of public service and religion.