Tyler District
Rev. H. Q. Dickerson currently serves Presiding Elder for the Tyler Texas District in the Eighth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church under the leadership of Senior Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick, III.
hank you for the opportunity to interview you. We would like to give everyone the opportunity to know a little more about you.
Where were you born? I was born in Mira Louisiana. I was raised in East Texas, in a little town called Douglasville. My sister and I were adopted as children. My sister was three and I was 5 at the time of our adoption.
Please share with us your educational background. I am a graduate of Texas College with a B.A. I attended Houston School of Theology for seminary from 1985 – 1988
Can you tell us about your calling into ministry? I started in the ministry when I was 9 years old. I preached my first sermon at Mount Zion CME church in Dangerfield Texas. First Sunday in July 1958
Why do you feel called to serve the CME church? My adoptive father was a CME preacher that traveled. We were committed and consecrated there in the CME church, so that where we felt our calling stay with the church.
As a Presiding Elder do you struggle with the most? There are challenges and that is you have different congregations to deal with. Everybody believes something differently. Some are educated and some are not. Some are in the rural and some are in cities. They all have different philosophies, different theology and ways of doing things. Also, the decline in attendance in the small churches. You see the young people moving out and moving into the urban areas. This decline leads to the older members having to do everything. Not too many people moving into the rural areas and our churches are feeling the effects of that.
What are the top three responsibilities of a Presiding Elder in your opinion? The top three are to visit congregations. Some visits are unannounced just to see the natural order of things and some visits are announced. I have to evaluate the pastors and the congregation to see if they are a good fit for one another and in agreement. I have to recommend a pastoral change if they don’t agree with each other. We also have to make sure that the financial burden is met to the connectional church. It all depends on the leadership of the church and the vision of the pastor. If it is a visionary pastor then the congregation is much easier to follow. The congregation does not see it a so much of a burden because they are being taught. The heart of giving is stewardship. And those churches are not incombered with a burden as
other churches who rely on a program or annual event to raise their claims. I have to maintain a good family relationship. My personal life has a lot to do with it. When I have to divide my time between the churches and family. I have to make sure my family doesn’t go lacking.
Tell us about your leadership philosophy and how it influences the culture of the Pastors under your care and the CME church? My leadership philosophy is to teach and train the ministers, to let them know the importance of having a formal education like seminary training because that also helps the congregation. The more we study and the more we involve the congregation in studying the word of God. We need to know how we fit into God’s plan and God’s expectations of us. There is a spiritual expectation from all of us, so. My philosophy is that when we obey the word of God then we are successful. The scripture says in Matthew 6 verse 33 says “ but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
This concludes our interview is there anything else you would like to share with the readers I am a veteran of the U.S. Army. That play’s a part in my education at Texas College. I learned how to put order in my life. I have been married 41 years and I have two children Quinton M. Dickerson 39 and he served in the Iraq war. I have another son Christian D. Dickerson 35. I have five grandchildren.
