Bishop Dr. Lennox D. Walker, O.D. has been an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God for more than 30 years.
At the 2022 Biennal General Assembly of the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, Dr. Walker was elected to serve as a member of the Council of 18, a body which functions with the International Executive Committee to form the International Executive Council, that establishes the polity and directs the ministries of the Church of God worldwide.
Bishop Walker was appointed in 2014 by the Church of God International Executive Committee to serve as Administrative Bishop for the Church of God in Ontario – a position he held for 8 years. As the Administrative Bishop, Dr. Walker supervised 250 credentialed ministers and 80 churches with close to 10,000 congregational members dispersed across Eastern Canada.
During his tenure as Administrative Bishop, Dr. Walker also served as Ex-Officio Chair of the Regional Executive Council and member of the National Executive Council for the Church of God in Canada. He also maintained his responsibilities as Senior Pastor of Praise Cathedral Worship Centre – the largest congregation with close to 2000 members.
The Region of Eastern Canada has much to celebrate under Bishop Walker’s leadership. In 2015, Dr. Walker was instrumental in completing a major renovation of the Regional Office. In 2017, he implemented the Regional Pension Plan for ministers and full-time administrative staff and in 2020, he implemented the District Overseer Awards, realigned the Districts and appointed the first female District Overseer in the Church of God.
Under Bishop Walker’s leadership, the ministers participated in several leadership symposiums and training. He revitalized Bethesda Church of God and replanted New Flame Church of God, now functioning as Hope Christian Centre and Emmanuel Church of God, functioning as Go Missions Church of God. Romans XII Ministries, Partners Worship Centre, Iglesia de Dios Hispanic Community Church, Shield of Faith, Gathering Assembly, Beauty for Ashes, Identify in Christ, Church on the Well and Refuge Nations were planted. With his approval and direction, a total of 69 ministers received ministerial credentials, this includes nine (9) Ordained Bishops, 20 Ordained Ministers and 40 Exhorters.
A visionary, Bishop Walker introduced the Pastor Emeritus position that was implemented at the Agincourt Church of God and Kitchener Church of God (now functioning as Kingdom Community International). The Pastor’s Emeritus program enabled Senior Pastos to retire with reasonable retirement packages. The VOICE – a Regional Newsletter was an initiative developed under Bishop Walker’s leadership.
Bishop Walker created the Ontario Hall of Prophets and Honorable Appreciation of Laities – recognizing 5 ministers, – 3 posthumously and 6 Laities who served the region for more than 30 years, with significant impact on the regional programs and who were instrumental in planting churches across the Greater Toronto Area. He also implemented a Task Force to document the History of the Church of God in Eastern Canada.
In spite of his busy schedule and demanding commitments as the Administrative Bishop, Dr. Walker found time to serve on the Pentecostal Theological Seminary Board in Cleveland Tennessee and Germany, and as a member of that Board’s Education Committee. He also served on the Board of the Church of God World Missions Board, the Ministerial Advisory Board, the International Black Ministries and the Bethel Bible College Board of the West Indies.
As the leader of Praise Cathedral Worship Centre, Bishop Walker founded Hearts of Bloom – gold-star daycare, which operates from the Praise Cathedral Mississauga campus. In 2017, he also founded the New Haven Funeral Centre – the first black-owned boutique-styled Funeral Centre in Canada.
On his missionary journeys, Bishop Walker has travelled across 6 continents – Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and the Caribbean, ministering the Gospel and serving the poor, marginalized and disenfranchised populations. He was instrumental in building a medical clinic in Uganda. For the past 5 consecutive years with the support of his local congregation, Praise Cathedral Worship Centre, Bishop Walker has provided financial support in the amount of $1.2M (JA) to students at Kingston College, offered full-time scholarships to students at Bethel Bible College, the University of the West Indies and Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica.
Giving and sowing in the lives of others is Bishop Walker’s weakness. He has fed more than 1000 people in the Cameroons, supplying them with groceries and other supplies for daily living. In 2013, Dr. Walker was instrumental in paying the bonds for the release of 13 prisoners in the Cameroons.
Recognized for his involvement and contributions within the Diaspora, Dr. Walker was granted a National honour by the Jamaican Government, receiving the Order of Distinction in 2019, for outstanding service in Religious and Diaspora Community Development in Canada. This complemented the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal that he received in 2013. Dr. Walker has been featured in Destiny Magazine as one of Canada’s 150 extraordinary Canadians.
Bishop Walker in December 2022, celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary with the love of his life, the Reverend Dorett Walker. The marriage is blessed with 3 wonderful Damar, Lamar and Shamar and 2 adopted daughters. Altogether, they have 5 beautiful grandchildren.
