When Purpose Calls: A Guide For Leaders Chosen to Serve
Foreword Recorded by Tony and Two-Time Emmy Award-Winning Actor, Producer, and Author Courtney B. Vance
MEMPHIS, TN, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Church Of God In Christ, the nation’s largest Pentecostal denomination, announces the release of When Purpose Calls: A Guide For Leaders Chosen to Serve, the historic debut audiobook from Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard, available now for download exclusively at cogic.org. The release marks the first audiobook in the history of the Church Of God In Christ to be produced and distributed by a sitting Presiding Bishop and arrives at a pivotal moment in the life of the Church and its global leadership.
Recorded in Bishop Sheard’s own voice and drawn from decades of pastoral ministry, episcopal leadership, and personal faith, When Purpose Calls is a Spirit-filled, seven-chapter guide for leaders at every level from the pastor of a small congregation to the executive navigating the boardroom who are seeking wisdom, renewal, and the courage to answer the call God has placed on their lives. The audiobook runs approximately one hour and features a foreword recorded by Tony and two-time Emmy Award-winning actor, producer, and author Courtney B. Vance, a longtime friend of Bishop Sheard.
“This is not a book I wrote for the Church alone. It is a message I wrote for every person who has ever heard the voice of God on their life and wondered whether they were enough to answer it. You are. And God is waiting. When purpose calls, this is how you answer.” —Bishop J. Drew Sheard
When Purpose Calls is based on seven key principles of faithful leadership that Bishop Sheard believes are essential for effective ministry today: making choices based on understanding rather than fear, staying true to Scripture and the Spirit, focusing on Christ, supporting the next generation, returning to prayer and the altar, being honest in service, and the Church’s role as a voice in society. Each chapter weaves Bishop Sheard’s personal testimony and decades of pastoral experience into a message that is at once theologically grounded and profoundly human.
The audiobook also features personal stories throughout the recording where Bishop Sheard speaks candidly about his own journey as a pastor, a father, a husband, and a leader, giving listeners an intimate window into the life behind the title.
Foreword by Courtney B. Vance
The foreword for When Purpose Calls is recorded by Courtney B. Vance, Tony and two-time Emmy Award-winning actor, producer, and author, best known for his celebrated portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and his powerful performance in Lovecraft Country. Vance, a longtime personal friend of Bishop Sheard, brings his singular voice and authentic faith to an introduction that sets the tone for everything that follows.
“This book is a gift. Not just to the Church, and not just to leaders in ministry, but to anyone who has ever felt the tension between who they are and who they are being called to become.” — Courtney B. Vance
Availability & Pricing
When Purpose Calls: A Guide For Leaders Chosen to Serve is available now for download at cogic.org at a retail price of $7.99.
About Bishop J. Drew Sheard
Bishop J. Drew Sheard serves as the Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ, Inc., the nation’s largest Pentecostal denomination with more than 12,000 congregations worldwide. Elected to the denomination’s highest office in 2021, Bishop Sheard has led COGIC with a commitment to biblical authority, Holy Ghost-empowered ministry, institutional excellence, and compassionate community engagement. He is the senior pastor of Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church Of God In Christ in Detroit, Michigan, and is married to Grammy Award-winning Gospel recording artist First Lady Karen Clark Sheard. They are the parents of J. Drew Sheard II and Kierra Sheard-Kelly.
About the Church Of God In Christ
The Church Of God In Christ, Inc. (COGIC) is the nation’s largest Pentecostal denomination, founded in 1897 by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason. With a global membership of millions across more than 106 nations, COGIC is committed to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the empowerment of its members, and the transformation of communities through the power of the Holy Spirit. The denomination is headquartered at Mason Temple World Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.
Robert E Coleman Jr
CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, INC
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