Rev. Dr. Erlinda C. Dobson
Parliamentarian
New Bern District
“You did not
choose Me, but I chose you and appointed
you that you should go and bear fruit,
and that your fruit should remain, that
whatever you ask the Father in My Name
He may give you.” John 15:16 NIV
Rev. Dr.
Erlinda C. Dobson not only hears the
Lord speaking to her, but she also
follows His directions. Almost
forty-four years ago at Pleasant Hill
African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.)
Zion Church, she heeded His call to
share the grace of God into the lives of
others and to make disciples. Dr. Dobson
is a trailblazer, a mover, and shaker in
this twenty-first century where pastors
and churches face challenges with
generational shifts and declining
attendance and giving.
A
native of New Bern, North Carolina, Dr.
Dobson’s passion and motivation for
ministry anchors in Acts 20:24. Like
Paul, her goal is to testify to the
gospel of the grace of God continuously.
After receiving her ordination first as
a Deacon and then as an Elder in the AME
Zion Church, she accepted her first
pastoral charge at Mount Olive AME Zion
Church (Riverdale, NC) in 1985. Six
subsequent AME Zion charges followed:
Alliance Chapel (Alliance, NC), Walter’s
Chapel (Newport, NC), St. Mark
(Mansfield, NC), Wesley Chapel (New
Bern, NC), St. Mark (Whiteville, NC) and
St. Julia (Jacksonville, NC). Presently,
as a Presiding Elder, she
occasionally serves as an interim pastor
when pastoral vacancies occur - Clinton
Chapel (New Bern), St. Luke (Maysville),
St. James (Long Point Community) and St.
Paul (Silverdale).
In
July 2012, Dr. Dobson became the first
female appointed as the Presiding Elder
of the New Bern District of the North
Carolina Conference. She provides
leadership to nineteen churches.
In the educational arena,
Dr. Dobson achievement is also
impressive. She holds several college
degrees. She has an Associate Degree
from Craven Community College (New Bern,
NC) and a Bachelor of Science Degree
(Business) from the University of Mount
Olive (Mt. Olive, NC). She also received
bachelor’s (Theology) and master’s
degrees (Ministry) through Carolina
Theological Institute and Seminary
(Clinton, NC). She graduated from Hood
Theological Seminary (Salisbury, NC)
where she received both her Master of
Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees.
Pressing
to help others, Dr. Dobson serves
unselfishly in many capacities in her
district, communities, and the AME Zion
Church. She spearheaded efforts to help
those in her region recover in the
aftermath of Hurricanes Matthew,
Florence, and Michael. She is a strong
advocate and a voice for those
considered by society to be the least of
God’s children.
Dr.
Dobson is married Mr. Hank J. Dobson,
share six children and seventeen
grandchildren. The
Presiding Elder loves her family and
adores her mother, Mrs. Lelia C. Becton.
While she has two sisters and
three brothers, she extends her
family with other adopted
sisters, and brothers.
Dr.
Dobson’s motto is, “We must raise the
bar and call followers of Christ to a
higher standard and discipleship.”.
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