Larry Pickens holds a master of theology degree and master of divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary is a graduate school of theology of the United Methodist Church located in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1853, Garrett-Evangelical is on the campus of Northwestern University and continues many associations with the university...

, a doctorate in ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary

Chicago Theological Seminary

The Chicago Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ. It prepares women and men for leadership in the church and society through Master of Divinity , Master of Arts in Religious Studies , Master of Sacred Theology , Doctor of Ministry , and Doctor of Philosophy programs...

, and a juris doctor

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from DePaul University College of Law

DePaul University College of Law

DePaul University College of Law is a law school located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Founded in 1897 as the Illinois College of Law, the school became part of DePaul University in 1912 and is one of the academic colleges of DePaul, a Big East Conference university. The College is known for its...

. Larry is the former general secretary of the General COmmission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of the United Methodist Church. During his tenure as the ecumenical staff officer these significant events took place:

• Organized and Moderated a major United Methodist Consultation on the Global Nature of the Church, This was a forum designed to help the United Methodist Church address global and ecumenical issues in Africa, The United States, Europe, the Philippines and Latin America Norcross, Georgia
• Organized and led a United Methodist Delegation to the Vatican and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
• Organized and led a United Methodist Delegation to Havana, Cuba for an Ecumenical Visit. This including an effort to mediate an existing dispute between the Methodist Church in Cuba and the Presbyterian Church regarding the status of the Theological School at Matanzas. This was also an opportunity for us to meet with ecumenical representatives from Cuba an address issues facing the United States and
• Organized Training Event for United Methodists attending the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Council of Churches, Chicago, Illinois- This was a training opportunity designed to prepare United Methodist delegates for the intricacies of the Assembly process. It was also an overview of the issues that we would encounter at the Assembly.
• Led the agency through a process of strategic planning as we charted a course for the ecumenical and interfaith ministry of the United Methodist Church. This process involved an environmental scan and mapping for the future ecumenical agenda of the United Methodist Church. Our aim was to project the direction of the agency as we looked forward 5–10 years.
• Improved the fiscal management processes of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns while leading the staff reorganization. Made staff decisions that upgraded the personnel and provided for a more efficient financial accounting structure within the agency.
• Created the Brdge Builder Award in honor of the late Bishop James K Mathews. The first award was given to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the 2008 General Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas

Pickens' extensive ecumenical and connectional involvement has included:

Connectional and ecumenical church experiences:

Delegate (First Alternate) to The General Conference of The United Methodist Church, Fort Worth, Texas- 2008

Delegate to The Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan- 2008

Board Member of Oikocredit- 2007

Participant in Ecumenical Peace Conference, Savu Savu, Fiji- 2007

Organized and Moderated a Major Consultation on the Global Nature of the Church, Norcross, Georgia- 2007

World Council of Churches, United Methodist Representative to the Joint Consultative Commission- 2007–Present

World Council of Churches, Participant in Consultation on the Ecumenical Movement in the 21st Century in Geneva, Switzerland- 2006

Member of the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches- 2006–Present

Member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches- 2006–Present

Delegate to the World Methodist Conference, Seoul, Korea- 2006

Organized and led a United Methodist Delegation to the Vatican and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity- 2006

Organized and led a United Methodist Delegation to Havana, Cuba for an Ecumenical Visit- 2006
Organized Training Event for United Methodists Attending the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Chicago, Illinois- 2005

Delegate to the Assembly on World Mission and Evangelism, Athens, Greece 2005

Coordinating Council Member of Churches Uniting in Christ- 2005-2007

World Council of Churches, Delegate to the 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil- 2005

World Council of Churches, Participant in the Ecumenical Officers Forum- 2004-2006

National Council of Churches of Christ of the USA, Delegate General Assembly- 2004-2007

National Council of Churches of Christ of the USA, Governing Board Member- 2004-2007

The Committee to Study the Relationship between the United Methodist Church and the Affiliated Autonomous Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean- 2004-2008

The Connectional Table- United Methodist Church- 2004-2008

The Judicial Council- United Methodist Church- 2000-2004
Delegate to the General Conference of The United Methodist Church, Cleveland, Ohio- 2000

Delegate to the Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church, Madison, Wisconsin- 2000

Northern Illinois Committee on Investigation- 1996-1999
People to People, Delegate to International Human Rights Conference, Havana, Cuba- 1998
Delegate to the People to People Seminar on the Legal System of South Africa- 1997
Delegate to the World Methodist Conference, Singapore- 1991
Delegate to the Seventh Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Canberra, Australia- 1991
Delegate to the Assembly on World Mission and Evangelism, San Antonio- 1987
Northern Illinois Board of Ordained Ministry- 1988-1993
National Black Methodists for Church Renewal- 1986–Present
Delegate to the World Methodist Conference, Nairobi, Kenya- 1985,

Community Service:
The Human Relations Board-The City of Elgin, Illinois- 2001-2004
Marcy Newberry Association, Board of Directors- 1988-1993
Community Block Grant Advisory Board-The City of Chicago, Illinois-1988-1995

Pickens is presently the pastor of The Memorial United Methodist Church in White Plains, New York (www.memorial4all.org). Pickens is also a member of the Central and Executive Committees of the World Council of Churches. In addition to these roles at the World Council of Churches, he is also the moderator of the Personnel Committee.

Other pastoral roles have included service at:
2008-2010 Northbrook United Methodist Church, Northbrook Illinois, Senior Pastor
2004-2007- General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, New York, New York, General Secretary
2001-2004 -First United Methodist Church, Elgin, Illinois, Senior Pastor
1998-2001- Maple Park United Methodist Church, Chicago, Illinois, Senior Pastor
1996 - United States Trustee, Chicago, Illinois, Extern
1988–1998- Gorham United Methodist Church, Chicago, Illinois, Senior Pastor
1985–1988- St. Mark United Methodist Church, Chicago, Illinois, Associate Pastor

Pickens and his wife, Debra, have a daughter, Jessica.

External links