Donna Barrett is retiring at the end of this year from her position as general secretary of the Assemblies of God.

Elected unanimously by the executive presbytery in 2018 to fill the unexpired term of her predecessor, Jim Bradford, then elected twice by the General Council in 2019 and 2023, she is the first woman to hold executive office at the national level in the history of the AG.

Full disclosure: I am one of Barrett’s direct reports. But I can honestly say that she is universally regarded by her employees, fellow executives, district officials, and ministry peers as a woman of God, conscientious leader, good friend, and great boss.

In this episode of the podcast, I talk to Barrett about her unique perspective on topics such as women’s leadership, the grind of ministry, and the necessity of prayer. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Barrett is the 11th general secretary of The General Council of the Assemblies of God. Her final day in office is December 31, 2025.

This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler.

The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.