Bishop Lorenzo Lee Kelly was born in Winter Park, Florida in1943. The family moved to Evanston, Illinois in 1955, where he attended Haven Junior High School and Evanston Township High School, graduating in June 1961. After High School, he worked fulltime at Clayton Marks & Company for a year before beginning college. He attended Loop Junior College for one year before becoming employed by First National Bank of Evanston working in their Proof Department. He had the honor of being the first black male to be hired in a North Shore Bank during those heated times of civil unrest of the 1960’s. As his job became a career, he worked his way up within the bank being promoted as he went and while pursuing higher education through the American Banking Association. His career provided experience as a Customer Service Staff, Assistant Cashier, Personal Banking Officer and, finally, as Assistant Vice-President and Drive-In Bank Manager. God gave him favor, both within the bank and without, in the Evanston and surrounding community.

As a young boy in Florida, his family had been members of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Winter Park. In Evanston, they became members of the Springfield Missionary Baptist Church. This is where Kelly met his bride-to-be, Evelyn Ann Heard. In January 1961, when he was a senior in high school, Evelyn and he met the Lord during a prayer revival meeting at their church. It was during this time that Kelly realized that it was not by works alone that one is saved, but by repenting of sins and committing your life to Jesus! After being saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, they began to serve the Lord with intense vigor throughout the following years. On October 10, 1964, a few months after Evelyn's high school graduation, the couple were united in marriage at Springfield Baptist Church. It was a beautiful ceremony attended by a standing room only crowd of friends and family from surrounding churches and the community. In 1969, Kelly moved his church membership from Springfield Baptist to Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, also, in Evanston, Illinois where the pastor is Bishop Carlis L Moody, Sr.

In 1973, Kelly, under the leadership, teaching, and tutelage of Bishop Moody, acknowledged the Lord’s call upon his life as a minister of the Gospel. Kelly became a licensed minister on January 20, 1974 and immediately began attending the Moody Bible Institute’s Evening School Division in Chicago, Illinois (this school is not associated with Bishop Carlis Moody). Graduating from Moody Bible Institute in May 1978, he continued to serve in the ministry of Faith Temple Church of God in Christ. Bishop and Sister Kelly both continued learning and growing tremendously in the things of God as they were being prepared for leadership. He was ordained as an Elder on August 25, 1979 by Bishop Carlis L. Moody. In August 1982, the Kelly’s were led by the Lord to move to Rapid City, South Dakota, to begin a ministry. He left employment of First Bank of Evanston, after nineteen years and she left the College Entrance Examination Board’s Midwestern Division, after four years. They named the new church Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, after their home church.

Stepping out on faith, the Kelly’s packed up and moved to Rapid City, leaving a “for sale” sign posted on the front lawn of their home. They had no doubts as to whether this house would sell since their previous home had sold five days after going on the market. Faith Test ... surely, if the Lord had called them to this work, He would provide a buyer for this home immediately. Walking in faith, the Kelly’s purchased their new home in Rapid City, South Dakota, before the ministry was started and before their Illinois home had sold. Faith Lessons ... were now being taught by the Holy Spirit and learned by the entire Kelly family. The "faith" way of life was both challenging and hard for everyone concerned, however, faith proved to be the most dependable way to really get to know God! When there was no way and no one to provide a way, the Lord Himself always provided. Many times it seemed as though they would perish, but God’s loving hand would save with barely a moment left to spare. Finally, two years later after their relocation, the house in Illinois was sold, however, at a loss. Faith Results ... Through it all, God was and has ever remained faithful – they were to depend upon God only and not upon any equity funds that might have been derived from the sale of their home! As life and the ministry continued, there were many failures, challenges, and demands put upon their faith.

On November 12, 1990, Kelly was promoted to the office of “Bishop” -- from being an ordained elder to the Bishop of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the State of South Dakota for the Church of God in Christ. Being appointed by the late Bishop Louis Henry Ford, the appointment was ratified by the 1990 General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Lorenzo L. Kelly was officially consecrated to the office of Bishop on May 30, 1991 in Rapid City at a service officiated by the late Bishop Ford. As a Bishop, he is one of approximately 175 other Church of God in Christ bishops and is a member of the COGIC Board of Bishops. This Board helps to govern the operations of the Church of God in Christ denomination and meets during the Annual Holy Convocation, other National Conventions as well as during the Bishops’ Annual Leadership Conferences.

Since becoming Bishop of the State of South Dakota, besides the headquarter church, Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, four other new churches have been established in the State of South Dakota as follows: Springs of Living Water Church of God in Christ, Hot Springs, SD, where Elder Richard Rupp (succeeded by Elder Lawrence Martin) were the pastors; New Hope Community Church of God in Christ, Box Elder, SD, where the late, Superintendent Ernest Stephens, was the pastor; Grace Deliverance Church of God in Christ, Sioux Falls, SD, where Elder Paul Robinson was the pastor; All three of those churches have closed due to membership and/or financial problems. In May 2000, Elder Bobbie Smith moved his family to Sioux Falls, SD from Rapid City and began The House of Prayer Church of God in Christ. The Smiths labored with the establishment of the church through mid-year of 2007. They eventually decided to move away and relocated to Florida and are working in ministry in the Crestview, Florida area. At the time of the Smith’s move, Elder Samuel Allen and his wife, Jodie, were relocating to Brookings, South Dakota to continue their college education. They immediately stepped in and continued the House of Prayer ministry and went through tremendous trials and tribulations. However, they have held on and, this year, under the leading of the Lord changed the name of the church to Life Abundant Church of God in Christ. These two young people are doing a fine job of winning souls to Christ.

The work of starting a church and a jurisdiction has been challenging to say the least! South Dakota seemingly is a difficult state for successfully establishing and continuing churches, however, the Lord encourages the Kelly’s to diligently continue His work in this State. The realization of in whom and where their trust lies, has continued to sustain Bishop and Sister Kelly. Through it all, they have continued to hold on to the hand of Jesus Christ as He has proven Himself over and over again. He is also taking the church into a higher spiritual realm as the Coming of Jesus Our Lord draws nigh. As we near the year 2011, Bishop Kelly is expectantly looking forward to greater church growth as well as South Dakota Jurisdiction churches development and growth. He is hoping for the saints of the Most High God to be well equipped for service to the Lord in the years ahead. Their current church membership consists of a multi-racial/multi-cultural congregation with Whites, Blacks, Native American Indians, and several other races worshiping God in unity and strength. The church is well respected and has become a strong outreach in the Rapid City community. Bishop Kelly is known and respected by the Governor, the Mayor, Judges, Attorneys, Pastors and people in general of this small town. There is less than 1% of a black population in the State of South Dakota so membership in our churches is dependent upon outreach to and participation of all races. Bishop Kelly's most recent recognition was to be selected, by Chief Judge Karen E. Schreier to a Merit Selection Panel consisting of six other people including three attorneys, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and an Assistant Federal Public Defender. The purpose of the panel is for the Reappointment of a Magistrate Judge. God's FAVOR keeps pouring down upon this humble servant and the humble servant continues praising and worshiping the LORD!

Bishop Kelly was featured on the cover of the BLACK HILLS FACES Magazine Winter 2010 issue with an eight page article including historic and current photos. The article "A Vibrant Faith Bishop Lorenzo Kelly" was written by Editor/Owner Beth Palmer of Rapid City. Additionally, a brief article and full page photo spread was included in the Summer 2010 of the BLACK HILLS FACES Magazine.
Bishop Kelly is frequently invited as a guest Evangelist/Preacher to churches across America as well as to foreign countries. God uses him tremendously in the five-fold ministry as described in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. He was also the Chaplain for the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City for close to twenty years serving male and female inmate. Additionally, both he and his wife taught life-changing classes, “Maximized Manhood” and "Becoming a Woman of Excellence" for the inmates on a weekly basis for a number of years.

To The Union of Lorenzo L. and Evelyn A Kelly was Born Three Beautiful Sons: Thomas; Scott; and, Loren, and they are blessed to have daughter, Shelly, who is married to Scott. Scott and Shelly’s marriage have given them three awesome granddaughters – Mikaela, Aleah, and Jahnaya. They are blessed, also, with daughter, Cara, Loren’s wife and they have two beautiful daughters – Beatriz and Grace. Their sons, after growing up in Rapid City, moved away to attend college. They all presently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota except the firstborn son, Thomas, who passed away on February 2, 2008 from a brain aneurysm. This leaves Bishop and Sister Kelly with no biological family members living in South Dakota. Therefore, it became necessary, therefore, that our church and jurisdictional families became our own family. Over the years, the Kelly’s have opened their home to many children who called them “mom” and “dad". It is impossible to number those whose lives have been influenced by this couple. Many sons of this ministry have gone on to become ministers, elders, pastors and even a bishop in another denomination. Some of these sons have founded churches on foreign fields as well as in America and are strong, successful men of God. Many of the ladies, who accepted the Lord here in this ministry, are powerful and anointed evangelists serving in churches across the world. Because this is a tourist community, and because many of our members were military families based out of Ellsworth Air Force Base, the Word of God has been taken from South Dakota and carried all around the world. The Word of God exhorts us that, “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Job 8:7

About the Pastor

BISHOPLORENZO L. KELLY

Jurisdictional Prelate

Church of God in Christ
Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
State of South Dakota

Bishop Kelly's Email