Our Bishops

Paul Mar Gregory Schell is the founding and presiding Archbishop and Patriarch of the Christian Orthodox Church of America (COCOA)—a worldwide communion of convergent, Spirit-filled, and sacramentally grounded churches.

In the late 1990s, Mar Joseph “Mar Narsai” Vredenburgh, a patriarch and visionary leader within the American St. Thomas Christian tradition, laid hands on ++Archbishop Gregory Schell, imparting apostolic succession and empowering him to plant a new expression of ancient-future orthodoxy in North America. This moment marked the spiritual birth of what would become the Christian Orthodox Church of America.

Following the passing of Mar Narsai, ++Archbishop Gregory Schell was duly recognized as his successor and Patriarch of the movement, continuing the lineage of sacramental authority, evangelical mission, and Pentecostal vitality that defined Mar Narsai’s legacy.

++Archbishop Gregory has planted churches across the United States, including in Texas, Las Vegas (NV), Rome (PA), Portland (OR), Detroit (MI), Knoxville (TN), and multiple parishes in Colorado. As a conference speaker, bishop to bishops, and prolific teacher, he has ministered across the globe—in South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, Swaziland, England, Germany, and throughout the United States—bringing a message of divine identity and Kingdom transformation to many nations and cultures.

His prophetic teaching centers on Kingdom responsibility, spiritual accountability, and the call to manifest the love, mercy, and compassion of Christ in a broken world.

As Patriarch, ++Archbishop Gregory Schell currently oversees the International House of Bishops within COCOA and continues to provide visionary leadership to a growing communion of churches. He is also deeply committed to ecumenical dialogue, building bridges of unity with other expressions of the Christian faith while remaining firmly rooted in the apostolic tradition entrusted to him.

+Bishop Anthony Watson began his ministry journey in 1999 following a life-changing encounter with a local church in Knoxville, Tennessee. He soon entered the Ministerial Internship Program with the Church of God International before relocating to Denver, Colorado, in 2000 to be mentored by ++Archbishop P. Gregory Schell. This formative mentorship laid the foundation for his ecclesial calling and development.
He was ordained a deacon in 2005 and to the priesthood in the fall of 2006. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed Proto-Priest of the Christian Orthodox Church of America. In 2024, he was consecrated as a bishop in the Christian Orthodox Church of America, continuing his commitment to convergence ministry—where the historic, evangelical, Pentecostal, and sacramental streams of Christianity unite.
+Bishop Anthony currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Saint Isaac of Nineveh Parish, the cathedral seat of the Christian Orthodox Church of America, in Arvada, Colorado. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from Colorado Christian University and a master’s degree in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. He resides in Broomfield with his wife, Katy, and their two sons.