Bishop Richard B. Wilke created The DISCIPLE Bible Study with his wife, Julia. This training for Christian leaders has been completed by nearly two million graduates in more than 10,000 congregations and 30 denominations. The DISCIPLE series is now available in German, Korean, Spanish, and Chinese.
Bishop Wilke introduced Hillary Clinton when she addressed the 1996 General Conference of the United Methodist Church. [5]
Bishop Wilke was recognized in 2005 by Yale Divinity School for Distinction in Ordained Ministry [6]
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, by union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England, as well as the Great Awakening in the United States. As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It embraces liturgical worship, holiness, and evangelical elements.
The Methodist Protestant Church (MPC) is a Methodist denomination of Christianity that is based in the United States. It was formed in 1828 by former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, being Wesleyan in doctrine and worship, but adopting congregational governance.
William Henry Willimon is a retired American theologian and bishop in the United Methodist Church who served the North Alabama Conference for eight years. He is Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Duke Divinity School. He is former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University and is considered by many as one of America's best-known and most influential preachers. A Pulpit & Pew Research on Pastoral Leadership survey determined that he was one of the two most frequently read writers by pastors in mainline Protestantism alongside the Roman Catholic writer Henri Nouwen. His books have sold over a million copies. He is also Editor-At-Large of The Christian Century. His 2019 memoir Accidental Preacher was released to wide acclaim, described by Justo L. Gonzalez as "An exceptional example of theology at its best."
Paul Elliott Martin was an American bishop of the Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, elected in 1944. He also distinguished himself as a Methodist pastor and district superintendent, as well as by notable service to his denomination.
Kenneth Lee Carder is a retired American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1992. Carder distinguished himself as a pastor, a member of Annual Conference and General U.M. agencies, a bishop, seminary professor, and an author.
Roy Clyde Clark was an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1980.
Scott Jameson Jones is an American bishop of the Global Methodist Church and former bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 2004, serving until his retirement and subsequent resignation from the episcopal office and transfer to the GMC in 2023. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Illinois, Indiana and Colorado.
Bruce P. Blake is a retired American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1988.
William Clyde Martin was a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church. He distinguished himself in military service during World War I as a Methodist pastor and held ecumenical ministries with the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.
Richard J. Wills Jr is a bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 2004.
Beverly J. Shamana was a bishop in The United Methodist Church, elected and consecrated to the Episcopacy in 2000. She was the second African American woman elevated to the position of bishop within the United Methodist Church.
Mary Ann Swenson is an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1992.
Kathleen Baskin-Ball was an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. She was ordained as deacon and probationary member of the North Texas Conference in 1983 and as elder and full member of the North Texas Conference in 1988. She received national recognition for her preaching, especially to youth. She was a keynote speaker at Youth2007, the international youth conference of the UMC. She was also recognized regionally as the first female minister in North Texas to demonstrate high membership and worship attendance growth while serving as senior pastor of a large church. She had a notable career record of growth in membership, worship attendance, and people joining by profession of faith. Baskin-Ball died on December 2, 2008, after two years' illness with cancer.
Methodist viewpoints concerning homosexuality are diverse because there is no one denomination which represents all Methodists. The World Methodist Council, which represents most Methodist denominations, has no official statements regarding sexuality. Various Methodist denominations themselves take different stances on the issue of homosexuality, with many denominations holding homosexual practice to be sinful, while other denominations ordain LGBT clergy and marry same-sex couples. The positions of the various Methodist denominations around the globe are outlined in this article.
James W. Moore (1938–2019) was a bestselling author of over 40 books, Abingdon Press' top selling author. He was a preacher and pastor, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. He served as Senior Pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church –Houston from 1984 to 2006. In 2006, after 50 years of active ministry, he retired from full-time ministry in the Texas Conference of the UMC and moved to the Dallas area. At the time of his death, he was serving as Minister in Residence at Highland Park United Methodist Church.
The North Texas Conference is an Annual Conference. This conference encompasses a triangle-shaped northern portion of the state of Texas that spans from Dallas to Wichita Falls to Paris. The conference includes a small geographic area relative to most annual conferences. The North Texas Conference comprises 301 churches, 141,827 members, 4 districts and 20 counties.
B. Michael Watson is a bishop of The United Methodist Church, elected in 2000. He served as resident bishop of the North Georgia Annual Conference, which comprises 1,000 churches, more than 1,500 clergy members, and more than 320,000 lay members. He retired in 2016 and currently serves as ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops.
Rev. Dr. Michael J. Coyner is a bishop in the United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant Christian denomination in the United States.
John G. Innis is a Liberian educator, author and clergyman. He is the current Bishop of the Liberia Area of the United Methodist Church. Prior to his ascendancy as Bishop, He served as a pastor, a teacher, Administrative Assistant to the Bishop of the Liberia Area, Lecturer at the Gbarnga School of Theology, and Executive Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church.
Glenn M. Wagner is an American United Methodist pastor and author. Throughout his 40-year pastoral career, Wagner served congregations in four states and two countries, most notably in Freeport and Harvard, Illinois and North Muskegon, Holt, and Grand Haven, Michigan. Wagner announced his retirement from the United Methodist Church of the Dunes in Grand Haven in October 2016.
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