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A bishop is an ordained or appointed member in a religious institution, who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. The title is most often used in Christian churches, but is also used in some Japanese Buddhist institutions, and by the Japanese new religion Tenrikyo.
An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. It is the structure used by many of the major Christian Churches and denominations, such as the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East, Anglican, and Lutheran churches or denominations, and other churches founded independently from these lineages.
In certain Christian churches, holy orders are the ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders include the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian, Old Catholic, Independent Catholic and some Lutheran churches. Except for Lutherans and some Anglicans, these churches regard ordination as a sacrament. The Anglo-Catholic tradition within Anglicanism identifies more with the Roman Catholic position about the sacramental nature of ordination.
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.
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Scandinavian Lutheran Churches and the Anglican Church, including the Free Church of England, view the diaconate as part of the clerical state.
A pastor, is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and Anglicanism, pastors are always ordained. In Methodism, pastors may be either licensed or ordained.
The blessing of same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is an issue about which Christian churches are in ongoing disagreement. Traditionally Christianity teaches that homosexual acts are gravely sinful and that holy matrimony can only exist two persons of the opposite sex. These disagreements are primarily centered on the interpretation of various scripture passages related to homosexuality, sacred Tradition, and in some churches on varying understandings of homosexuality in terms of psychology, genetics and other scientific data. While various Church bodies have widely varying practices and teachings, individual Christians of every major tradition are involved in practical (orthopraxy) discussions about how to respond to the issue.
Robert Tsugio Hoshibata is a Bishop of The United Methodist Church (UMC), the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States. He was elected to the episcopacy in 2004. His first assignment was as Bishop of the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the UMC. He currently serves as Bishop of the Phoenix Episcopal Area, Desert Southwest Conference for the UMC.
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. British Methodism holds a variety of views, and permits ministers to bless same-gender marriages. United Methodism, which covers the United States, the Philippines, parts of Africa, and parts of Europe, concentrates on the position that the same-sex relations are incompatible with "Christian teaching", but extends ministry to persons of a homosexual orientation, holding that all individuals are of sacred worth.
The ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) clergy who are open about their sexuality, are sexually active if lesbian, gay, or bisexual, or are in committed same-sex relationships is a debated practice within some contemporary Christian Church communities.
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies such as celebrating the sacraments. The process and ceremonies of ordination varies by denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is undergoing the process of ordination is sometimes called an ordinand. The liturgy used at an ordination is sometimes referred to as an ordinal.
Methodist views on the ordination of women in the rite of holy orders are diverse.
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.
Within Christianity there are a variety of views on the issues of gender identity and transgender people. Many Christian denominations vary in their position, ranging from condemning transgender people and transitioning as sinful, to remaining divided on the issue, to seeing it as morally acceptable. Even within a denomination, individuals and groups may hold different views. Furthermore, not all members of a denomination necessarily support their church's views on transgender identities.
Sharma Lewis is an American bishop in the United Methodist Church. She was consecrated in 2016, and is the resident bishop of the Richmond, Virginia, area. She is the first African American woman to be elected as bishop in the UMC's Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
Cynthia Fierro Harvey is an American bishop in the United Methodist Church and president of its Council of Bishops. She is the first Hispanic woman to lead the Council of Bishops. Harvey is the Resident Bishop of the Louisiana area, and oversees the Louisiana Annual Conference.
References
- ↑ "Few Clergywomen Lead Largest UMCs". United Methodist Nexus. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
- ↑ "United Methodist Clergywomen Research". Glorybe.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ↑ "Get to Know Our New Women Bishops" (PDF). The Flyer. General Commission of the Status and Role of Women in the United Methodist Church. Retrieved 2007-09-08.[ dead link ]
- ↑ "United Methodist Clergywoman History". United Methodist Clergywoman. United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Archived from the original on 2004-10-16. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ↑ "First Baptist Church Decatur". First Baptist Church Decatur. First Baptist Church Decatur. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
- Presiding Bishop - About The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
- Growing Churches Led by Clergywomen
- Women clergy bring a new sensibility to an old calling, The Christian Science Monitor, July 19, 2006
- Nazarene Clergy Women: A Statistical Analysis from 1908 to 2003, Richard Houseal, USA/Canada Mission/Evangelism Department- Church of the Nazarene Headquarters, See table 4, p. 20
- ELCA Gathers 'Power-Filled Women for a Power-Filled Church, March 1, 2004
- Presbyterian Church (USA) -2003 Clergywomen's Experiences in Ministry: Realities and Challenges , 2003
