Thomas Bickerton

Last updated

Thomas J. Bickerton (born July 2, 1958) is an American United Methodist bishop. Bickerton was raised in West Virginia and graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology. Subsequently, he entered seminary at Duke University Divinity School, completing his Master of Divinity degree in 1983. While attending seminary he served as student pastor following his ordination in 1982 as Deacon. His first appointment out of seminary was to Perry Memorial United Methodist Church, in Shady Spring, West Virginia, in June 1983; he served in that location for six years. In 1985 he was ordained as an Elder by Bishop William Boyd Grove. In 1989, he was appointed to serve Forrest Burdette Memorial United Methodist Church in Hurricane, West Virginia, where he pastored for the ensuing nine years. While in ministry there he also earned his Doctor of Ministry degree at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, completing it in 1994. In 1998, he became District Superintendent of his home area, the Northern District.

Contents

In July 2004, at the Northeast Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church held in Syracuse, New York, he was elected and consecrated a bishop of the Church. Assigned to the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, headquartered at Pittsburgh, he relocated to serve his first quadrennium as a United Methodist Bishop. Bishop Bickerton and his family now live in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. From 2005–2008, Bishop Bickerton also served as president of The United Methodist General Commission on Communication. He continues to serve as a member of the Commission's Executive Committee. Bishop Bickerton is married to Sally Bickerton. They have four children: Elizabeth, T.J., Ian, and Nicholas.

Bishop Bickerton was part of a group that created The Protocol, which was legislation intended to provide an amicable separation for the United Methodist Church. [1] He later removed his support for the legislation. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania</span> Township in Pennsylvania, United States

Cranberry Township is a municipality in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The population was 33,087 as of the 2020 census. Cranberry Township is one of the fastest-growing areas of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Henry Willimon</span> American methodist bishop

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."

Robert Sheldon Duecker was an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Griswold</span> American bishop (1937–2023)

Frank Tracy Griswold III was an American clergyman who served as the 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

Gregory Vaughn Palmer is an American bishop of The United Methodist Church, elected in 2000. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Herbert Palmer, is also a United Methodist pastor.

Roy Isao Sano is a retired Japanese-American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1984.

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.

W. Maynard Sparks was an American Bishop of the Evangelical United Brethren Church (E.U.B.) and of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leontine T. Kelly</span>

Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly was an American bishop of the United Methodist Church. She was the second woman elevated to the position of bishop within the United Methodist Church, and the first African American woman.

Roy Clyde Clark was an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1980.

Edsel Albert Ammons was an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1976.

Edward Gonzalez Carroll was an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1972.

Leroy Charles Hodapp distinguished himself as a Methodist pastor, district superintendent, Annual Conference official, and bishop of the United Methodist Church (U.M.C.) who was elected in 1976.

Peter D. Weaver is a retired bishop of The United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Theological Seminary</span> Methodist seminary in Ohio, United States

Lloyd Christ Wicke (1901–1996) was an American bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, elected in 1948. When he died in 1996 he was the oldest of the 117 active and retired United Methodist Bishops at that time, as well as the last one elected during the decade of the 1940s.

Raymond LeRoy Archer, was an American bishop of The Methodist Church. He was elected in 1950.

The Rev. Dr. Larry D. Pickens is a graduate of North Park University and holds a master of theology degree and master of divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, a doctorate in ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary, and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law. Larry is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches. Larry is the former general secretary of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of the United Methodist Church. During his tenure as the ecumenical staff officer these significant events took place. Pickens served as the Ecumenical Director of The Lehigh Conference of Churches in Allentown, Pennsylvania from 2014-20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Episcopal Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Reformed Episcopal Seminary is a private seminary in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1887 as the first seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred W. Gwinn</span>

Alfred Wesley Gwinn, Jr. is a former residing bishop of the North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He held the office of Bishop of North Carolina from 2004 to 2012. His offices were located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

References

  1. ↑ "NY Bishop Thomas Bickerton and Other Denominational Leaders Craft Proposal to Preserve the United Methodist Church".
  2. ↑ https://www.protocolresponse.com/


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.