Bishops Approve More Interim Supervision Assignments

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CORRECTED June 30, 2021

The United Methodist Council of Bishops has approved episcopal supervision recommendations for the South Central Jurisdiction in the latest changes caused by the postponement of bishops' retirements and of jurisdictional conferences at which new bishops are elected.

Ordinarily, jurisdictional conferences are held in the summer after General Conference. However, the General Conference scheduled for 2020 has been postponed twice because of the global coronavirus pandemic. With General Conference now scheduled to meet Aug. 29-Sept. 7, 2022, jurisdictional conferences have been pushed back to Nov. 2-5, 2022.

Bishops' retirements typically are effective Sept. 1 following jurisdictional conferences. However, several U.S. bishops have requested retirements to be effective by Dec. 31, leaving all U.S. jurisdictions with gaps in supervision.

In two cases, Dakotas/Minnesota Area and Chicago Area, the resident bishops there retired at the end of 2020 and moved to new posts with the Council of Bishops. Bishop Bruce Ough, former bishop of Dakotas/Minnesota, became the Council's executive secretary, and Bishop Sally Dyck became the ecumenical officer, both effective Jan. 1, 2021.

The most recent Council decision approved changes for the South Central Jurisdiction. The two bishops who have requested vocational retirement under paragraph 408.2b of The Book of Discipline effective January 1, 2022 are:

  • Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe of Northwest Texas-New Mexico Episcopal Area (New Mexico Conference and Northwest Texas Annual Conference)
  • Bishop J. Michael Lowry of the Fort Worth Episcopal Area (Central Texas Conference)

Under Paragraph ¶407 of the Book of Discipline, the Council of Bishops has authority to fill a vacancy for presidential/episcopal supervision of an episcopal area due to death, retirement (¶ 408.1, .2, .3), resignation (¶ 408.4), judicial procedure (¶ 2712), leave of absence (¶ 410.1), or medical leave (¶ 410.4).

The Council of Bishops approved Southh Central episcopal supervision:

  • Bishop James G. Nunn will supervise the Northwest Texas Conference in addition to his role as resident bishop of the Oklahoma Conference and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
  • Bishop Robert C. Schnase will supervise the New Mexico Conference in addition to his role as the resident bishop of the Rio Texas Conference.
  • Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. will supervise the Central Texas Conference in addition to his role as the resident bishop of the Great Plains Conference.

The new roles are effective January 1, 2022 and will continue until new bishops are elected in the SCJ. The SCJ Committee on Episcopacy will make the assignment of bishops once the new bishops are elected.

Supervision assignments previously approved by the Council of Bishops are:

Northeastern Jurisdiction:

  • Episcopal Areas: West Virginia Area (West Virginia Conference), Pittsburgh Area (Western Pennsylvania Conference). and Harrisburg Area (Susquehanna Conference) – Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi and Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball. 
  • Episcopal Areas: Washington Area (Baltimore-Washington Conference) and Philadelphia Area (Peninsula Delaware Conference) – Bishop LaTrelle Easterling. 
  • Episcopal Areas: New Jersey Area (Greater New Jersey Conference) and Philadelphia Area (Eastern Pennsylvania Conference) – Bishop John Schol. 
  • Upper New York Area (Upper New York Conference) – Bishop Mark Webb. 
  • Boston Area (New England Conference) – Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar. 
  • New York Area (New York Conference) – Bishop Thomas Bickerton. 

North Central Jurisdiction:

  • Bishop David Bard (Michigan) and Bishop Laurie Haller (Iowa) partner in the leadership of the Dakotas/Minnesota Area. Bishop Haller will assume primary supervisory responsibility for the Dakotas Conference, and Bishop Bard will assume primary supervisory responsibility for the Minnesota Conference. Their expanded leadership roles will continue no later than December 31, 2021 (¶409.3).
  • To serve the Northern Illinois Conference, retired Bishop John Hopkins has been assigned from January 1, 2021, until another bishop is assigned, but no later than December 31, 2021.
  • The COB Executive Committee also approved a recommendation from the NCJ College of Bishops of medical leave for Bishop Frank J. Beard effective July 1; and for Bishop Gregory Vaughn Palmer to serve as interim bishop of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference (Illinois Area) until December 31, 2021 while Bishop Beard is on medical leave. Bishop Palmer will continue to serve as resident bishop of the West Ohio Conference (Ohio West Area).

Southeastern Jurisdiction

  • Bishop Ken Carter as the resident bishop of Western North Carolina Conference (Charlotte Area), in addition to his role as resident bishop of Florida Conference (Florida Area).
  • Bishop Leonard Fairley as resident bishop of North Carolina Conference (Raleigh area), in addition to his role as resident bishop of Kentucky Conference (Louisville Area). 
  • Bishop Debbie Wallace-Padgett as resident bishop of Holston Conference (Holston Area), in addition to her role as resident bishop of North Alabama Conference (Birmingham Area).
  • Bishop David Graves as resident bishop of South Georgia Conference (South Georgia Area), in addition to his role as resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference (Alabama-West Florida Area).

Western Jurisdiction

The Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops has called a special session of the jurisdictional conference on July 17, 2021. The meeting will be held virtually from 11 AM – 5 PM Mountain Time. The purpose of this special session is to approve bishops’ requests for retirement and to determine the number of bishops to be elected at the next regular Jurisdictional Conference now scheduled for Nov. 2-5, 2022. The session also will determine bishops' assignments.

Bishop Robert Hoshibata has requested retirement. Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky withdrew her retirement request after jurisdictional conferences were postponed to 2022, saying she didn't want to add to the uncertainty her episcopal area was already facing because of the church-wide postponments. (CORRECTION: Bishop Grant Hagiya has not requested retirement, as stated in a previous version).