WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bishop Carlton Printess Minnick, a retired Bishop of The United Methodist Church, who served from 1980-1996, died May 8. He also served as President of the Council in 1993.
Bishop Carlton P. Minnick
Council of Bishops Photo
He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and when he was a young boy his family moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he attended the public schools. After a year in the School of Engineering at the University of Virginia and a year of marine engineering at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, he was employed as an engineer for Appalachian Power Company in Lynchburg.
At the age of 23 he felt called by God to ordained ministry and set out to complete his education. He earned the B.A. degree, cum laude, from Lynchburg College and the B.D. and Th.M. degrees from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He was ordained deacon and elder by Bishop Paul N. Garber and became a member of the Virginia Annual Conference.
C.P., as he was fondly known, served two student pastorates and five full-time pastoral appointments in the Virginia Conference. While serving as pastor of the St. James United Methodist Church in Ferrum, Virginia, he was also Chaplain and Professor of Bible at Ferrum College.
He was elected clergy leader of the Virginia Conference delegation to the General Conferences of 1976 and 1980. He had completed two years as District Superintendent of the Alexandria District at the time of his election to the episcopacy.
He was elected to the episcopacy at the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference in 1980. He was assigned to the Jackson Area in Mississippi in 1980 and was assigned to the Raleigh Area in 1984.
Prior to his election he served on the General Council on Finance and Administration. He has served as an episcopal member of the General Board of Church and Society and the General Board of Global Ministries. During the 1988-1992 quadrennium he was President of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
After his retirement in 1996, Bishop Minnick served for ten years as Bishop-in-Residence at Duke Divinity School. He taught classes and was a spiritual mentor to the students. He retired from that ministry on April 1, 2006.
Bishop Minnick was married to his beloved Mary Ann for 66 years before her death in 2013. They had four children: Ann Minnick Wheeler (husband,Thomas Underwood), Gregory Minnick, Patte Martin (husband, Tim), and Jay Minnick (wife, Allana). They had nine grandchildren: Amanda Wheeler Singer (husband, Jon), Christopher Wheeler (wife, Ankita), Savannah Wheeler, Wesley Martin Uthus (husband Brandt), Allie Martin Pieper (husband, Blake), Jonathan Minnick, Micah Minnick Rocha (husband, Eduardo), Harper Minnick, and Molly Minnick; and five great-grandsons: Benjamin Singer, Caleb Singer, Jack Uthus, Archer Uthus, and Burke Uthus. His family was the great joy of his life.
Bishop Minnick was a man of deep faith and an advocate for social justice causes. He was an open-minded thinker and worked throughout his ministry to promote inclusion within the UMC. He was an early and courageous proponent of racial equality, women’s rights, and inclusion of LGBTQA+ persons in the full life of the church. He was a Biblical scholar and known for his Bible teaching. His ministry reflected a respect for all faith traditions.
Bishop Minnick and his wife, Mary Ann, had an interesting and exciting life together. They traveled extensively, both for The United Methodist Church and for pleasure. They traveled around the world and also enjoyed spending vacation time in Lake Junaluska, at the beach, and visiting family. They loved ballroom dancing, playing bridge, listening to music, and attending Broadway shows. They loved Duke athletics, especially basketball. He had an infectious laugh, and it brought his family great happiness when they could inspire and join in that laughter.
Bishop Minnick is survived by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many cousins, nephews, and nieces. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Ann Adams Minnick, and son-in-law, Jay Wheeler.
The family is grateful for the wonderful care he received from his caregivers at Visiting Angels.
Graveside Services will be held on Wednesday, May 8th at 12 Noon at Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, VA. Memorial Services will be held on Friday, May 10th at 1:00 pm at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC (Live Stream link below). A reception will follow at churcMemorial donations can be made to Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, 4415 Pleasant Grove Church Rd, Raleigh, NC, 27613, https://www.pgumc.org or UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), https://umcmission.org/umcor
The Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga serves as communications director for the United Methodist Council of Bishops