David Colin Jones (born June 20, 1943) is an American prelate who was a suffragan bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Virginia The Diocese of Virginia is the second largest diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the U.S. state Virginia. The diocese was organized in 1785 and is one of t ...

, serving from 1995 to 2012.

Early life and education

Jones was born on June 20, 1943, in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, the son of John Henry Jones and Jean Clark. He was raised in

Fairmont, West Virginia Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,313 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, eighth-most populous city in ...

. He studied at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in history in 1965. On June 5, 1965, he married Mary Kennedy Biddle and together has two children. He then enrolled for a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

at the

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...

and graduated in 1968. He also graduated with a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...

from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1991 and was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

in 1996.

Ordained ministry

Jones was ordained deacon and priest in 1968, both by the Bishop of West Virginia

Wilburn C. Campbell Wilburn Camrock Campbell (November 8, 1910 - July 29, 1997) became the fourth Diocesan bishop, Bishop of West Virginia in the Episcopal Church in the United States, after working with Bishop Robert E. L. Strider Sr., Robert E.L. Strider as coadjuto ...

. He then became vicar of St James' Church in

Lewisburg, West Virginia Lewisburg is a city in and the county seat of Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. History Lewisburg is named after Andrew Lewis (American general), Andrew Lewis. In 1751 Lewis, as a youn ...

, and served till 1972. Between 1972 and 1978 he served as rector of St Stephen's Church in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, ninth-most populous city in th ...

. In 1978 he became rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in

Burke, Virginia Burke is an unincorporated section of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, traditionally defined as the area served by the Burke post office (Zip Code 22015). Burke includes two census-designated places: the Burke CDP, population 42,312 in ...

Episcopacy

On January 27, 1995, Jones was elected Suffragan Bishop of Virginia and was consecrated on June 24, 1995, in the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...

by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning. He retained the post till his retirement in 2012.

References

*''Episcopal Clerical Directory'' 2005 Living people 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States 21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States 1943 births People from Youngstown, Ohio Religious leaders from Ohio Episcopal bishops of Virginia People from Fairmont, West Virginia Religious leaders from West Virginia People from Beckley, West Virginia {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub