Marshall Gilmore (born January 4, 1931) is an American bishop, the 41st

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (C.M.E.C.) is a Methodist denomination that is based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology. Though historically a part of the black church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal church ...

. His office and residence are in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Biography

Gilmore was born in

Hoffman, North Carolina Hoffman is a town in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 588 at the 2010 census. It was named for a family of settlers. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all ...

on January 4, 1931. From infancy, his early

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

nurture was within the bosom of the Pleasant Hill CME Church family. Gilmore graduated from the West Southern Pines High School in North Carolina in 1949, following which he entered military service, serving honorably in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

from 1950 to 1954. Upon his hearing and answering the call to preach, his home

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

granted license on January 2, 1954 – two days short of his 23rd birthday. The

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Annual Conference admitted him on trial in 1955, and in the same year, Bishop

William Yancy Bell William Yancy Bell (or William Yancey Bell) (February 23, 1887 – April 10, 1962) received a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1924 was a sometime follower of Marcus Garvey and became a bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church . At Yal ...

ordained him deacon. The following year Bishop Bell ordained him elder. He matriculated at

Paine College Paine College is a private, historically black Methodist college in Augusta, Georgia. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Paine College offers undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts, ...

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, in 1954 and was graduated with a BA degree in 1957. He studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey, United States. It has a wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three schools. While affiliated with the Methodism, Me ...

, being awarded the M.Div. degree in 1960. He earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from the

United Theological Seminary United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio. Founded in 1871 by Milton Wright, the father of the Wright brothers, it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 1946, members o ...

in 1974. Gilmore was awarded the

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 ...

degree from Texas College and the Interdenominational Theological Center, and his alma mater, Paine College, bestowed upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws and Letters. It was from distinguished and effective service in the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

al ministry that Gilmore was elected to the episcopacy in 1982 – the senior in the largest episcopal class elected in the history of the church. That service carried him to pastoral appointments in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, and

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. His last pastoral service was at the Phillips Temple CME Church of

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, where he led the congregation in building a new edifice for which the mortgage was also liquidated. As a bishop, Marshall Gilmore served as chair of the Department of

Evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

, and presently serves as chair of the Department of Personnel Services. He is also vice-chair of the General Connectional Board and is the representative of the CME Church on the Consultation on Church Union. He is also the chair of the

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of Texas College, and a member of the board of trustees at Paine College. He was married to the former Yvonne Dukes, a native of

Fitzgerald, Georgia Fitzgerald is a city in and the county seat of Ben Hill County, Georgia, Ben Hill County in the south central portion of the United States, U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of 2020, its population was 9,006. It is the principal cit ...

, and he is the father of two adult children. At the 1994 General Conference, Gilmore was assigned the presiding bishop of the 8th Episcopal District.

References

External links

CME page
1931 births Living people American Methodist bishops Drew University alumni Interdenominational Theological Center alumni Paine College alumni Texas College alumni United Theological Seminary alumni {{Methodism-bishop-stub