Richard B. Wilke (June 18, 1930 – April 20, 2025) was an American Methodist bishop and writer.

Life and career

Wilke served as District Superintendent of the Winfield District in the Kansas Conference from 1971 to 1973. He was elected to the episcopacy of the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

in 1984, and served 12 years in the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

area. Wilke served as the ministry in local churches, including United Methodist Churches in

Scandia, Kansas Scandia is a city in Republic County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 344. History The first American flag to be flown in what is now Kansas was raised in 1806 near the area of Scandia. The are ...

, Pleasant Valley in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, University United Methodist in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1858 ...

, and the First United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas. Wilke introduced

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

when she addressed the 1996 General Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 2005, Wilke was recognized by

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

for ''Distinction in Ordained Ministry'' Wilke died on April 20, 2025, at the age of 94.

Publications

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References

External links

Biography on The Institute for Discipleship website

DISCIPLE Bible Study Information

The dedication of the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College (Winfield, Kansas)
1930 births 2025 deaths United Methodist Church {{Methodism-bishop-stub