Thomas J. Bickerton (born July 2, 1958) is an American United Methodist bishop. Bickerton was raised in

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

and graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1980 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 ...

degree in

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

. Subsequently, he entered seminary at

Duke University Divinity School The Duke Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 re ...

, completing his

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 ...

degree in 1983. While attending seminary he served as student pastor following his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1982 as

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

. His first appointment out of seminary was to Perry Memorial United Methodist Church, in Shady Spring,

, in June 1983; he served in that location for six years. In 1985 he was ordained as an Elder by

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 ...

William Boyd Grove. In 1989, he was appointed to serve Forrest Burdette Memorial United Methodist Church in Hurricane, West Virginia, where he pastored for the ensuing nine years. While in ministry there he also earned his

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 ...

degree at United Theological Seminary,

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 ...

, completing it in 1994. In 1998, he became District Superintendent of his home area, the Northern District. In July 2004, at the Northeast Jurisdictional Conference 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 ...

held in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, he was elected and consecrated a

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

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 ...

. Assigned to the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, headquartered at

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, he relocated to serve his first quadrennium as a United Methodist Bishop. Bishop Bickerton and his family now live in

Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania Cranberry Township is a Township (Pennsylvania), township in southwestern Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 33,087 as of the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing areas of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. ...

. From 2005–2008, Bishop Bickerton also served as president of The United Methodist General Commission on Communication. He continues to serve as a member of the Commission's Executive Committee. Bishop Bickerton is married to Sally Bickerton. They have four children: Elizabeth, T.J., Ian, and Nicholas. Bishop Bickerton was part of a group that created The Protocol, which was legislation intended to provide an amicable separation for the United Methodist Church. He later removed his support for the legislation.

References

*The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Churc

*InfoServ, the official information service of The United Methodist Church.

*General Commission on Communicatio

External links

Episcopal Installation sermon
Cranberry Township, PA, Sept. 15, 2004
War on Poverty Key to Church Renewal (PDF)
Pittsburgh, PA, Nov. 2004
"Visioning for a New Day"
(Microsoft Word document)
Another Photo of Bishop Bickerton
1958 births Living people 20th-century American Methodist ministers 21st-century American Methodist ministers Duke Divinity School alumni People from Butler County, Pennsylvania People from Hurricane, West Virginia People from Raleigh County, West Virginia United Methodist bishops of the Northeastern Jurisdiction United Theological Seminary alumni West Virginia Wesleyan College alumni {{Methodism-bishop-stub

See also

References

External links