George Wayne Smith (born January 29, 1955) is a bishop of the Episcopal Church. He previously served as the 10th Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Missouri The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over 54 counties in eastern Missouri. It has 42 congregations and is in Province 5. Its cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral ...

from 2002 to his retirement in 2020. He was succeeded by the 11th bishop, the Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson, on June 13, 2020. He also served as Bishop Provisional for

Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over 40 counties in southern Ohio. It is one of 15 dioceses that make up the Province of the Midwest (Province 5). The ...

from 2021 to 2024. Smith was born in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

. He was raised a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

and converted to the Episcopal Church while a student at

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

. Smith received his seminary education at

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. Smith was ordained as a

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 ...

in 1981 followed by ordination to the priesthood in 1982. Smith served congregations in both

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

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, ...

before becoming the rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, Iowa. On November 3, 2001 Smith was elected to the post of Bishop of Missouri, having been elected on third ballot. He was consecrated on March 6, 2002 as Bishop

Coadjutor The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

to Bishop Hays Rockwell and subsequently succeeded him on June 6, 2002. Smith is the 975th Bishop consecrated in the Episcopal Church. In the first years of his episcopacy, the church, both nationally and locally, struggled with issues related to sexuality. Financial adversity in those early years resulted in a reduction of diocesan staff and programs. Bishop Smith has supported the growth of the Community of Deacons within the Diocese. The Diocese has entered into a productive companion relationship with the Diocese of Lui in Sudan with clergy and lay persons involved in on-site missions there. Congregations are being called to develop mission within their communities, strengthening their three part call to prayer, community and a presence beyond the church doors. In a letter dated April 27, 2018, Smith informed the Diocese of Missouri that he intended to retire after a successor was elected, consecrated as bishop, and installed in office. He asked that the election be held during the 2019 diocesan convention, with the winner of the election being seated in April 2020. On November 23, 2019 the diocese elected Deon K. Johnson as Smith's successor. Smith was elected Provisional Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio in 2021. He served until 2024, when he was succeeded by Kristin Uffelman White.

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External links

Smith
on the

website 1955 births Living people People from Abilene, Texas Clergy from Des Moines, Iowa Episcopal bishops of Missouri Baylor University alumni Nashotah House alumni Converts to Anglicanism from Baptist denominations Episcopal bishops of Southern Ohio {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub

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