Eugene Maxwell Frank
Encyclopedia
Eugene Maxwell Frank was an American Bishop
of the Methodist and United Methodist Church
es, elected in 1956. He was notable for his passion for racial equality
in the Church and beyond. He also distinguished himself as a pastor
, as both the youngest Methodist bishop and as the most senior United Methodist bishop, and as the one person more than any other responsible for the establishment of the Saint Paul School of Theology
in Kansas City, MO.
, Frank earned a bachelor's degree
from Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg in 1930. He earned his Bachelor of Divinity
degree in 1932 from the Garrett Bible Institute, Evanston, Illinois
. He was ordained a Deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church
in 1932, and an Elder in 1933.
As a pastor, Frank served congregations throughout eastern Kansas
. He served the First Methodist Church
of Topeka for the eight years previous to his episcopal election. While at Topeka, his sermons were broadcast
each Sunday and he wrote a weekly column
for the Topeka Daily Capital newspaper. He was also a featured preacher
on the nationally broadcast, Peabody Award
winning The Protestant Hour radio program.
of the Methodist Church, Frank led efforts to gain approval to establish a new seminary in Kansas City. Due to a shortage of Methodist clergy in the Midwest and Plains
states, this location was selected. When classes began in 1959, Frank was chair of the School's Board of Trustees, continuing in that role until 1972. Former St. Paul President, the Rev. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., said "More than any one person, Bishop Frank is responsible for both the establishment of Saint Paul and setting its direction as a place for all God's people to prepare to lead." Frank was still listed as a Trustee
of the school at the time of his death.
in 2008, Frank became the oldest bishop in the United Methodist Church. Frank was also the last Bishop to die of those elected in 1956 or before.
Upon his election, Frank served as Resident Bishop of the Missouri
Episcopal Area
(1956–72) and of the Arkansas
Area from 1972 until his retirement in 1976. Following retirement, he spent three years on the faculty of the Candler School of Theology
at Emory University
in Atlanta, Georgia
. In 1980 he returned to Missouri
to serve as Bishop-in-Residence at the Central United Methodist Church
(until 1988). Frank also held the distinction of the first President of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church.
Frank served 12 years on the Executive Committee
of the World Methodist Council
. He led the Commission on Public Relations and Methodist Information (a predecessor of the present United Methodist Communications). He also served on the General Board of Education and the General Committee on Family Life.
with the two predominantly white annual (regional) conferences in the State. He also witnessed the dissolution of the former African-American Central Jurisdiction, which accompanied the 1968 uniting of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist Churches. He saw this as evidence of a new Church that was forming. Emphases on race relations, increasing ministry in urban settings, and youth ministry, he said, indicated the new church had turned to encounter the realities of her mission.
His family recalled at his Memorial Service how hard Frank worked for racial justice. He formed the Metropolitan Planning Commission in Kansas City
to address racial equality, human rights and needs. As a result, an urban ministry program was developed that crossed all racial lines.
Indeed, even late in retirement
, Frank continued to speak on social issues
. In November 2005, for example, he was among 96 U.M. Bishops who signed "A Call to Repentance and Peace with Justice" opposing the war in Iraq. In his final column in the Missouri Methodist newspaper (June 1972), he wrote, "War will never again be a way to settle arguments between nations."
Retired Bishop Fritz Mutti
described Frank as "always unassuming, displaying great humility
... He always worked to 'hold the church together.' I value his sense that, as he would put it, 'effective leadership
came from the way you related.'"
and Susan and Mark Parsons of Ashbourne, Derbyshire
in the U.K.; by a daughter, Gretchen Frank Beal of Knoxville, Tennessee
, and son and daughter-in-law, Thomas E. Frank and Gail O'Day of Atlanta. Seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren also survived him.
A memorial service was held at 11:00 a.m. on October 17, 2009 at the Central United Methodist Church of Kansas City. A private burial
was held October 16 in Pittsburg, Kansas
. In lieu of flowers, the family requested memorial contributions be made to the Eugene and Wilma Frank Scholarship Funds at either Saint Paul School of Theology or Candler School of Theology.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist and United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
es, elected in 1956. He was notable for his passion for racial equality
Racial equality
Racial equality means different things in different contexts. It mostly deals with an equal regard to all races.It can refer to a belief in biological equality of all human races....
in the Church and beyond. He also distinguished himself as a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, as both the youngest Methodist bishop and as the most senior United Methodist bishop, and as the one person more than any other responsible for the establishment of the Saint Paul School of Theology
Saint Paul School of Theology
Saint Paul School of Theology is a school of higher learning in Kansas City, Missouri and is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. In addition to the downtown Kansas City campus, Saint Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University began offering courses in September 2008...
in Kansas City, MO.
Early ministry, education and ordination
Born December 11, 1907 in Cherryvale, KansasCherryvale, Kansas
Cherryvale is a city in Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. The population was 2,386 at the 2000 census.-History:Cherryvale was founded on the land of the Osage Indians who were pushed out by veterans of the American Civil War looking for land. The first white man to purchase property and...
, Frank earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg in 1930. He earned his Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree in 1932 from the Garrett Bible Institute, Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. He was ordained a Deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
in 1932, and an Elder in 1933.
As a pastor, Frank served congregations throughout eastern Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He served the First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church or variations with Building may refer to:in the United States* First Methodist Church , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Lafayette County, Arkansas...
of Topeka for the eight years previous to his episcopal election. While at Topeka, his sermons were broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
each Sunday and he wrote a weekly column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
for the Topeka Daily Capital newspaper. He was also a featured preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
on the nationally broadcast, Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
winning The Protestant Hour radio program.
Saint Paul School of Theology
As a delegate to the 1956 General ConferenceGeneral conference (United Methodist Church)
The General Conference of The United Methodist Church is the denomination's top legislative body for all matters affecting the United Methodist connection...
of the Methodist Church, Frank led efforts to gain approval to establish a new seminary in Kansas City. Due to a shortage of Methodist clergy in the Midwest and Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
states, this location was selected. When classes began in 1959, Frank was chair of the School's Board of Trustees, continuing in that role until 1972. Former St. Paul President, the Rev. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., said "More than any one person, Bishop Frank is responsible for both the establishment of Saint Paul and setting its direction as a place for all God's people to prepare to lead." Frank was still listed as a Trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the school at the time of his death.
Episcopal election and ministry
The Frank was elected to the episcopacy at the 1956 General Conference of the Methodist Church. He was at the time the youngest bishop in the denomination. Following the death of Bishop Ralph Edward DodgeRalph Edward Dodge
Ralph Edward Dodge was an American Bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, elected in 1956. He was the youngest of four children of Ernest and Lizzie Longshore Dodge of Dickinson County, Iowa....
in 2008, Frank became the oldest bishop in the United Methodist Church. Frank was also the last Bishop to die of those elected in 1956 or before.
Upon his election, Frank served as Resident Bishop of the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Episcopal Area
Episcopal Area
An Episcopal Area in the United Methodist Church is a basic unit of this denomination. It is a region presided over by a resident bishop that is similar to a diocese in other Christian denominations. Each annual conference in the UMC is within a single episcopal area; some episcopal areas...
(1956–72) and of the Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Area from 1972 until his retirement in 1976. Following retirement, he spent three years on the faculty of the Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...
at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. In 1980 he returned to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to serve as Bishop-in-Residence at the Central United Methodist Church
Central United Methodist Church
Central United Methodist Church may refer to:in the Philippines* Central United Methodist Church in the United States* Central United Methodist Church , listed on the NRHP in Michigan...
(until 1988). Frank also held the distinction of the first President of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church.
Frank served 12 years on the Executive Committee
Executive Committee
Executive Committee may refer to:* The Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland, a government body in the United Kingdom 1921–1972* The Northern Ireland Executive, a government body in the United Kingdom...
of the World Methodist Council
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...
. He led the Commission on Public Relations and Methodist Information (a predecessor of the present United Methodist Communications). He also served on the General Board of Education and the General Committee on Family Life.
Racial equality
Frank was renowned for his passion for racial equality. During his tenure as Bishop in Missouri, he oversaw the merger of the former African-American Southwest Missouri Annual ConferenceAnnual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
with the two predominantly white annual (regional) conferences in the State. He also witnessed the dissolution of the former African-American Central Jurisdiction, which accompanied the 1968 uniting of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist Churches. He saw this as evidence of a new Church that was forming. Emphases on race relations, increasing ministry in urban settings, and youth ministry, he said, indicated the new church had turned to encounter the realities of her mission.
His family recalled at his Memorial Service how hard Frank worked for racial justice. He formed the Metropolitan Planning Commission in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
to address racial equality, human rights and needs. As a result, an urban ministry program was developed that crossed all racial lines.
Indeed, even late in retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
, Frank continued to speak on social issues
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
. In November 2005, for example, he was among 96 U.M. Bishops who signed "A Call to Repentance and Peace with Justice" opposing the war in Iraq. In his final column in the Missouri Methodist newspaper (June 1972), he wrote, "War will never again be a way to settle arguments between nations."
Retired Bishop Fritz Mutti
Albert Frederick Mutti
Albert Frederick "Fritz" Mutti, III is a retired American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1992.-Birth and Family:...
described Frank as "always unassuming, displaying great humility
Humility
Humility is the quality of being modest, and respectful. Humility, in various interpretations, is widely seen as a virtue in many religious and philosophical traditions, being connected with notions of transcendent unity with the universe or the divine, and of egolessness.-Term:The term "humility"...
... He always worked to 'hold the church together.' I value his sense that, as he would put it, 'effective leadership
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
came from the way you related.'"
Death and funeral
Frank died October 13, 2009 at the Kingswood Manor in Kansas City, Missouri. He was 101 years old. He was survived by his daughters and sons-in-law Wilmagene and Lewis Noonan of Leawood, KansasLeawood, Kansas
Leawood is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The city is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 31,867.-History:...
and Susan and Mark Parsons of Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
in the U.K.; by a daughter, Gretchen Frank Beal of Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, and son and daughter-in-law, Thomas E. Frank and Gail O'Day of Atlanta. Seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren also survived him.
A memorial service was held at 11:00 a.m. on October 17, 2009 at the Central United Methodist Church of Kansas City. A private burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
was held October 16 in Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
. In lieu of flowers, the family requested memorial contributions be made to the Eugene and Wilma Frank Scholarship Funds at either Saint Paul School of Theology or Candler School of Theology.