Judith Craig
Encyclopedia
Judith Craig is a retired American Bishop
of The United Methodist Church
, whose primary field of service was the U.S.
.
Elected bishop in 1984, she was born on 5 June 1937 in Lexington, Missouri
.
) from William Jewell College
. She completed an M.Div.
degree at Eden Theological Seminary
in 1961, and an M.A.
in Christian Education from Union Theological Seminary
in New York City, New York in 1968.
. She was appointed Minister of Religious Education (later Associate Minister) of the Epworth-Euclid U.M. Church
(1972-76). From 1976 to 1980 Craig was the Pastor of the Pleasant Hills U.M.Church. In 1980 Craig was appointed the Director of the East Ohio Conference Council on Ministries.
Craig was elected a delegate to the 1980 and 1984 General and North Central Jurisdictional Conferences of The U.M. Church, in 1980 also serving as the Secretary of the Legislative Committee on Higher Education and Ministry of the General Conference.
As a Bishop, Craig served on The United Methodist General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (1984-88), the U.M. General Council on Ministries (1988-92), and the General Board of Publication. Bishop Craig received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1979, another from Adrian College in 1985, a Doctor of Divinity degree from Otterbein College in 1994, and another D.D. from Lebanon Valley College (also 1994). In 1996 she was honored to be selected by her colleagues on the U.M. Council of Bishops to deliver the Episcopal Address at General Conference.
In retirement, Bishop Craig has served as the Bishop in Residence and a Visiting Professor of Leadership at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio
.
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 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...
, whose primary field of service was the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Elected bishop in 1984, she was born on 5 June 1937 in Lexington, Missouri
Lexington, Missouri
Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies about 40 miles east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
.
Education
She graduated (B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
) from William Jewell College
William Jewell College
William Jewell College is a private, four-year liberal arts college of 1,100 undergraduate students located in Liberty, Missouri, U.S. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders, including Robert S. James, a Baptist minister and father of the...
. She completed an M.Div.
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree at Eden Theological Seminary
Eden Theological Seminary
Eden Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ in Webster Groves, Missouri, near St. Louis, Missouri.The seminary was established in 1850 by German pastors in what was then the American frontier. The pastors soon formed the German Evangelical Synod of North America. This,...
in 1961, and an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Christian Education from Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York City, New York in 1968.
Ordained Ministry
Craig was ordained to the ministry of The United Methodist Church, at the East Ohio Annual Conference, as a Deacon in 1972, and an Elder in 1974, both ordinations by Bishop Francis Enmer KearnsFrancis Enmer Kearns
Francis Enmer Kearns distinguished himself as a Methodist pastor, a professor of English, a member of denominational boards and agencies, a bluegrass musician, a Bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church , and a Visiting Professor of a United Methodist Theological Seminary...
. She was appointed Minister of Religious Education (later Associate Minister) of the Epworth-Euclid U.M. 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...
(1972-76). From 1976 to 1980 Craig was the Pastor of the Pleasant Hills U.M.Church. In 1980 Craig was appointed the Director of the East Ohio Conference Council on Ministries.
Craig was elected a delegate to the 1980 and 1984 General and North Central Jurisdictional Conferences of The U.M. Church, in 1980 also serving as the Secretary of the Legislative Committee on Higher Education and Ministry of the General Conference.
Episcopal Ministry
The North Central Jurisdictional Conference elected Craig a Bishop in 1984.She was assigned to the Michigan Area, 1984-92.In 1992 she was assigned the Ohio West Area, from which she retired in 2000.As a Bishop, Craig served on The United Methodist General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (1984-88), the U.M. General Council on Ministries (1988-92), and the General Board of Publication. Bishop Craig received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1979, another from Adrian College in 1985, a Doctor of Divinity degree from Otterbein College in 1994, and another D.D. from Lebanon Valley College (also 1994). In 1996 she was honored to be selected by her colleagues on the U.M. Council of Bishops to deliver the Episcopal Address at General Conference.
In retirement, Bishop Craig has served as the Bishop in Residence and a Visiting Professor of Leadership at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio
Methodist Theological School in Ohio
The Methodist Theological School in Ohio, commonly known as "Methesco", is one of the 13 official seminaries of The United Methodist Church.MTSO is a partner in the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus, along with Trinity Lutheran Seminary and the Pontifical College Josephinum...
.
Works
- The Leading Women: Stories of the First Women Bishops of the United Methodist Church (editor)