ON THE ROAD
INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP ROBIN DEASE Robin Dease (MDiv ’98, DMin ’10) is something of a reluctant bishop. It’s not that she is uninterested in the work: Dease is a woman of many passions, including fashion, food, gardening, and riding her motorcycle in addition to her deep commitment to Christ and the church. And it’s certainly not for lack of education or experience: Dease earned both her Master of Divinity and her Doctor of Ministry from Wesley, and she has experience in executive leadership both inside the church and out. Once she completed her doctorate, she served her alma mater, Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, as a professor and chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy. And after years of congregational leadership, she spent eight years as a District Superintendent in the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. By all accounts, Dease is abundantly equipped and prepared to be a bishop. It’s just that she wasn’t expecting to become a bishop now. When she was elected to the episcopacy last fall, Dease had just begun an appointment at St. Andrew by-the-Sea UMC in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and was happily finding a pastoral groove again after serving 8 years on the Cabinet. Her years as a District Superintendent had been challenging, and she was relishing the return to congregational ministry. She was, she says, having
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| CALLING • THE MAGAZINE OF WESLEY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
fun getting to be with people, learning the community, and encouraging and empowering a congregation to be active in mission. Life was good. But God and the church had other plans for her. When the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church found itself mired in a seemingly unending episcopal election process last fall at Lake Junaluska, Dease started getting calls. Folks wanted to add her name to the ballot. They believed she would be a good bishop, and they also believed that her candidacy might break through the gridlock of the voting process. Dease demurred at first: her conference had already endorsed and put forward a great, qualified candidate, and she herself was finally back in the pulpit, doing what she loved in congregational community. But her colleagues were insistent, so she gave the required 10-minute speech. She was intentionally clear and honest about where she stood on hot-button issues, sure that her transparency would scare folks away. And then she removed herself from the ballot. But the gridlock persisted. Colleagues nominated Dease a second time, from the floor. This time, she couldn’t say no. The South Carolina delegation gathered around Dease and their endorsed candidate, Rev. Ken Nelson, for a time of emotional prayer. When the final results were tallied, Robin Dease had been elected the newest bishop of the United Methodist Church. The auditorium at Lake Junaluska erupted into applause. Dease made her way to the microphone and offered her gratitude through tears. “I will continue to lead with integrity,” she said, not entirely sure whether this new appointment would be a blessing or a curse. Today, Dease serves as the first Black woman bishop of the North Georgia