Earl Gladstone Hunt Jr. (1918–2005) was an American who distinguished himself as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

pastor and

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

, as the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

, as an author and theologian, as a bishop of The Methodist Church and the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

(elected in 1964), and as a leader in World

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

Birth and family

Earl was born September 14, 1918, in

Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. John ...

, the son of Earl Gladstone and Tommie Mae DeVault Hunt. During his 46-year career, Hunt served at all levels of the United Methodist Church, and was active in the

World Methodist Council The World Methodist Council (WMC), founded in 1881, is a consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition. It comprises 80 member denominations in 138 countries which together represent an estimated 80 million people; this ...

, as well. He was also widely respected as an

, earning the top awards given for outstanding evangelism in his denomination.

Education

Earl earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...

in 1941, and a divinity degree from the

Candler School of Theology Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates ministers, scholars of religion and other leaders. It is also one ...

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

in 1946.

Ordained ministry

Earl was ordained a deacon in the Methodist Church in 1944, and an elder the following year. He began his pastoral ministry at the Sardis Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia as a student pastor while attending Candler. Returning to his home conference, the Holston

Annual Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...

, Rev. Hunt served churches in Kingsport,

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, and Morristown, Tennessee. In 1956 he was elected president of

Emory, Virginia Emory is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,251 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a com ...

, where he served for eight years.

Episcopal ministry

He was elected bishop at the age of 46 by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the U.M. Church. He was assigned to lead the

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

Episcopal Area. During his twelve years there, he was able to appoint the first black pastor in the Southeastern Jurisdiction to serve as a district superintendent. He also organized a Lay Advisory Council. In 1976 Bishop Hunt was assigned to the Church's

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

Episcopal area. There he began his writing ministry, authoring several books on theology and evangelism. Four years later, Bishop Hunt was assigned to the Florida Episcopal Area, where he served until 1988. While in Florida, he led the denomination's Committee on Our Theological Task. This committee spent nearly eight years perfecting a document addressing the Church's theological task in the world. In 1988 the General Conference adopted this document, which still appears in the denomination's ''

Book of Discipline A Book of Discipline (or in its shortened form Discipline) is a book detailing the beliefs, standards, doctrines, canon law, and polity of a particular Christian denomination. They are often re-written by the governing body of the church concerned ...

''. Bishop Hunt was the keynote speaker at the 1976 World Methodist Conference in Dublin, Ireland. He served ten years on the World Methodist Council's executive committee, and was awarded the World Methodist Chair of Honor in 1988.

Ministry in retirement

Upon retiring in 1988, Bishop Hunt moved to

Lake Junaluska, North Carolina Lake Junaluska is a census-designated place (CDP) in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States, and a manmade lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Junaluska is named after nearby ...

. There he served as president of the Foundation for Evangelism, an affiliate ministry of the U.M. General Board of Discipleship. In 2002 the foundation honored him as a Lifetime Distinguished Evangelist of the U.M. Church, a rare honor indeed! Other honors received by Bishop Hunt include the Philip Award, given by the National Association of U.M. Evangelists. "Bishop Hunt was larger than life in so many ways," said Bishop Richard Looney, president of the Foundation for Evangelism.

Selected writings

* ''A Bishop Speaks His Mind'': A Candid View of United Methodism, Nashville:

Abingdon Press Abingdon Press is the book publishing arm of the United Methodist Publishing House which publishes sheet music, ministerial resources, Bible-study aids, and other items, often with a focus on Methodism and Methodists. History Abingdon Press w ...

, 1987. ( ) * ''I Have Believed'': A Bishop Talks About His Faith, Nashville: Abingdon, 1980. ( ) * ''Storms and Starlight'' (Bishops' Messages on the Holy Spirit), Earl G. Hunt Jr. (Editor), Nashville: Tidings, 1974. * ''Recovering the Sacred'': Papers From the Sanctuary and the Academy, Jonathan Creek Press, 1992. () * ''Aspects of our Methodist heritage'': With particular focus upon one of its distinguished transmitters, Bishop Roy Hunter Short, 1972.

References

*The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Churc

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