Marjorie Swank Matthews (July 11, 1916 – June 30, 1986) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of 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 evangelica ...
and the first woman to serve as a Methodist bishop.
Early life
She was born July 11, 1916 in Onaway, Michigan, to Jesse Alonzo and Charlotte Mae (Chapman) Swank.
She married young and divorced after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
She had one son, William Jesse Matthews.
She worked at Lobdell-Emery Manufacturing Company in Alma, Michigan to support herself and her son.
Education
Matthews graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree from
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Ce ...
in 1967.
She then went on to receive a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in 1970.
[Cantlon, Marie, Keller, Rosemary Skinner, and Ruether, Rosemary Radford, eds. Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America: Indiana University Press, 2006.] Completing her schooling at
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
, she received both a master's in religion and a doctorate in humanities in 1976.
Ministry
While Matthews was completing her education, she served as an elder in churches in her home state of Michigan, as well as New York and Florida.
She was the second female district superintendent in the United Methodist Church.
She served as superintendent of the Grand Traverse District from 1976.
Ordained ministry
During July 1980, the North Central Jurisdiction of United Methodist Church met for an annual conference.
There were only 23 female clergy in attendance out of 460 delegates.
The delegates in attendance represented the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
During the conference, there were 13 delegates, Matthews included, who were running for three bishop seats.
After twenty-nine ballots, two bishops were elected by acclamation on the thirtieth ballot at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference on July 17, 1980.
Matthews was elected the first woman bishop at the United Methodist Church North Central regional conference in Dayton, Ohio.
She served as bishop for the Wisconsin area for four years before retiring in 1984.
On June 30, 1986, Matthews died of breast cancer in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
See also
*
List of bishops of the United Methodist Church
This is a list of bishops of the United Methodist Church and its predecessor denominations, in order of their election to the episcopacy, both living and dead.
1784–1807
;Founders
* Thomas Coke 1784
* Francis Asbury 1784
* Richard Whatcoat ...
References
External links
*The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Churc
*InfoServ, the official information service of The United Methodist Church.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Marjorie
1916 births
1986 deaths
Women Methodist bishops
American United Methodist bishops
History of Methodism in the United States
Florida State University alumni
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School alumni