Grant J. Hagiya is a

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 c ...

in 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 evangelic ...

, having been elected to that position in 2008.

Family

Bishop Hagiya was born 3 January 1952 in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and is a third-generation Japanese American (

Sansei is a Japanese and North American English term used in parts of the world such as South America and North America to specify the children of children born to ethnic Japanese in a new country of residence. The '' nisei'' are considered the second ...

). He is married to Janet, a high school librarian, and has 3 children, Alexis (Education Coordinator at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

), Jamie (A professional basketball player), and Trent (Finishing his undergraduate degree). He loves all sports and holds a Sandan (3rd Degree Black Belt) in Kenpo Karate, having studied since he was in Jr. High School.

Education

Bishop Hagiya received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in Psychology from

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

in 1974. He received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in Religion from the

Claremont School of Theology Claremont School of Theology (CST) is an American graduate school focused on religion and theology and located in Claremont, California. CST is fully recognized and approved as one of thirteen official theological schools of the United Methodi ...

in 1976, and a Master of Religion and

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advance ...

degrees from Claremont in 1977. He attended the Graduate Theological Union from 1978, and finished his coursework for the Ph.D. in theological ethics, but had to take a leave of absence before the dissertation in order to fulfill his role as the Chairperson of the National Japanese American Caucus. He received his Ed.D. degree in

Organizational Leadership Leadership studies is a multidisciplinary academic field of study that focuses on leadership in organizational contexts and in human life. Leadership studies has origins in the social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, psychology), in humani ...

from

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

. His dissertation was on the traits, qualities and characteristics of highly effective UMC clergy. His field of interest is in leadership studies, organizational development through systems theory, and change management.

Ordained ministry

Bishop Hagiya was ordained a

United Methodist 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 evangelic ...

Deacon in 1976 and an

Elder (Methodism) An elder, in many Methodist churches, is an ordained minister that has the responsibilities to preach and teach, preside at the celebration of the sacraments, administer the church through pastoral guidance, and lead the congregations under their ...

in 1980. He was appointed to three churches in his ministry career: Berkeley UMC in the California-Nevada Annual Conference, North Gardena UMC in the California-Pacific Annual Conference, and Centenary UMC also in the California-Pacific Annual Conference (see

Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church An annual conference is a regional decision-making body within various Methodist denominations. Conferences are a key characteristic of the connectional system of government in Methodism. Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy me ...

). He served the Claremont School of Theology as Assistant Professor of Urban Ministries and Religion and Society, and Field Education Director, and continued to serve as an Adjunct Professor throughout his career in the Cal-Pac Annual Conference. He served as the District Superintendent of the Los Angeles District and Dean of the Cabinet prior to being elected to the

episcopacy 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 ca ...

. He was slated to create the Center of Leadership Excellence between the California-Pacific Annual Conference and the Claremont School of Theology right before his election as a bishop. He was a delegate from the California-Pacific Annual Conference to

General Conference (United Methodist Church) The General Conference, in several Methodist denominations, is the top legislative body for all matters within the denomination. Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection With regard to the membership of the General Conference of the Allegheny W ...

and Jurisdictional Conference three times, and served as head of the delegation one time. He has served as Chairperson of the Board of Ordained Ministry and numerous other church and community organizations. He has served as a board member of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Commission on Religion and Race, and the General Board of Global Ministries.

Episcopal ministry

In 2016
Grant J. Hagiya became Resident Bishop
of th
California-Pacific Conference
of the United Methodist Church, after having served as the Resident Bishop of th
Greater Northwest Episcopal Area
of the United Methodist Church, presiding over it
AlaskaPacific Northwest
an
Oregon-Idaho Annual Conferences
Previously (2008–12) he served the Seattle Area, which included the Pacific Northwest and Alaska Conferences. That area was merged with the Portland area (Oregon-Idaho Conference) in 2012. Hagiya also serves as the Chairperson of one of the 4 Focus Areas of the denomination: "Developing Principled Christian Leaders." In 2013, Hagiya's first book on church leadership title
Spiritual Kaizen: How to Become a Better Church Leader
was published by Abingdon Press.

References

External links