BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The United Methodist Church for the first time has two women serving in the two highest leadership posts, with Illinois Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher as president and Wisconsin Bishop Sharon Rader as secretary in the Council of Bishops.
Nearly 150 United Methodist bishops from around the world elected Christopher for a one-year term on May 3 during a semiannual meeting in Bloomington, Minn. Rader is currently in her second four-year term as secretary. Christopher is the first woman to hold the top post.
Christopher served as bishop of the church’s Minnesota Conference from 1988 till 1996 before being named to the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. With headquarters in Springfield, Christopher oversees 980 congregations with about 175,000 members in the southern two-thirds of the state.
Christopher, 57, will preside at all bishops’ meetings and serve as their chief spokeswoman. She succeeds Bishop Elias Galvan of Seattle. Bishop Ruediger R. Minor of Russia and Ukraine was elected as president-elect, and will be installed next year.
“(This) is an expression of the heart of the United Methodist Church, a church of open hearts, open minds and open doors,” Christopher said.
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