Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church
For Immediate Release
July 27, 2021
COB hires David Field as new Ecumenical Staff Officer
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church (UMC) has hired Dr. David N. Field as the new Ecumenical Staff Officer for Faith & Order and Theological Dialogue.
Dr. Field, a member of the UMC Central and Southern Europe Central Conference, replaces the Rev. Kyle Tau, PhD, who left in July to pursue new ventures in his ministry. Dr. Field will work with the Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst who is the Ecumenical Staff Officer for the COB.
In his new role, Dr. Field will provide staff support to the bi-lateral dialogues and full-communion coordinating committees of the UMC, especially related to the Episcopal Church, Catholic Church, Moravian Church, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America relationships.
A renowned author, Dr. Field is currently serving as Academic Coordinator for the Methodist e-Academy and Research Associate of the Research Institute for Theology and Religion at the University of South Africa. A dual Swiss and South African national, Dr. Field also consults on e-learning in theological education to various projects in Africa.
Previously, he has served as lecturer and tutor in religious studies at various universities including Africa University. He holds a PhD in religious studies from the University of Cape Town.
COB Ecumenical Officer Bishop Sally Dyck said she was excited to have Dr. Field on the staff of the Council of Bishops and is looking forward to many contributions that Dr. Field will bring to the work of the Council.
“We are excited to add Dr. Field to our staff, not only due to his significant Wesleyan theological contributions to The United Methodist Church already, but also because he comes with a global, ecumenical perspective and its relationships,” Bishop Dyck said. “He is well-known to many leaders in the UMC and we look forward to the ways that he can resource the Council of Bishops in our theological work at this very crucial time in our church.”
Dr. Field will continue to live in Basel, Switzerland, where his wife, the Rev. Dr Caroline Schröder Field, is a minister in the Protestant Reformed Church and serves as the pastor of the Basler Münster – the historic Basel cathedral. They have two adult sons.
Dr. Field is lay member of the Kleinbasel congregation of The United Methodist Church. He is active at various levels of the denomination and has represented the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe at various forums including the British Methodist Conference, the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe, and the World Methodist Council. He was a member of the Commission on a Way Forward.
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Media contact:
Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga, Director of Communications
Council of Bishops -The United Methodist Church
(202) 748-5172
www.unitedmethodistbishops.org
