FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2022
Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai newly elected bishop in the North Central Jurisdiction
Chicago, Ill. - Chief Connectional Ministries Officer of the Connectional Table (CT), Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai has been elected bishop for the North Central Jurisdictional Conference. Bigham-Tsai was the first bishop elected among the four jurisdictional conferences. She has been assigned as the resident bishop for the Iowa Area, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
Bigham-Tsai came to the CT as a board member in 2012 and provided leadership as a member of the Executive Committee, as the chair of Leadership Discernment and Community Life, as the chair of the Human Sexuality Task Force, and in work on the worldwide nature of the church. She has served as the Chief Connectional Ministries Officer for the CT since 2018.
Bishop Christian Alsted current Connectional Table Chair and bishop of the Nordic and Baltic Episcopal area added, “I warmly congratulate the Connectional Table’s Chief Connectional Ministries Officer the Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai on her election as bishop. I know Bishop Bigham-Tsai as a Christ centered, courageous and visionary leader, and as a sharp adaptive thinker committed to the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai has served the Connectional Table with excellence as our chief executive for the past five years, and I believe, I can speak for the entire CT, in saying that we are deeply grateful for her leadership and for the love of the global United Methodist Church she has modeled. We will be praying for her, as she transitions into her new ministry – may Christ guide and bless Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai.”
Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, expressed gratitude for the election stating, “I am overwhelmed. I am humbled. I am so very grateful…It’s possible to reclaim the narrative and the story about how we make disciples, how we’re relevant in our community, how we’re vital in our ministry.”
Bishop Alsted also addressed, “The Executive Committee has proactively prepared for this situation and will soon give information about the next steps.”
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