Don Edward Johnson

Don Edward Johnson (born 1949) is an American bishop of the Episcopal Church who served as the third Bishop of West Tennessee from 2001 until 2019.[1]

The Right Reverend

Don Edward Johnson
Bishop of West Tennessee
ChurchEpiscopal Church
DioceseWest Tennessee
ElectedMarch 30, 2001
In office2001-2019
PredecessorJames Malone Coleman
SuccessorPhoebe Alison Roaf
Orders
Ordination1977
ConsecrationJune 30, 2001
by Frank Griswold
Personal details
Born1949
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
NationalityAmerican
DenominationAnglican (prev. Baptist)
SpouseJeannie Avery
Children2
Alma materVanderbilt University

Johnson was born in 1949 and was raised as a Southern Baptist. He served in the United States Navy as an enlisted man, before studying at Vanderbilt University, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1972. He then studied at the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and earned his Master of Divinity in 1976. He was awarded a Doctor of Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation in 1988. The University of the South and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary both awarded Johnson a Doctor of Divinity in 2002.[2]

Johnson was ordained deacon in 1976 and priest in 1977 in the Episcopal Church. Between 1976 and 1977, he served at Calvary Church in Memphis, Tennessee, before becoming chaplain at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and rector of Christ Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1978. In 1986, he became rector of St. John's Church in Johnson City, Tennessee. In 1996, he moved to Franklin, Tennessee, to become rector of the Church of the Resurrection.[3]

On March 30, 2001, after seven hours, Johnson was elected on the 15th ballot as the third Bishop of West Tennessee. He was consecrated and installed on June 30, 2001, by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, used because of its large facilities, something no Memphis-area Episcopal parish had.[4] In 2017, Johnson announced plans to resign his post, which took effect in 2019.[5][6]

References
  1. Waters, D. "Memphis Episcopal bishop to resign in 2019", Memphis Commercial Appeal, 18 December 2019. Retrieved on 14 July 2020.
  2. "The Rt Revd Don Johnson", World Anglican. Retrieved on 15 July 2020.
  3. "West Tennessee Elects Bishop on the 15th Ballot". The Living Church. 222: 6. 22 April 2001.
  4. Denman, J. "West Tennessee Consecrates Third Bishop", The Living Church, 22 July 2001. Retrieved on 15 July 2020.
  5. "The Rt. Rev. Don E. Johnson", Exploring Faith. Retrieved on 14 July 2020.
  6. "W. Tenn. Bishop to Retire in '19", The Living Church, 19 June 2017. Retrieved on 14 July 2020.
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