R. Sheldon Duecker
Encyclopedia
Robert Sheldon Duecker was a American
Bishop
of the United Methodist Church
, elected in 1988.
, Medina County, Ohio, a son of Howard LaVerne and Sarah Faye Simpson Duecker. He grew up in the villages of LeRoy and Chippewa Lake, Ohio
. He was confirmed in the Christian Faith in the LeRoy Methodist Episcopal Church.
degree in Religion from the Indiana Wesleyan University
, Marion, Indiana
in 1948. He earned a Bachelor of Divinity
and an M.S.
from the Christian Theological Seminary
(C.T.S.), Indianapolis, Indiana
in 1952. He did further graduate work at Garrett Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois
in 1952-53. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity
degree in 1969 from C.T.S.
, (Deacon in 1952, Elder in 1953) by Bishop Richard Campbell Raines. Prior to his election to the Episcopacy, Duecker had served the following pastorates in the North Indiana Conference: Kokomo
: Grace (Associate Pastor); Dyer Muncie
: Gethsemane; Hartford City
: Grace; Warsaw
: First; Fort Wayne
: Simpson; and Muncie: High Street. He also served as the Director of the Conference Council on Ministries, and as the Superintendent of the Fort Wayne District.
in Muncie, Indiana
, Duecker was elected a Bishop by the North Central Jurisdictional Conference of the U.M. Church, and assigned to the Northern Illinois (Chicago
) Episcopal Area.
Bishop Duecker served (1980–84) on the General Council on Ministries of the U.M. Church, the General Advance Committee, and as a liaison from the Advance Committee to the Committee on African Church Growth and Development. He was also a member of the Commission to Study the Mission of The United Methodist Church (1984–88). He served on the General Board of Publication (1988–92). During 1992-96 he was a member of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, as well as of the University Senate of the U.M. Church. He served in several responsibilities related to ministry with Korean people
, including (1988–96) the Committee on Korean-American Ministries and the Committee on Joint Mission Strategy for the U.M. Church and the Korean Methodist Church. He was the Chairperson of the North Central Jurisdiction Korean Mission Ministry, 1992-96.
Duecker retired in 1996 and lives in Indiana.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, elected in 1988.
Birth and Family
He was born in Westfield TownshipWestfield Township, Medina County, Ohio
Westfield Township is one of the seventeen townships of Medina County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,172 people in the township, 2,545 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, Medina County, Ohio, a son of Howard LaVerne and Sarah Faye Simpson Duecker. He grew up in the villages of LeRoy and Chippewa Lake, Ohio
Chippewa Lake, Ohio
Chippewa Lake is a village in Medina County, Ohio, United States. It is located on Chippewa Lake, Ohio's largest natural inland lake...
. He was confirmed in the Christian Faith in the LeRoy Methodist Episcopal Church.
Education
He earned an A.B.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Religion from the Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Wesleyan University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Marion, Indiana that is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church denomination...
, Marion, Indiana
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
in 1948. He earned a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
and an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
from the Christian Theological Seminary
Christian Theological Seminary
Christian Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary related to the Christian Church . It is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and provides eight degree-level education courses...
(C.T.S.), Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
in 1952. He did further graduate work at Garrett Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
in 1952-53. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree in 1969 from C.T.S.
Ordained ministry
He was ordained into the ministry of the Methodist Church, North Indiana Annual ConferenceAnnual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
, (Deacon in 1952, Elder in 1953) by Bishop Richard Campbell Raines. Prior to his election to the Episcopacy, Duecker had served the following pastorates in the North Indiana Conference: Kokomo
Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States, Indiana's 13th largest city. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard and Tipton counties....
: Grace (Associate Pastor); Dyer Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
: Gethsemane; Hartford City
Hartford City, Indiana
Hartford City is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Blackford County. Located in the northeast central portion of the state, the small farming community experienced a 15-year “boom” beginning in the late 1880s...
: Grace; Warsaw
Warsaw, Indiana
Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Cradled among Winona Lake, Pike Lake, Hidden Lake and Center Lake, Warsaw is nicknamed "Lake City," though other cities in the surrounding area are also referred to by that nickname...
: First; Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
: Simpson; and Muncie: High Street. He also served as the Director of the Conference Council on Ministries, and as the Superintendent of the Fort Wayne District.
Episcopal ministry
In 1988 while serving as senior pastor of the High Street U.M. ChurchUnited Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
, Duecker was elected a Bishop by the North Central Jurisdictional Conference of the U.M. Church, and assigned to the Northern Illinois (Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) Episcopal Area.
Bishop Duecker served (1980–84) on the General Council on Ministries of the U.M. Church, the General Advance Committee, and as a liaison from the Advance Committee to the Committee on African Church Growth and Development. He was also a member of the Commission to Study the Mission of The United Methodist Church (1984–88). He served on the General Board of Publication (1988–92). During 1992-96 he was a member of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, as well as of the University Senate of the U.M. Church. He served in several responsibilities related to ministry with Korean people
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
, including (1988–96) the Committee on Korean-American Ministries and the Committee on Joint Mission Strategy for the U.M. Church and the Korean Methodist Church. He was the Chairperson of the North Central Jurisdiction Korean Mission Ministry, 1992-96.
Duecker retired in 1996 and lives in Indiana.