Roy Clyde Clark
Encyclopedia
Roy Clyde Clark is a retired American
Bishop
of the United Methodist Church
, elected in 1980.
on 7 June 1945. They had two daughters, Lynn Blanton Clark and Susan McEwen Clark, and two grandsons. After Esther's death on 8 April 1991, Bishop Clark married Marion Salisbury Hall on 4 April 1992.
degree from Millsaps College
in 1941 and the Bachelor of Divinity
degree from Yale Divinity School
in 1944. He also has been awarded honorary doctorates from Millsaps College and Columbia College
in South Carolina
.
Annual Conference
and held five different pastorates there between 1944 and 1963: Eastlawn, Pascagoula
; Decell Memorial, Wesson
; Centerville; Forest; and Capitol Street in Jackson
. He then pastored St. John’s Church in Memphis, Tennessee
from 1963 through 1967, after which he was appointed to West End Church in Nashville, Tennessee
.
Episcopal Area (the South Carolina Annual Conference), where he served until his retirement in 1988. As a Bishop he also served as a member of the U.M. General Board of Global Ministries (1980–88), serving as President of the UM Committee on Relief Program Department of the Board (1984–88).
of the Committee on Episcopal Initiatives for Ministry and Mission of the U.M. Council of Bishops. As such he gave leadership in the development of the Council’s initiative on “Vital Congregations-Faithful Disciples.” He also served as an adjunct faculty member of the Memphis Theological Seminary
(an institution of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
but recognized also by the UMC) and of the Vanderbilt Divinity School
. He is currently listed as Bishop-in-Residence at the West End Church in Nashville, whose pastorate he once held.
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 1980.
Biography/Family
Clark married Esther Maddox of McComb, MississippiMcComb, Mississippi
McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States, about south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 13,644. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi, Micropolitan Statistical Area...
on 7 June 1945. They had two daughters, Lynn Blanton Clark and Susan McEwen Clark, and two grandsons. After Esther's death on 8 April 1991, Bishop Clark married Marion Salisbury Hall on 4 April 1992.
Education
Clark earned the B.A.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 from Millsaps College
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1890, the college is recognized as one of the country's best private colleges dedicated to undergraduate teaching and educating the whole individual. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Millsaps...
in 1941 and the 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....
degree from Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
in 1944. He also has been awarded honorary doctorates from Millsaps College and Columbia College
Columbia College (Columbia, South Carolina)
Columbia College is a private liberal arts women's college in Columbia, South Carolina. The school is affiliated with United Methodist Church and has more than 1,500 students...
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Ordained Ministry
Clark was ordained Deacon in 1944 by Bishop J.L. Decell and Elder in 1946 by Bishop U.V.W. Darlington. Roy became a member of the MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
Annual Conference
Annual 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...
and held five different pastorates there between 1944 and 1963: Eastlawn, Pascagoula
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
; Decell Memorial, Wesson
Wesson, Mississippi
Wesson is a town in Copiah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,693 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wesson is located at ....
; Centerville; Forest; and Capitol Street in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He then pastored St. John’s Church in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
from 1963 through 1967, after which he was appointed to West End Church in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Episcopal Ministry
Clark was elected to the Episcopacy in 1980 by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the UMC. He was assigned to the Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
Episcopal Area (the South Carolina Annual Conference), where he served until his retirement in 1988. As a Bishop he also served as a member of the U.M. General Board of Global Ministries (1980–88), serving as President of the UM Committee on Relief Program Department of the Board (1984–88).
Ministry in Retirement
After retiring from the active episcopacy, Bishop Clark served as Executive DirectorExecutive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the Committee on Episcopal Initiatives for Ministry and Mission of the U.M. Council of Bishops. As such he gave leadership in the development of the Council’s initiative on “Vital Congregations-Faithful Disciples.” He also served as an adjunct faculty member of the Memphis Theological Seminary
Memphis Theological Seminary
Memphis Theological Seminary is an ecumenical theological seminary located in Midtown, Memphis, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, but accepts and trains ministerial candidates from other groups as well...
(an institution of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
but recognized also by the UMC) and of the Vanderbilt Divinity School
Vanderbilt Divinity School
The Vanderbilt Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion is an interdenominational divinity school at Vanderbilt University, a major research university located in Nashville, Tennessee...
. He is currently listed as Bishop-in-Residence at the West End Church in Nashville, whose pastorate he once held.