Policies and Procedures Archives

Bishop Emeritus Mike Lowry

John Michael (“Mike”) Mike Lowry was raised in a nominally Methodist home in Northern Illinois. At the beginning of his senior year in High School, the family moved to Taipei, Taiwan where Mike graduated from Taipei American School in 1968. Returning to the United States, he enrolled at Earlham College (a Quaker related school) in Richmond, Indiana. His sojourn with a vague agnosticism was ended by a road to Damascus experience while taking a required course in Christian Beliefs. Mike began his ministry with the Society of Friends (Quakers) sharing in pastoral leadership for Rich Square Friends Meeting in the Spring of 1972. He graduated from Earlham in 1972 with B. A. in Political Science and Religion. His intention to go to law school was interrupted by a reluctant enrollment in Seminary at Perkins School of Theology where in graduated with a Masters in Theology (M. Div.) in 1976. He received his Doctor of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1985.

Shortly after graduating from Perkins, he married Jolynn Darland. They celebrated their 46^th anniversary in 2022. They have a son Nathan & daughter-in-law Abigail and grandsons Simon and Adam; daughter Sarah & son-in-law Steven and grandchildren Grace and Sam.

Mike was elected to the episcopacy of the United Methodist Church at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in July, 2008. He served for 13 & ½ years as the Resident Bishop of the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. During his tenure Bishop Lowry has served the larger connection of The United Methodist Church on the Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops (2012-2016), Presiding Bishop for Path One New Church Development (Discipleship Ministries 2009-2016), and President of the South-Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops (2010-2011). He provided leadership on a variety of institutional boards including serving as a member of the United Theological Seminary Board of Trustees, the Texas Methodist Foundation Board, the Texas Wesleyan University Board of Trustees and the Texas Health Resources Board of Directors. Past service includes the United Methodist Publishing House Board of Directors, the Perkins School of Theology, S. M. U. Executive Board, the Board of Trustees for Southwestern University, and the Methodist Children’s Home Board of Trustees among others.

At the time of his election and consecration as bishop in July 2008, he was serving as executive director of New Church Development and Transformation in the Southwest Texas Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Prior to that, he was senior pastor at University United Methodist Church in San Antonio which grew from 4,800 to 5,700 members during his tenure. His previous appointments include United Methodist Churches in Austin, Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Kerrville and, while a student, serving Plymouth Park in Irving, Texas.

Prior to his election, Mike Lowry has held numerous offices including Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, Chair of the Board of Global Ministries’ Committee on Church Extension, and Chair of the Council on Church Revitalization and Church Extension. While serving at the Executive Director for New Church Development and Transformation in the Southwest Texas Conference, he led a successful conference capital campaign to fund new church starts.

Bishop Lowry was awarded the B’nai B’rith Award in Social Ethics by Perkins School of Theology (1976) and the Harry Denman Evangelism Award from the Central Texas Conference-Foundation for Evangelism (2015). Churches under his leadership have received numerous awards and recognitions including the Habitat for Humanity Award (2004), the President’s Award from Huston-Tillotson University (2004), the Churchmanship Award from the San Antonio Community of Churches (2003) and the Moore Award Evangelism Award three times. He was a delegate to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1996, 2004, and 2008, as well as a delegate to the South-Central Jurisdictional Conference of United Methodist Church in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Upon retirement January 1, 2022, Bishop Lowry became the Bishop in Residence at United Theological Seminary where he currently serves. He and his wife Jolynn moved to the Eastern panhandle of West Virginia to be near family.

Mike Lowry joined the Global Methodist Church at its inception as Bishop Emeritus. He now serves on the Transitional Leadership Council of the Global Methodist Church. He has a passion for Christ and for the transformation of the church as mission post of the advancing Kingdom of God. He often encourages people to greater faithfulness to Jesus Christ by reminding them (and himself) in the midst of trials to “breathe deep, Jesus is still Lord! And that is a very good thing!!

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Bishop Emeritus Mike Lowry