Roy Clyde Clark

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This article is about a Bishop of the United Methodist Church. For other people with similar names, see Roy Clark

Roy Clyde Clark (July 24, 1920- ) is a retired American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1980.

1 Biography
2 References
3 See also

[edit] Biography

Clark was born 24 July 1920 in Mobile, Alabama. He married Esther Maddox of McComb, Mississippi 7 June 1945. They have two daughters, Lynn Blanton Clark and Susan McEwen Clark, and twqo grandsons. After Esther's death on 8 April 1991, Bishop Clark married Marion Salisbury Hall, 4 April 1992.

[edit] Education

Roy earned the B.A. degree from Millsaps College (1941) and the Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School (1944). He also has been awarded honorary doctorates from Millsaps College and Columbia College in South Carolina.

[edit] Ordained Ministry

Roy 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 Mississippi 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 in Memphis (1963-67), after which he was appointed to the West End Methodist Church, Nashville.

[edit] Episcopal Ministry

Rev. Clark was elected to the Episcopacy in 1980 by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the U.M. Church. He was assigned to the Columbia, South Carolina 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 U.M. Committee on Relief Program Department of the Board (1984-88).

[edit] Ministry in Retirement

After retiring from the active episcopacy, Bishop Clark served as Executive Director 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 Adjunct Faculty of the Memphis Theological Seminary and of the Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He has also served as Bishop-in-Residence at the West End Church in Nashville.