Karen Oliveto

Karen Oliveto
Resident Bishop, Mountain Sky Episcopal Area
Church United Methodist Church
Diocese Yellowstone Annual Conference and Rocky Mountain Annual Conference
In office July 1, 2016 – present
Orders
Ordination 1983
Consecration 2016
Personal details
Previous post Senior Pastor, Glide Memorial UMC

Karen Oliveto (born April 4, 1958)[1] is the first openly lesbian bishop to be elected in the United Methodist Church. She was elected bishop on the night of July 15, 2016 at the Western Jurisdictional conference.[2] Her four-year term of service began September 1, 2016 and she currently serves as the bishop of both the UMC's Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone Conferences;[3][4] she was officially installed on September 24.[5] At the time of her election, she was the senior pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.[6] Oliveto is married to Robin Ridenour, who is a deaconess in The United Methodist Church's California-Nevada Conference.[2]

Biography

Originally from Long Island, NY. She was born on Good Friday (April 4, 1958) and raised in West Babylon, which is on the South Shore of Long Island. She grew up in the Babylon United Methodist Church (NY) and had her call to ministry at the age of 11. She preached her first sermon at 16 and began working as a student pastor when she was 18.

She has served parish and campus ministries in rural and urban settings in both NY and California. In 2004, she performed the first legal same-gender marriage held in a United Methodist Church during SF’s “Winter of Love”. She has served as the associate dean of academic affairs at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, where she also taught United Methodist History/Doctrine/Polity and Evangelism as adjunct professor for 12 years.

She was the senior pastor of the 12,000 member Glide Memorial UMC for 8 years, becoming the first woman to lead one of the UMC’s top 100 largest membership churches.

Education

Oliveto is a graduate of Pacific School of Religion (MDiv, 1983) and Drew University, where she received a Ph.D. in Religion and Society in 2002 as well as a BA (cum laude) Psychology, 1980 as well as a MPhil, 1991.[7][1] Her PhD is in Religion and Society. Her dissertation topic was: "Movements of Reform, Movements of Resistance: Homosexuality and The United Methodist Church. A Case Study"

Status as Bishop

On April 28, 2017, The United Methodist Church's high court ruled 6-3 that while her lesbian status was in violation of the Church's policies governed by the Book of Discipline, she could still retain her position as Bishop and the Church's Western Jurisdiction would handle the matter.[8] The Judicial Council also ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to review her nomination, election, or assignment.[9]

Personal life

Married to Robin Ridenour, who is a deaconess in The United Methodist Church. The two met in 1992 when they were volunteers at a Junior High Church Camp. They began dating in 1999 and were married in 2014.

Ordained Ministry

Pastor, Bloomville UMC, Bloomville, NY 1983-1986

Campus Minister Ecumenical House Campus Ministry, San Francisco State 1989-1992

Pastor Bethany UMC, San Francisco 1992-2004

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA 2004-2008

Adjunct Professor of United Methodist Studies at Pacific School of Religion, 2005-2016

Senior Pastor. Glide Memorial Church, San Francisco. 2008-2016

Resident Bishop of the Mountain Sky Area of The United Methodist Church, 2016–present

References

  1. 1 2 Communications, United Methodist. "Bishop Karen Oliveto - The United Methodist Church". The United Methodist Church.
  2. 1 2 Communications, United Methodist. "Western Jurisdiction elects openly gay United Methodist bishop - The United Methodist Church". The United Methodist Church.
  3. ↑ River, Brick. "Bishop". www.rmcumc.org.
  4. ↑ "Bishop". www.yacumc.org.
  5. ↑ Church, Rocky Mountain Conference of The United Methodist. "Installation Service for Bishop Karen Oliveto - 24/09/2016". Evensi.
  6. ↑ "United Methodist Church Elects First Openly Gay Bishop, In Defiance Of Church Rules".
  7. ↑ "Executive Leadership - GLIDE". www.glide.org.
  8. ↑ "Karen Oliveto, first openly gay bishop, in violation of Methodist church law, court says".
  9. ↑ Communications, United Methodist. "Commentary: Attorney on confusion over Oliveto's status - The United Methodist Church". The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 2017-05-09.


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