Gregory V. Palmer

Affiliate Professor and United Methodist Church Bishop-in-Residence

Expertise

  • Preaching and Worship
  • Church Leadership
  • United Methodist Church

Education

  • Master of Divinity-Duke University Divinity School
  • Bachelor of Arts -George Washington University

Gregory Vaughn Palmer is a Bishop (R) of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church. He is also a Senior Adviser with the Texas Methodist Foundation.

Bishop Palmer graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., (BA) and the Master of Divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School.

Baldwin-Wallace College, Iowa Wesleyan College, Simpson College, Ohio Northern University, Hood Theological Seminary and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and United Theological Seminary have awarded him honorary degrees.

He was ordained a deacon and elected a probationary member in the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference in 1977. In 1981, he was elected into full membership and ordained an elder in the East Ohio Annual Conference. 

His pastoral ministry includes student pastorates in North Carolina and post-seminary appointments in the East Ohio Conference in Cleveland, Canton and Berea. Palmer also served as superintendent of the Youngstown District of the East Ohio Conference.

Elected to the episcopacy by the North Central Jurisdictional Conference in 2000, Bishop Palmer has served as the Resident Bishop of the Iowa Area, Illinois Area, and the Ohio West Area. He served as president of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the UMC, and as President of the Council of Bishops.

He has previously served as a board member of several organizations and institutions, including the City of Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals, the Canton Regional Transit Authority, Iowa Health (now Unity Point Health), OhioHealth, The United Methodist Publishing House, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, United Theological Seminary, Baldwin Wallace University, Simpson College, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Mount Union University and Emory University. He is currently a member of the Duke University Board of Trustees.

He has been married to Cynthia for fifty years. They are the parents of two adult children.

Denomination

United Methodist Church

Contact

704-636-7611
gpalmer@hoodseminary.edu