Bishop David Alan Bard
Bishop David Alan Bard is the presiding bishop of the Michigan Area. Prior to arriving in Michigan in September 2016, Bishop Bard was serving at First United Methodist Church in Duluth, Minnesota since 2005. He was elected to the episcopacy on July 13, 2016 at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference held in Peoria, IL. He has been in ministry for more than 30 years and served in many roles within both the Minnesota Annual Conference and the General Church.
Bard was a General and Jurisdictional Conference delegate in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. He was an episcopal nominee in both 2004 and 2008.
Within the Minnesota Conference, Bard was chair of the Episcopacy Committee and the Higher Education Ministry Team, and he served on the Board of Ordained Ministry and the Congregational Response Team. He was also the conference parliamentarian. He was a district superintendent from 1998 to 2005 and spent three years on the Commission on Religion and Race.
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Bishop Bard received a BA from the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 1981; his Master of Divinity was earned at United Theological Seminary, Twin Cities 1984; and in 1994 he received a Ph.D. from Southern Methodist University with a focus on Christian ethics
Bard has a wife, Julie, and three adult children. In his free time, he enjoys music, reading, baseball, and walking outside.
- A Joyful Journey (10/1/2018) - Bishop David A. Bard talks about the kind of generosity that begins with the lavish love of God, not with our wallets, check books or credit cards … If you have not already heard, The United Methodist Church, at its last General Conference in 2016, added a continuing education and evaluation requirement for clergy. “Every clergyperson shall also engage in a six-month process of personal and professional assessment and development every eight years…. The process shall include both a formal review and an in-depth renewal opportunity.” (The Book of Discipline, ¶349.3). The Book of Discipline leaves design of the process ...Read More
- A Joyful Journey (9/3/2018) - Bishop David A. Bard speaks about clay vessels as he announces opportunities to listen and converse, with him and Michigan delegates, around questions and concerns about the 2019 General Conference ... First of all, I want to express gratitude to you all for my time away this summer. Thank you for your support and patience. Thanks to my wonderful Executive Assistant, Deana Nelson, for keeping my work organized when I am away, and to my Clergy Assistant, Rev. John Boley, who does superlative work all the time, and is great at keeping things moving forward in my absence. Julie and ...Read More
- A Joyful Journey (8/1/2018) - Bishop Bard looks back at the 2018 Michigan Annual Conference in response to members' feedback ... Last month I wrote about January in July. Annual Conference in August seems like a good follow-up, but for those of you who skim quickly please note that there will be no proposal offered here to move our Annual Conference session into the month of August! While some would like to see our Annual Conference session moved, either earlier or later, no one has suggested August. I know this because the Commission on the Annual Conference Session met in late June to begin planning ...Read More