The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi elected Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells on February 3, 2024, as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi. She will be the first Black person and woman to hold the position.
In the historical election, Rev. Wells received a majority of votes from lay delegates and over two-thirds of the vote from the church’s clergy. Delegates from 87 congregations selected Wells from five candidates.
She will replace Brian Seage, who led the diocese through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Jackson water crisis. The election of Seage took place in 2014, and he succeeded Bishop Duncan Gray in 2015. “This is a historical moment, and this marks a new chapter in our history,” Seage said.
“It’s the first time we have elected an African American as the diocese’s bishop. I think this speaks dramatically for this movement within our church.” Wells ascends to the position after serving as rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Germantown, Tennessee.
There, she was also the chaplain of the church preschool. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Wells graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis with a degree in vocal performance. She also holds graduate degrees in law and divinity.
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Pending the consent of a majority of bishops and standing in The Episcopal Church, the church will ordain Wells on July 20, 2024. Amid reports of declining church attendance, she stated that she would be focused on public service.
“The council has truly humbled me with the confidence they have placed in me,” Wells said. “I am looking forward to working with the good people of the Diocese of Mississippi.” She also commented on the declining church attendance.
“We are reading all kinds of statistics and reports about declining church attendance and declining church engagement,” she said. “But we know God is in the midst of all of this and I am looking forward to exploring with this diocese all of the ways we can continue to love God and one another.”
She continued, “Also, to serve our neighbors and care for the people around us.” Wells said one of her first business orders will be to visit churches across Mississippi. “When we had our meet and greets, I was able to get to know some of the people in the diocese,” she said.
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She continued, “I said I want to get out into the districts.” In addition, Wells said she wants to meet people in the church. “I want to meet clergy and also to meet lay folks in these different convocations.”
Furthermore, she added, “I want to see what is happening in their ministry and also to get good conversations going so that we can be good relationship builders together and be about the business of the ways that we can serve God.”
Michael Curry is scheduled to officiate Wells’ ordination. Curry is the first Black to serve as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was previously bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina. Curry gained international acclaim when he preached at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018.
This will be one of his final acts before retiring later in 2024. Wells will soon lead a diocese of 87 parishes, missions, mission stations, and chaplaincies around the state with approximately 17,600 members.
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