Bishop C. Dale White

C. Dale White was elected a Bishop of the United Methodist Church at the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference in 1976. He has served as the episcopal leader in the New Jersey area for four years and the New York area for four.

Bishop White retired in 1992. For two years after retirement he coordinated the Organic Gardening and Composting Project at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville. For four years after retirement he served as a consultant on African development and coordinator of the Africa Advocacy Project for the General Board of Global Ministries.

Born in rural Iowa, Bishop White was a farmer when called into the ministry. He received his BA degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, IA, and his STB and PhD degrees from Boston University. After serving churches in New England, he joined the staff of the General Board of Christian Social Concerns in 1961, becoming Associate General Secretary in 1966. He returned to a New England parish in 1968, and served as a District Superintendent in the Southern New England Conference from 1971-1976.

Bishop White has continued a strong commitment to the ministries of peace, justice, and the integrity of creation throughout his career, writing extensively on issues ofChristian social witness and action. His most recent book is Making a Just Peace: Human Rights and Domination Systems, written as reflections on the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (Abingdon Press, 1998)

Bishop White led the Council of Bishops in the church-wide study of In Defense of Creation, mobilizing the denomination against the continuing nuclear arms build-up. He was a delegate to: UN World Population Conference in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1965; World Council of Churches Consultation on Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation in Seoul, Korea in 1990; "Health for All" Consultation in LaPaz, Bolivia in 1990; "Partners in Action" Encounter in Antigua, Guatamala in 1991; UNCED Conference or "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janero, Brazil in 1992; and the White House Conference on Africa in 1994.

Bishop White has been a board member of Bread for the World, the International Coordinating Committee on Religion and the Earth, and the Population Communications Council. He continues as a member of the Board of the Center for Theology and Public Policy. For eight years he was Director of the General Board of Global Ministries. For four years he served as a delegate to the UN NGO on the Palestinian question.

Bishop White and his wife Gwendolyn are parents of six children and grandparents of seven.