Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton

As the United Methodist episcopal leader for the Pittsburgh Area, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton leads the over 900 clergy and over 850 congregations. The Pittsburgh Episcopal Area and the Western Pennsylvania Conference are in the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church.

A bishop serves as a general superintendent of the entire church. In the United Methodist tradition, bishops are not ordained as bishops, but are clergy elected and consecrated to the office. Bishops give general oversight to the worldly and spiritual interests of the Church.

The Council of Bishops is made up of all active and retired bishops of The United Methodist Church. The Council meets twice a year. According to The Book of Discipline, The Church expects the Council to speak to the Church and from the Church to the world and to give leadership in the quest for Christian unity and interreligious relationships.

Bishops are elected by one of the five jurisdictional conferences held every four years in the United States and by the central conferences outside of the U.S. Bishops in the U.S. are consecrated at the jurisdictional conference and are expected to report for work in their new areas on Sept. 1.

Bishops are assigned by their jurisdiction to serve a geographical area for a four-year term. There are 50 episcopal areas in the United States and 19 episcopal areas outside of the U.S. 

 Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton

• Biography 

• Office Staff 

  Meet the Bishop's staff and contact them at the United Methodist Center in Cranberry Twp.

• Column, The Journey Continues ... 

  Read the Bishop's columns that appear in the InterLink, the Conference's monthly newspaper.

•  Bishop's State of the Church address, 2010 Western PA Annual Conference

• 2010-11 Clergy Appointments - read Sunday, June 13

• Fall 2009 District Days Powerpoint and Presentation Script

• Recommended Readings

  Read along with Bishop Bickerton on a variety of topics. 

• Bishop Bickerton in the News

  United Methodist and other news articles and features are highlighted here. Follow the links to see where Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, episcopal leader for Western Pennsylvania United Methodists, is making news.

• Blog

  Follow Bishop Bickerton's thoughts and travels through his blog. Updates are based on his schedule and availability.