Henry Parsley

The Right Reverend Henry Nutt Parsley, Jr (born October 29, 1948 in Memphis) is the 10th Episcopal Bishop of Alabama. As Diocesan Bishop, Parsley oversees 92 Episcopal churches, 8 campus ministries and over 35,000 parishioners in Alabama, excluding the Gulf Coast region.

Early life

Parsley was born in Memphis. He received his Bachelor's in English (Magnum cum Laude) in 1970 from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee. That summer he married the former Rebecca Knox Allison of New Orleans and went to New York City to pursue his Master of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1973 and was ordained as a deacon. He also studied spirituality and soteriology at Oxford and has received Doctoral degrees in Divinity from Sewanee and the General Theological Seminary (1998).

Priesthood

He rose to the rank of priest in April 1974 and was assigned to Christ Church in Charlotte, North Carolina where he served 10 years. He also served as rector of St Paul's Church in Summerville, North Carolina and All Saints Church and Day School in Florence, North Carolina. He was assistant rector of St Philip's Church in Charleston, South Carolina and of Trinity Church in Myrtle Beach.

Bishophood

Parsley served as a deputy to the General Convention in 1982, 1985 and 1994. He was consecrated as Bishop Coadjutor of Alabama in January 1996 before assuming his current position two years later.

In 1997 he served on the Legislative Committee on Ministry for the General Convention in Philadelphia. He currently chairs the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development, the Theology Committee, and the Church Pension Fund's Abundance Committee. He also serves on the Planning Committee of the House of Bishops.

In 2003 Parsley was one of a minority of 43 in the House of Bishops who voted against the ordination of V. Eugene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as Bishop Coadjutor for the Diocese of New Hampshire. His position on the issue of sexuality in the church is nuanced and he has demonstrated a desire to prevent a split in the worldwide church while calling for renewed focus on the gospel as the source of doctrine. He has expressed faith in the consultative process as a means of resolving complicated issues.

From 2003 to 2009 Parsley was elected from the Board of Regents to serve as 22nd Chancellor of the University of the South at Sewanee. After his six-year term he was succeeded by J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta.

In 2006, Parsley was one of seven nominees for the office of Presiding Bishop over the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church of the United States of America. At the General Convention at Trinity Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio, Parsley received the second-highest total of 82 out of 188 votes cast in the fifth and deciding ballot. The Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected with a majority of 95 votes, and confirmed by the House of Deputies for a 9 year term.

Parsley and his wife have one son, Henry Nutt III, born in 1974.

Preceded by: Robert Miller	Episcopal Bishop of Alabama 1998 - present	Succeeded by: current
Preceded by: ?	Chancellor, University of the South 2003 - 2009	Succeeded by: J. Neil Alexander

References

• Garrison, Greg (June 18, 2006) "Episcopalians to get new leader." Birmingham News.

External links

• The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama website.
• 2006 Presiding Bishop candidates at episcopalchurch.org