Bishop Kenneth L. Carder

Denomination: United Methodist Church (UMC)
Organization: United Methodist Church

The Reverend Kenneth L. Carder is the retired bishop of the Nashville Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church, and has held pastoral appointments in Tennessee, Maryland, and Virginia.

Leadership beyond the local church has included membership of numerous boards and committees including: Board of Church and Society; the General Council on Ministries; the General Council on Finance and Administration; the General Committee on Church Extension and Parish Development; Committee on Investigation; and the Board of Trustees of Emory and Henry College.

Bishop Carder was a member of the Board of Governors of Wesley Seminary and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Division of Health and Welfare Ministries 1986-1988. Elected to the Episcopacy in 1992, Bishop Carder was honored as Distinguished Evangelist in 1993 by the Foundation for Evangelism. He was named "Ecumenist of the Year" in 1994 by the Tennessee Association of Churches. Mr. Carder has chaired task forces for the Council of Bishops on "Study of Wisdom" and "Ministry with the Poor".

A frequent lecturer/preacher/teacher he has spoken at numerous Annual Conferences, universities, seminaries, pastors' schools and local churches including the United Theological College in Harare, Zimbabwe, Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, South Africa, Holston Conference Pastors' Convocation, World Conference of Methodist Bishops and Presidents in Seoul, Korea, Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, and Oxford University.

Among the numerous church publications for which Mr. Carder has written are the Circuit Rider, Christian Social Action, Youth Magazine, and Quarterly Review. He is author of Sermons on United Methodist Beliefs, published by Providence House, 1996; and Living Our Beliefs The United Methodist Way, Discipleship Resources, 1996.

Bishop Carder holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from East Tennessee, a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and has done additional post graduate study at the Candler School of Theology, Wesley Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary; and completed clinical pastoral training at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C.

He is married to Linda Miller Carder; they have two daughters, Sheri and Sandra, and one granddaughter Katelyn Lee Nash. In retirement Ken enjoys reading, walking and relaxing at his home at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Currently, he serves as the Professor of Pastoral Formation at Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina.