Bishop H. Julian Gordy
Denomination: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Organization: ELCA Southeastern Synod
A native of Newnan, Georgia, Julian Gordy served as pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Franklin, TN; Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Ocean Springs, MS; and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Morristown, TN before his election as bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod in June, 2007. He received the A.B. in religion from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia in 1972 and the M. Div. from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1985. A long-time proponent of ministries of mercy and justice, Bishop Gordy was a founding member of the board of MATS, a unique home for homeless persons in Morristown, and of Samaritan Ministry of Jackson County, an ecumenical emergency relief agency on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
He has been involved in numerous community and church agencies and boards in Tennessee and Mississippi and was active in the founding of Lutheran Episcopal Services of Mississippi. He has served church agencies and institutions in a number of roles, most recently as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. Bishop Gordy has been a frequent leader of workshops on organizational structure, consensus decision-making, mission development and liturgical renewal.
Before attending Southern Seminary, Bishop Gordy worked in university and hospital administration and in housing restoration. He is married to the Reverend Dr. P. Morgan Gordy, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Lebanon, Tennessee. They have four children and six grandchildren. His hobbies include backpacking, sailing and woodworking.
Day1 Weekly Programs by Bishop H. Julian Gordy
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Ordinary Holiness
Tuesday February 09, 2010
ELCA Bishop Julian Gordy examines Luke's account of the Transfiguration from both a religious and a scientific point of view, and describes how both can exist together.
Articles by Bishop H. Julian Gordy
Bishop Julian Gordy: Seven ways to live a faithful life
Tuesday November 29, 2016
We were asked to join with voices of faith from our three Abrahamic traditions to think about how the ways we share comfort, prayer, resources and energy with others beyond our borders can in turn help each of us lead a more faithful life. We are pleased to share them with you from our perspective as Lutherans...
Bishop Julian Gordy: Light in the Darkness: An Advent Reflection
Saturday December 22, 2012
Those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrate the incarnation during the darkest time of the year. The birth of Mary’s baby reminds us that the Light has come, is coming into our world.
Bishop Julian Gordy: Getting Back to Basics
Saturday November 10, 2012
People come to our assemblies looking for God, but we church folk have been focusing on survival strategies instead -- odd behavior for a community that follows Jesus who told us not to try to save our lives.
Bishop Julian Gordy: The Mystery We Celebrate
Saturday April 07, 2012
The mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus we celebrate this Triduum is not just another thing we Christians believe. It is the very center of our faith. Everything hinges on it. The stakes are high. Very high.
Bishop Julian Gordy: Our Spiritual Pilgrimage
Thursday February 23, 2012
Over the years I have come to believe that the most important work of Lent is, simply stated, to learn humility.
Bishop Julian Gordy: No Death That God Cannot Overcome
Saturday April 30, 2011
You can see, in the real world, how someone like Thomas Jefferson might get Good Friday but have doubts about Easter, might be certain of the reality of innocent suffering and death but not so sure about resurrection.
Bishop Julian Gordy: And the Word Became Flesh
Wednesday December 22, 2010
John's gospel begins, not with the birth of Jesus, but with a theological statement of incarnation: literally, "...the Word became flesh and pitched its tent with us." The incarnation is a mystery that theologians and philosophers have pondered and argued about for centuries.
Bishop Julian Gordy: Hurricane Katrina, Five Years Later
Tuesday September 07, 2010
It's been five years since Hurricane Katrina devasted the Gulf Coast. ELCA Southeastern Synod Bishop Julian Gordy offers some reflections on lessons learned and victories won in the meantime.
Bishop Julian Gordy: Trust God for the Future
Friday July 09, 2010
Bishop Julian Gordy of the ELCA Southeastern Synod writes, "In working so desperately to hold on to life, to be safe in an uncertain future, to grab all the material things that pass for life, we lose real life." Read on...
Video by Bishop H. Julian Gordy
Bishop Julian Gordy (Part 1) - Day1 Conversations with Peter Wallace
Friday February 26, 2010
Day1 host Peter Wallace sits down with Bishop Julian Gordy, head of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to discuss the work of the synod, the challenges of the church and the work of the Bishop.
Bishop Julian Gordy (Part 2) - Day1 Conversations with Peter Wallace
Friday February 26, 2010
Day1 host Peter Wallace sits down with Bishop Julian Gordy, head of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to discuss the work of the synod, the challenges of the church and the work of the Bishop.