Job Description of a Bishop Over a Church
Bishops are leaders in a church. The Roman Catholic Church uses bishops prominently, but other religious groups such as Mormon, Lutheran and Episcopal churches employ bishops as well. Bishops are similar to priests and ministers, but they oversee a larger area and have more duties associated with upper management. If you see a church like a business, then bishops are like district managers who oversee multiple branches of the corporation.
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Bishop Defined
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Bishops are church leaders who are one level above general clergy (priests and ministers). They are responsible for overseeing and assisting with the operations of all the churches of their denomination within a particular geographical region (a diocese).
Support
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According to The Anglican Diocese of Nelson, bishops support the clergy in their diocese by building teams and encouraging church leaders and general members. They serve as re-enforcers for what the clergy preaches unless the clergy preaches what directly goes against the church doctrine or policies.
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Preaching
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The primary duty of bishops is to preach the beliefs of their denomination. They may do this indirectly through instructing clergy, or they may do it directly by addressing the congregation of any church in their diocese. As part of their preaching responsibility, bishops actively participate in recruiting, appointing and/or ordaining clergy.
Administrative Duties
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Bishops may be responsible for administrative tasks, such as filing notices for vacancies in the diocese or approving requests for additional funding for a particular church within the diocese. They also have to work with other leaders of the church to manage church properties, such as working out mortgage rates for church lands with loan officers or buying new items used in worship.
Representation
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Bishops represent their diocese at meetings for their denomination, or for church leaders in general. These meetings and conferences usually contain information on denominational policy or discuss topics specific to church leaders, such as how to carry out administrative church tasks. Bishops relay whatever information they gain from these meetings and conferences back to the clergy and laymembers of their diocese.
Environment
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Bishops work primarily in churches and church offices. They may travel to attend conferences and meetings, and to visit and assess their churches. The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut reports that if a bishop is presiding over a service, bishops may have to wear specific garments that show their position in the church or which symbolize their duty of "shepherding" (leading) believers.
Wage
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Wages for bishops vary drastically according to denomination. For instance, according to Modern Mormon Dad, Morman bishops don't make a single penny for their service. Bishops in the United Methodist Church, by contrast, make almost $121,000 annually as of 2010, not including their allotted residency, according to the UMC Council of Bishops. This has to do largely with denominational beliefs on poverty and service.
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References
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