Religion and Life Hour – Bishop David Alan Bard

Bishop David Alan Bard is the presiding bishop of the Michigan Conference and jointly serves as bishop of the Illinois Great Rivers Area of The United Methodist Church. Bishop Bard also served the Minnesota Annual Conference as interim bishop 2021-2022. Before arriving in Michigan in September 2016, Bishop Bard had served at First United Methodist Church in Duluth, Minnesota, since 2005. He was elected to the episcopacy on July 13, 2016, at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference in Peoria, IL. He has been in ministry for more than 30 years and served in many roles within the Minnesota Annual Conference and the General Church. Bishop Bard received a BA from the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 1981; his Master of Divinity was earned at United Theological Seminary, Twin Cities 1984; and in 1994 he received a Ph.D. from Southern Methodist University with a focus on Christian ethics Bishop Bard has a wife, Julie, three adult children, and two grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys music, reading, baseball, and walking outside.