Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area
Welcome
About
Bishop Dan Schwerin
Bishop Dan Schwerin, Bishop of The United Methodist Church, is serving as the resident Bishop for the Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area. Bishop Schwerin was elected to the episcopacy at the North Central Jurisdiction gathering in November 2022.
Bishop Schwerin (he, him, his) is husband to his wife, Julie, and a father, grandfather, poet, and Jesus is the gold in his life. He is a graduate of Perkins School of Theology and did post-graduate Bowen family systems theory work there. He has enjoyed many contexts for pastoral ministry, including urban and rural churches, a new church plant, a Superintendent of two districts, as well as a multi-staff downtown setting which became a reconciling congregation and launched a beloved community of non-profits to benefit children dealing with grief, persons who wanted help to battle generational poverty, and children who desired access to stringed instruments, lessons, and a community who would enjoy their growth in musical ability.
After the General Conference of 2019, Bishop Schwerin was asked by Bishop Hee-Soo Jung to lead a collaborative effort with conference partners to increase racial justice and radical inclusion. He then served as Assistant to the Bishop in the Wisconsin Conference. He has also served on the General Conference Task Force on Funding Patterns in the UMC.
Dan and Julie love evening walks and labyrinths. His poetry comes from life on a farm or making his rounds across thirty plus years as a pastor in Wisconsin. His debut haiku collection, ORS, from red moon press, won the Haiku Foundation’s Touchstone Award in 2015.
About the Episcopal Area
In January 2024, the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) established two new episcopal areas: The Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area and The Ohio Episcopal Area. This reduced the number of bishops serving NCJ's ten conferences to seven.
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The NCJ Committee on Episcopacy determined the bishops' assignments at the July NCJ conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The assignments were announced on July 13, with Bishop Dan Schwerin assigned to the Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area.
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Episcopal Office Address
1901 Chestnut Avenue
Glenview, IL 60625-1604
Northern Illinois Conference
Rev. Danita Anderson, Clergy Assistant to the Bishop
Marva Andrews, Executive Administrative Assistant
303 E. Wacker Dr., Suite 2020
Chicago, IL 60601
312-346-9766
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Wisconsin Conference
Rev. Barbara Certa-Werner, Clergy Assistant to the Bishop
Julie Wiedmeyer, Executive Administrative Assistant
750 Windsor St., Suite 303
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
608-837-8526