Candler students, along with faculty members Ellen Shepard and Larry Goodpaster (fourth from right), made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in January 2020. Photo courtesy of Cale Hall 19T 26T
Bishop-in-Residence Larry Goodpaster’s wisdom and vast biblical knowledge made him the perfect guide for a group of Candler students and faculty immersing themselves in a trip to Israel and Palestine. These journeys produced various tales, including walking from the Chapel of the Beatitudes to the Sea of Galilee and enduring all types of weather. Yet, one story stands out in the memory of former Women, Theology, and Ministry program director and faculty member Ellen Shepard.
“My personal favorite was at Magdala as we walked from the sacred site to the shore,” Shepard recalls. “He said to me, ‘Hey, I need you to lead us in worship.’ I said, ‘Sure, when?’ He replied, ‘Now.’ And of course I did.”
In this simple exchange lies the essence of Goodpaster’s leadership—a blend of spontaneity, humility, and deep-rooted faith.
Goodpaster preaching at the 2012 General Conference. UMNews Photo by Mike DuBose
As Goodpaster prepares to bid farewell to Candler after eight years as bishop-in-residence and director of the school’s Early Career Pastoral Leadership Program, these moments are the ones that stay with the community. His grace, humor, and diligence linger in the hearts and minds of those who have had the privilege of journeying alongside him.
Beyond anecdotes and memories lies Goodpaster’s legacy forged through decades of dedicated service to The United Methodist Church. His multilayered ministry experience has helped him shine hope on the denomination’s next chapter, which he’s shared with his students.
Third-year MDiv student Hannah Pye says, “Bishop Goodpaster has provided his students hope for the future of The United Methodist Church, while simultaneously rooting us in its tradition, current practices, history, and polity.”
Goodpaster himself is a Candler alum twice over, earning both his master of divinity (1973) and doctor of ministry (1982) degrees here. After decades of serving the Mississippi Conference as a pastor and district superintendent, he was elected to the episcopacy in 2000 and served for sixteen years as a resident bishop, first for the Alabama-West Florida Conference, and then for the Western North Carolina Conference. He has also served as a delegate to three UMC General Conferences and four Jurisdictional Conferences, and was president of the Council of Bishops from 2010-2012.
Tiffania Willetts 18T 25T is one of the students who has valued Goodpaster’s deep roots in church ministry. “As a returning Candler student in the DMin program, it has been refreshing to have a professor who not only has practiced ministry but who has led other pastors through a variety of ministry challenges,” she says. “Bishop Goodpaster takes his calling as a ‘pastor to pastors’ seriously, mentoring his students who are practicing ministry or preparing to do so as colleagues and respected peers.”
Hillary Taylor 18T emphasizes Goodpaster’s ability to connect with individuals from all walks of life. She says, “Bishop Goodpaster is the kind of leader that can connect with everyone and affirm their call to ministry—whatever that call may be. Whether it’s in a church Sunday School classroom in rural North Carolina, or next to a holy site in the West Bank of Palestine, his gift for sharing the pastoral and prophetic is unmatched.”
Third-year MDiv student Heidi Greenwood Doell calls Goodpaster “a gentleman of grace, a champion for the good news of Jesus Christ, and an advocate for pastors-in-the-making. He has challenged me to consider my answers through his questions, which come from perspective and experience. He teaches by doing and reminds us to do the same—how to hold space well, how to pray, how to walk with another, how to be a distributor of mercy, and how to bring hope to the world.”
Though the curtain may close on this chapter of Goodpaster’s ministry and journey in higher education, the impact of his leadership and encouragement will reverberate through a new generation of pastors as they guide the church into its hope-filled future.