James E. (Jim) Waggoner, Jr. was consecrated eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane in October, 2000.
A native of Ohio, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University and Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Divinity degrees from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA. Before entering seminary, he served in the U. S. Navy for six years and as Director of a Community Action Child Development program. He and his wife, Gloria, have two adult sons.
Prior to his election as bishop, Bishop Waggoner served 21 years in the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, 12 in parish ministry and nine on the Bishop’s staff as Canon to the Ordinary, Congregational and Community Consultant, and Deployment Officer.
Jim began serving as a Deputy to the General Convention beginning in 1988, where he provided leadership on the Evangelism and Communication committees. Among current leadership roles, he is a member of the House of Bishops Committee on Pastoral Development and the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance, where he chairs the Budgetary Funding Task Force which has taken a fresh look at how The Episcopal Church (USA) funds its mission.
Early in his episcopate, and following intensive meetings across the Diocese, the diocesan convention adopted the mission statement “Be Bold in Christ,” along with mission imperatives in support of this vision. In 2005, building on the work done in developing the mission imperatives, and looking ahead to the future, Bishop Waggoner launched a highly successful two-pronged endowment campaign to provide funds to endow the episcopate and to provide funds for church growth and development.
In his Episcopal ministry, Jim emphasizes effective leadership grounded in ongoing Christian formation as being essential to empowering all members for the mission to which God has called us – proclamation of the Gospel by word and example. In his teachings, he emphasizes the baptismal imperative to respect the dignity of every human being and the call to live this out in our words and our work.