[Diocese of West Missouri] The Rt. Rev. Martin Scott Field, who has served as bishop of West Missouri for the last 10 years, announced his intent to resign in 2021 during his address to the diocese’s Annual Convention in 2018. He now shares that his resignation will be effective Sept. 14, 2021. West Missouri’s Standing Committee has stated it is actively seeking a bishop provisional to guide the diocese through a period of self-examination and a missional visioning process before the call of the next bishop diocesan.
Reflecting on his episcopacy, Field said, “It has been my extreme honor and profound privilege to be the bishop of West Missouri for over 10 years. This time has yielded much personal growth for me, and I cannot thank the members of the diocese enough for their faithfulness to, and love of, the mission of God. I believe West Missouri is poised to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance into its future, and I offer my blessings upon the leaders God will use to take West Missouri into its next steps on the Way of Love.”
The Diocese of West Missouri is home to over 9,000 Episcopalians in 47 congregations. It serves a diverse mix of communities from the major urban areas of Kansas City and Springfield to suburbs, small towns and rural areas. West Missouri is one of four sponsoring dioceses of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, a unique, regional, collaborative venture of the Dioceses of West Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Western Kansas founded in 2013 to support leadership formation and to strengthen bonds of community and mutual mission. Additionally, BKSM offers programs to serve members of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
Prior to his consecration, Field served churches in Ohio, Maryland, Tennessee and Michigan, and served as a U.S. Navy chaplain. He and his wife, Donna, have two children and three grandchildren. He says he is, “Looking forward to what God has in store next!”