The Bishop

Bishop Skip Adams

Bishop Skip Adams

The Right Reverend Gladstone B. “Skip” Adams III was elected by acclamation and invested as the Provisional Bishop of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina on September 10, 2016 at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston.

Bishop Adams, 64, continues until October as the 10th Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, where he has served for the last 15 years. Several months before South Carolina's call, he had announced plans to retire from Central New York. Based in Liverpool, NY, that diocese has 81 congregations and some 13,000 members, and has elected the Very Reverend DeDe Duncan-Probe to become its 11th bishop on December 3, 2016.

The South Carolina diocese, which covers the eastern half of the state, consists of 31 parishes, missions and worshiping communities and has an estimated 7,000 members.

Bishop Adams is a native of Baltimore, MD, and graduated from Towson University in 1976. In 1980 he earned his Master of Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1980. He went on to serve in churches in New York, Virginia, New Hampshire and Maryland.

He enjoys fly-fishing and fly-tying, reading, music of all kinds, camping and canoeing. He is interested in the Church and people in El Salvador (the companion Diocese of Central New York), environmental and social issues. Bishop Adams’ wife, Bonnie Adams, is a registered nurse, and they have three adult children: Peter, Stephen, and Emily.

About our leadership transition
Leaders of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina in June nominated the Right Reverend Gladstone B. “Skip” Adams III as the next Provisional Bishop for the diocese, calling him to South Carolina as he prepared to retire as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York.

The Standing Committee called a Special Convention for September 10 at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston, so delegates could vote on installing Bishop Adams as the successor to Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg.

Bishop Adams was the unanimous choice of the Standing Committee, said the committee’s President, the Reverend Jean McGraw. The nomination follows a four-month search process. Read more here.

On January 14, 2016, Bishop vonRosenberg announced his plan to retire after concluding his 2015-2016 calendar of episcopal visitations. Read his letter here.

Find out more about this transition on our Leadership Transition Page.

Visitation Schedule
View the current 2016-2017 schedule here. An updated schedule will be posted in September.

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The Bishop's Messages
Visit this page for sermons from the Bishop's visitations in the diocese, and other messages and reflections.