Bishop J. Scott Barker

Bishop J. Scott Barker serves as the chief pastor of the 53 Episcopal worshiping communities planted across Nebraska’s 77,000 square miles. He is a passionate follower of Jesus, committed to evangelism and personal patterns of discipleship that help nurture a deep life in Christ. Ordained as bishop in 2011, Bishop Barker “came home” to Nebraska after serving for ten years in the Diocese of New York. Born and raised in Omaha, Bishop Barker received a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale College and an MDiv from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Upon ordination to the priesthood in 1992, he served in Omaha for the first ten years of his ministry.

As diocesan, Bishop Barker established The Bishop’s Society for Clergy Excellence and has helped raise over one million dollars to encourage young vocations and bring Curates to Nebraska. He helped found The Benedictine Way, a new residential monastic community and affiliated young adult ministry now serving Omaha and beyond, and he played an essential part in the establishment of Friends of Tamar and Magdalene Omaha, ministries devoted to serving and healing survivors of sex trafficking and drug addiction. During his episcopate, Nebraska became one of the Episcopal Church’s leading participants in Sacred Ground.

In addition to his work as Bishop, Scott serves on the House of Bishops Planning Committee, the College for Bishops Board, the board of Dominican Development Group, and the board of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. He has previously served on the Virginia Theological Seminary Board, the Bishop’s Court of Appeals, and the General Convention Program, Budget and Finance Committee. He is a board member of the River City Mixed Chorus, Nebraska’s largest LGBTQ+ choir.

Bishop Barker is the co-author of several pieces of sacred music, an avid reader, a runner, a loving spouse, father, and (new!) grandfather.