The Rt. Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells made history in February of 2024 when she was elected as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. Bishop Wells is the first woman and first Black person to hold the position.
A native of Mobile, Alabama, Bishop Wells completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Rhodes College, and her Juris Doctor degree from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. She practiced employee benefits law for 18 years, at FedEx Corporation, and at Waring Cox, PLLC, before she left the practice of law to follow God’s call to ordained ministry. She received her M.Div. from Memphis Theological Seminary, and her DMin from Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
- Where are you from originally? What is your denomination background?
I’m originally from Mobile, Alabama. I attended undergraduate school at Rhodes College – and ended up staying on in and truly loving the Memphis area. My parents were Baptist, but that never seemed to be the fit for me. While I was in college, I began worshipping at Calvary Episcopal Church, in Downtown Memphis. Everything about the theology of The Episcopal Church seemed to resonate with me. I was confirmed shortly after my graduation from Rhodes, and have called The Episcopal Church my spiritual home since then.
- Was there an impactful class or a professor from your time at MTS that stands out in your memory?
Three professors and classes really stand out for me: Dr. Peter Gathje’s course on Contextual Theology called me to look more critically at all of the needs in Memphis – and ask how the Church was seeking to serve Christ in all persons. A visit to Manna House was transformative – and helped me, in parish ministry, ask questions about how we are called to serve. The churches I served in the Memphis area embarked on a lot of that holy discernment with me. That work shaped the lives of many persons in both parish settings.
The other professors and courses that truly helped shape me were Dr. Mitzi Minor’s Introduction to New Testament (which helped me see that I needed to read scripture much more carefully and critically!) and Dr. Aliou Niang’s New Testament Theology (That careful and critical reading of scripture called me to re-read Matthew’s Gospel and re-think the powerful story he shared with his audience – and why his lens into the life and ministry of Jesus really matters!).
- What’s something you learned at MTS that still informs your work?
My work in New Testament Theology was focused on Matthew’s Gospel. That was the first time that I’d really “seen“ Matthew’s telling of the story of Jesus as a story of Messiah who comes from all over the world (Matthew’s Gospel opens with a genealogy which includes four Gentile women we might not expect to be part of Jesus’ story.) sending the disciples out into all the world at its close with the Great Commission. That has stuck with me – and clearly still informs my ministry. All of the world is clearly within the ambit of God’s love.
- You are a prolific essayist! What part does writing play in your spiritual life?
I write a lot – and some of my writing never sees the light of published spaces; it becomes a helpful spiritual practice as I pray and reflect on scripture. But I do hope that by sharing scriptural insights into some of our community challenges – through the various channels for which I write – we can all find new meaning and new messages from our holy words.
- Why should people discerning a call to ministry consider attending MTS?
One of the most valuable gifts for me from completing my MDiv at MTS was the diverse group of students with whom I grew and learned. I know that I’m called to serve The Episcopal Church. But learning about other ministers and ministries and the ways in which we are all called to serve has been invaluable to me in growing in ecumenical and interfaith relations – and striving to love and serve together as Christ implored the disciples in John’s Gospel. I am grateful.
We recently announced the Bishop Dorothy Sanders Wells Women in Ministry Scholarship. We have set an ambitious goal of raising $50,000 in Dr. Wells’ honor to make this scholarship fund a reality.
If we meet our goal of raising $50,000 by July 31, 2025, we will be able to award our first recipient in the Fall 2025 semester.
To Donate, go to https://memphisseminary.edu/bishop-dorothy-wells/
To Learn More, go to https://tinyurl.com/2s4zz9fj