Bishop Dan Schwerin

Bishop Dan Schwerin oversees the Northern Illinois Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.  He was elected to the episcopacy at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference in November 2022.

Bishop Schwerin (he, him, his) is husband to his wife, Julie, and a father, grandfather, and poet. He names Jesus as the gold in his life.

A graduate of Perkins School of Theology, he also took post-graduate studies in Bowen family systems theory. Bishop Schwerin has enjoyed many contexts for pastoral ministry, including urban and rural churches, a new church plant, a superintendent of two districts, as well as a multi-staff downtown setting, which became a Reconciling Congregation and launched a beloved community of nonprofits to benefit children dealing with grief, persons who wanted help to battle generational poverty, and children who desired access to music lessons on stringed instruments, and a community who would enjoy their growth in musical ability.

After the General Conference of 2019, Bishop Schwerin was asked by Bishop Hee-Soo Jung to lead a collaborative effort with conference partners to increase racial justice and radical inclusion. He then served as assistant to the bishop in the Wisconsin Conference.  He has also served on the General Conference Task Force on Funding Patterns in the UMC.

Dan and Julie love evening walks and labyrinths. His poetry comes from life on a farm or making his rounds during his 30-plus years as a pastor in Wisconsin. His debut haiku collection, Ors (Red Moon Press), won the Haiku Foundation’s 2015 Touchstone Distinguished Book Award. In 2024, he pubilshed lightly: american sijo (Red Moon Press).

Bishop Dan Schwerin's Biography (Council of Bishops site)

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Bishop Schwerin's Statements, Addresses, and Columns