Antiguan-born Rev. Dr. Dion Christopher elected bishop of Moravian Church
(In photo above: The Rev. Dr. Neil Routh (right) with the Rev. Dr. Dion Christopher)
Key Points(5)
- Christopher has been elected a bishop of the Moravian Church and is scheduled to be consecrated next month in South Florida.
- Christopher was elected June 4 during the Synod of the Moravian Church, Southern Province, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- His consecration will take place Sept.
- at Prince of Peace Moravian Church in Miami Gardens, Florida.
- Originally from Spring Gardens Moravian Church in Antigua, Christopher has spent more than three decades in ministry, serving congregations across the Caribbean and the United States.
Antiguan-born Rev. Dr. Dion T.A. Christopher has been elected a bishop of the Moravian Church and is scheduled to be consecrated next month in South Florida.
Christopher was elected June 4 during the Synod of the Moravian Church, Southern Province, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
His consecration will take place Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. at Prince of Peace Moravian Church in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Originally from Spring Gardens Moravian Church in Antigua, Christopher has spent more than three decades in ministry, serving congregations across the Caribbean and the United States.
He was ordained a deacon in the Moravian Church in 1991 and consecrated a presbyter in 1999.
Christopher currently serves as co-pastor alongside his wife, the Rev. Dr. Eulencine Richards-Christopher, who is also from Antigua, in the South Florida Pastorate. The pastorate includes Prince of Peace, Palm Beach, New Hope, Margate and King of Kings Moravian churches.
He also oversees Moravian fellowships in Tampa, Sarasota and Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; and Jan Hus in Texas.
Within the Moravian Church in America Southern Province, Christopher is a member of the Provincial Elders Conference, serves on the Moravian Seminary Board of Trustees and is president of the Southern Shores District.
His ministry has also included extensive service in the Caribbean.
Christopher served the Moravian Church in St. Kitts from 1990 to 1998 before serving at the Moravian Church of Downey in California from 1998 to 1999. He subsequently served at Friedensberg Moravian Church in the U.S. Virgin Islands from 1999 to 2020.
In the Eastern West Indies Province, he served as vice chairman of the Provincial Elders Conference and director of mission and evangelism.
Christopher is a graduate of the United Theological College of the West Indies, where he earned a diploma in ministerial studies, and the University of the West Indies, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in theology.
He later attended Fuller Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Ministry, with studies specializing in mission and evangelism and later worship evangelism and renewal.
Christopher also served in the U.S. Army as state chaplain and senior Army chaplain of the Virgin Islands National Guard.
His military service earned him several honors, including the Army Commendation Medal, the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal and the Virgin Islands Long and Faithful Service Medal.
Christopher credits his late mother, Hillary Christopher, with playing a significant role in the development of his faith. Her devotion to God and service to the church, he said, provided an example that helped shape his own spiritual journey.
Christopher is married to Richards-Christopher, and the couple has two children, Jaleel and Janaé. Their family also includes daughter-in-law Jade, son-in-law Di’Jon and granddaughter Jazzlyn.
