Ralph Edward Dodge
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| Denomination | The Methodist Church |
|---|---|
| Senior posting | |
| See | Africa |
| Title | Bishop of Africa Central |
| Period in office | 1956 - 1968 |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | ? |
| Religious career | |
| Priestly ordination | 1935 |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | January 25, 1907 |
| Place of birth |  Dickinson County, Iowa, United States |
Ralph Edward Dodge (born January 25, 1907)[1] is a retired American Bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, elected in 1956. He was the youngest of four children of Ernest and Lizzie Longshore Dodge of Dickinson County, Iowa.
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[edit] Call
After high school graduation, Ralph followed his father and older brother into farming. The family attended the Methodist Episcopal Church in Terril, Iowa. It was there that his Pastor suggested God might be calling Ralph to preach. In spite of scoffing at the idea initially, Ralph earnestly wrestled with the possibility for several years. Finally, he decided to pursue this call, trusting that if God willed it, seemingly impassible doors would open.
[edit] Education
Ralph put himself through Taylor University, Upland, Indiana, by working for the university greenhouse and farm. While at Taylor, Ralph met Eunice Davis, a coed from Little Valley, New York. They married in June 1934. After graduation from Taylor, Ralph went on to Boston University School of Theology.
[edit] Ordained Ministry
After seminary graduation, Ralph served small churches in Massachusetts and North Dakota. But he and Eunice both felt called to foreign missions work.
In 1935 they were accepted as candidates for a missionary opening in Angola, then called Portuguese West Africa. The birth of their first child in January 1936 delayed their departure. But just a few months later they were in language school in Lisbon, Portugal. They arrived in Portuguese West Africa December 1936.
[edit] Episcopal Ministry
The Rev. Dodge was elected Bishop in 1956, the first Methodist Bishop elected by the Africa Central Conference. He was the only American Methodist missionary ever elected Bishop by the Africa Central Conference, as well. Previously Bishops to Africa had been appointed from America. Bishop Dodge served as Bishop in Africa until 1968, leading the African church through the turbulent years from colonial control to African leadership. His Episcopal Area included the colonial territories of Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Dodge lives in retirement in Inverness, Florida.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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