Brian Prior


Brian Norman Prior was the ninth diocesan bishop of Minnesota in The Episcopal Church. He was elected on October 31, 2009 to succeed James L. Jelinek and was ordained and consecrated on February 13, 2010.

Education

Prior was raised in Prosser, Washington and graduated from Whitworth University in Spokane. In 1987, he received his Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. He received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in October 2014.

Life

Prior's first position was Associate Priest of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Spokane. From there he worked as the Director of Education and Development for the Diocese of Spokane and also was Executive Director of Camp Cross, a church-run camp on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Prior founded the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane, WA in 1996 and served as their Rector for 14 years.
In 2003 he was chosen to serve as the Chaplain of the Episcopal Church's General Convention. In 2006 he was elected Vice President of the House of Deputies, one of the two groups that make up the governing body of the Episcopal Church. He was reelected to that position in 2009, but gave up that post to join the House of Bishops.
A month after his consecration as Minnesota's Bishop, Prior helped lead the Freeman High School Scotties girl's varsity basketball team to their first state championship. Freeman is a K-12 grade school in Rockford, near Spokane, with fewer than 1,000 students. Prior coached the team for about six years.
Prior has been married to Staci Hubbard Prior for more than 25 years. Prior and his wife met and were married at camp.
Prior and his sons are involved in the Episcopal Conference Programs held at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Episcopacy

Brian Prior was elected IX Bishop of Minnesota at Diocesan Convention on Saturday, October 31, 2009. He was consecrated on February 13, 2010, the feast of Absalom Jones. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Church Pension Fund Board of Trustees.
In Minnesota, the Bishop also serves as Board Chair of Shattuck-St. Mary's School and Board Chair of Breck School.
On September 25, 2018, Bishop Prior announced that he would be leaving the position. He was succeeded by Craig Loya on June 6, 2020.

Footnotes