A Gay Bishop, a Divided Church, and an Undefended Heart: Bishop Karen Oliveto at Gather 2025

Bishop Karen Oliveto was just eleven years old when she felt a powerful spiritual call to ministry, and her Methodist congregation lovingly nurtured that call as she grew. But years later, as a young seminary student, she found herself facing something she had long tried to ignore: her sexual orientation. She pored over scripture, shed endless tears, and wrestled with God. And she says that when she was finally able to accept this part of herself, she felt a peace that passes all understanding. She went on to become the first openly gay bishop in the United Methodist Church.

Bishop Oliveto has spent much of her ministry loving people who weren’t sure they could or should love her back. When she was assigned to congregations across the West, some called for her removal, and others threatened her life. So she began a practice of sitting outside each church before entering, not knowing what awaited her behind those doors, and praying for an undefended heart. Again and again, her genuine love softened hearts, and over time, many who had come prepared to oppose her became her friends.

At last year’s Gather conference, Tim and Aubrey got to sit down with Bishop Oliveto to hear about what she learned through these experiences and to explore themes from her book, Together at the Table, which offers a path for being in loving community across deep differences—for experiencing unity without uniformity.

We are so grateful to have experienced Bishop Oliveto’s warmth and wisdom firsthand.

If you are interested in more conversations like this, the Gather Conference put on by the Lift+Love Foundation is happening November 13-14 in Provo, UT this year. You can go to liftandlove.org/gather to register, and use code FAITHMATTERS26 for 20% off!

Join us at the Organized Intelligence conference on November 10!