JACKSON, Miss. — In a historical election, the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi chose Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells as its new bishop Saturday, making her the first woman and first Black person elected to lead the church.
On Saturday, Wells was selected on the fourth ballot by delegates from all 87 congregations during the diocese’s annual conference. She was among five candidates.
Wells will replace Brian Seage, who led the diocese through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Jackson, Mississippi, water crisis. Seage was elected in 2014 and succeeded Bishop Duncan Gray in 2015, upon Gray’s retirement.
“This is a historic moment and this marks a new chapter in our history,” Seage said. “It’s the first time we have elected a woman and the first time we have elected an African American as the bishop of the diocese. I think this speaks dramatically for this movement within our church.”
The selection continues a trend in Mississippi as Sharma Lewis was elected as the first Black woman to become the Mississippi United Methodist Church bishop in November 2022. Wells will become bishop-elect on May 1 and work alongside Seage before being ordained on July 20.