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The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama ordained and consecrated the Rt. Rev. Richard Lawson as its 13th Bishop on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, AL. Lawson succeeds the Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenda S. Curry.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe served as chief consecrator. Co-consecrators included Bishop Curry, the Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley Jr., 10th Bishop of Alabama; the Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, 11th Bishop of Alabama; the Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf, Bishop of West Tennessee; the Rt. Rev. Shannon Duckworth, Bishop of Louisiana; and the Rev. Kevin Strickland, Bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Bishop Shannon Duckworth preached the sermon.
Ahead of the consecration, Lawson shared, “I am overjoyed to be called to serve alongside you. After every baptism, the priest says, ‘You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.’ If you are longing for this kind of love and a spiritual home, I invite you to visit one of the 86 parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.
Lawson was elected bishop on the first ballot during a special electing convention held January 31, 2026, at the Cathedral Church of the Advent. Prior to his election, Lawson served as dean and rector of St. John's Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. Before moving to Colorado, he served as rector of Grace–St. Luke's Episcopal Church and School in Memphis, Tennessee. He also served as rector of St. John’s Church in Decatur, AL.
A native of Guntersville, Alabama, Lawson has served as a priest since 2001. Throughout his ministry, he has been recognized for his commitment to parish vitality, pastoral leadership, and the proclamation of the Gospel. He earned a Master of Divinity from The General Theological Seminary and a Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Lawson is married to Katherine, a Birmingham native, and they have two adult children.
As Bishop of Alabama, Lawson will provide pastoral and episcopal leadership to 86 parishes, two worshiping communities, and eight college ministries across seven convocations that serve more than 29,000 baptized members throughout the Diocese.
For more information about the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, visit www.dioala.org.
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