Episcopal Bishop Deon Johnson: ‘I’ve always wanted to be in a place to help people’

Growing up in an Anglican family in Barbados, Deon Johnson felt called to a religious life as a young child. On the date of his confirmation, he said, “I was the one who looked at the priest and said, ‘I want your job.’”

However, he added, “In many ways, I tried to run away from that call, because I was struggling with sexuality, I was struggling with a new culture, and the whole nine yards.”

Johnson’s family moved to the U.S. when he was 14. In college, he thought he might have a future as a doctor. Instead, he returned to that childhood calling and became a minister. He sees a common goal in those careers: “I've always wanted to be in a place to help people in their journey.”

Two years ago, Johnson became the eleventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. He is the first Black bishop and the first openly gay leader of the diocese, which covers the eastern half of the state.

Johnson is passionate about pushing for inclusivity in the church. In sermons, he frequently apologizes to those who have been hurt by or excluded from Christian institutions in the past.