Bishop Michael Coyner, retired Bishop of Indiana Area, died today January 8, 2020. Bishop Coyner had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer that had spread to his liver.
Mike Coyner is originally from Anderson, Indiana. He received his B.A. from Purdue University, his M. Div. from Duke Divinity School, and his Doctor of Ministry from Drew Theological School. He has also received honorary doctorates from Dakota Wesleyan University and from the University of Evansville.
He served churches of various sizes in the North Indiana Conference, served as a District Superintendent, and was also the Executive Assistant to the Bishop. He was elected a bishop of the United Methodist Church in 1996 and was assigned to serve the Dakotas Area, where he served two terms.
In 2004, he has assigned to return to the Indiana Area as Bishop. He oversaw the life and ministry of 1250 United Methodist congregations in the North and South Indiana Conferences, comprising more than 225,000 members.
He is the author of several articles and three books from Abingdon Press: Making a Good Move: Opening the Door to an Effective New Pastorate (1999), Prairie Wisdom: Reflections on Life in the Dakotas (2000), and The Race to Reach Out: Connecting Newcomers to Christ in a New Century (2004). Bishop Mike also wrote a weekly e-mail devotional article entitled, "An E-pistle from Bishop Mike" which was sent to hundreds of pastors and laity in the Indiana Area and beyond.
Bishop Coyner is survived by his wife Marsha England Coyner, his daughter Laura Coyner Peace (Adrian), his son Steve and his 5 grandchildren: Ashlee Rodriguez, Brianna Peace, Austin Peace, Leah Coyner and Alec Peace.
A memorial service for Bishop Coyner will be at 11 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday, Jan. 18, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St., Indianapolis.
