George Councell

Who is George Councell?

George Edward Councell, born in 1949 in Detroit, Michigan, is the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey and the 990th in succession in the Episcopal Church. He was elected bishop on May 3, 2003, and consecrated on October 18, 2003, at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton. Officially, Councell followed the Rt. Rev. Joe Morris Doss as bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey after Doss was forced to resign amidst controversy. David Bruce Joslin served as assisting bishop while the diocese organized to elect its 11th bishop.

Before his election, Councell spent eight years serving as the rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Illinois. From 1986-1995 Councell served as canon to the ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts following eight years as vicar at St. George's Church in Riverside, California.