# Episcopal Diocese of Lexington

The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington is the diocese of The Episcopal Church with jurisdiction over eastern Kentucky. It was created in 1895 from the Diocese of Kentucky which continues to have jurisdiction of the western portion of the state. The cathedral for the Diocese of Kentucky is located in Louisville. The Diocese of Lexington is in Province 4 and its cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, is in Lexington, as are the diocesan offices.
The diocese's greatest membership strength is in the Bluegrass region in and around Lexington, with a smaller pocket of strength in the Northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati. The diocese has several small congregations in the Appalachian portion of the state.

## Bishops of Lexington

| | Name | Date | Notes |
| I | Lewis W. Burton | 1896-1928 | |
| II | Henry Pryor Almon Abbott | 1929-1945 | |
| III | William R. Moody | 1945-1971 | Addison Hosea, bishop coadjutor 1970 - 1971 |
| IV | Addison Hosea | 1971–1985 | Don A. Wimberly, bishop coadjutor 1984–1985 |
| V | Don A. Wimberly | 1985–1999 | Wimberly was translated to the Diocese of Texas. |
| | Rogers S. Harris | 1999–2000 | Assisting Bishop |
| VI | Stacy F. Sauls | 2000–2011 | Sauls was named COO of The Episcopal Church. |
| | Chilton R. Knudsen | 2011-2012 | Interim Bishop |
| VII | Douglas Hahn | 2012–2016 | Hahn suspended March 9, 2016. |
| | Bruce Edward Caldwell | 2016-2018 | Provisional Bishop |
| VIII | Mark Van Koevering | 2018-current | Provisional from 2018-2019, elected diocesan bishop, 1 Nov. 2019 |

## Current Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Mark Van Koevering was consecrated as Bishop of Niassa, Mozambique, part of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, in 2003, where he served until November 2015. In November 2015, he moved back to the United States, to become the assistant bishop at the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia. He served there until April 2018 when he became the provisional bishop of the Diocese of Lexington. He became eligible to be the diocesan bishop after a period of shared ministry, prayer, and review. On 1 November 2019 at a special convention of the diocese, Bishop Van Koevering was elected diocesan bishop. On 7 October 2024, Bishop Van Koevering announced his intention to resign upon the installation of his successor in early 2026.

## Departure of Bishop Hahn and call of Bishop Caldwell

Bruce Edward Caldwell was called to serve as Bishop Provisional on June 1, 2016. He was named to the temporary post after his predecessor, the Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn, was suspended and later resigned after it was learned he had lied during the bishop search process about past adultery with a parishioner.

## List of parishes and locations

| Location | Church |
| Anderson County | St. Joseph's (unorganized) |
| Ashland | Calvary |
| Barnes Mountain | St. Timothy's |
| Beattyville | St. Thomas |
| Clark County | St. Hubert's |
| Corbin | St. John's |
| Covington | Trinity |
| Cynthiana | Advent |
| Danville | Trinity |
| Flemingsburg | St. Francis' |
| Florence | Grace |
| Fort Thomas | St. Andrew's |
| Frankfort | Ascension |
| Georgetown | Holy Trinity |
| Harlan | Christ Church |
| Harrodsburg | St. Philip's |
| Hazard | St. Mark's |
| Jessamine County | Resurrection |
| Lexington | Christ Church Cathedral |
| Lexington | Good Shepherd |
| Lexington | St. Andrew's |
| Lexington | Grace United/St. Martha's |
| Lexington | St. Michael's |
| Lexington | St. Raphael's |
| Lexington | St. Augustine's Chapel |
| Lexington | Walnut Hill |
| Madison County | Our Saviour |
| Maysville | Nativity |
| Middlesboro | St. Mary's |
| Morehead | St. Alban's |
| Mount Sterling | Ascension |
| Newport | St. Paul's |
| Paris | St. Peter's |
| Prestonsburg | St. James |
| Somerset | St. Patrick's |
| Versailles | St. John's |
| Winchester | Emmanuel |
In addition to these parishes and missions, there are other ministries of the Dioceses that have attached chapels. The college ministry at the University of Kentucky is located at St. Augustine's Chapel in Lexington. St. Agnes' House in Lexington was "a nonprofit, ecumenical mission providing economical lodging for patients and their caregivers who have traveled to Lexington, Kentucky seeking treatment for serious illnesses at area hospitals and other medical care facilities." St. Agnes' House closed in late 2017.
The Diocese of Lexington also has a co-cathedral located at the diocesan camp and conference center, The Cathedral Domain, in Lee County. It is called the Cathedral of St. George the Martyr.
The diocese previously supported a literacy ministry called Reading Camp. Reading Camp was a free, week-long camp for kids going into third, fourth or fifth grade who could use help getting their reading to, or near to, grade-level. Reading Camp built both reading skills and self-confidence through a summer camp atmosphere. Individual Reading Camps still exist throughout the diocese and abroad.