The Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce was elected Bishop Provisional of West Missouri at the 132nd Annual Convention of The Diocese of West Missouri, on November 6, 2021.
Bishop Bruce was the seventh bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles from December 2009 until October 2021. She previously served for 10 years, beginning in 2000, as rector of St. Clement’s by-the-Sea Church in San Clemente, California. The first woman to be elected bishop in diocesan history, she was ordained to the episcopate on May 15, 2010.
Bishop Bruce’s areas of specialization include multicultural ministries, stewardship, and congregational development. She was previously associate rector of the Church of the Messiah, Santa Ana, California. Prior to ordination, she served Wells Fargo Bank as vice president, compensation management, and analysis. She was employed by Wells Fargo (formerly Crocker Bank) in various capacities since 1980.
Ordained a priest in 1998 in the Diocese of Los Angeles, Bishop Bruce speaks Spanish, Mandarin, and some Cantonese, as well as English. She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Seabury-Western Seminary (May 2011), as well as a Master of Divinity degree from the Claremont School of Theology and a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Bishop Bruce’s husband, G. Stephen (Steve) Bruce, a retired computer software engineer, is a Spiritual Director, who teaches Spiritual Direction through the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange, CA. The Bruces have two adult children, a son, Max, and a daughter, Jardine, and four grandchildren.
Bishop Provisional
A provisional bishop has the same ecclesiastical authority and status as a diocesan bishop but serves for a limited time, similar to a parish priest-in-charge. Bishop Bruce is expected to serve until the ninth bishop of West Missouri assumes their episcopacy. A period of two-three years is anticipated.
