Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster was appointed to serve as the episcopal leader for the Western NC Conference of The United Methodist Church at the 2008 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

Elected to the Episcopacy in 2000, Goodpaster served for eight years as the episcopal leader of the Alabama-West Florida Conference.

Prior to his election, he served as a pastor and district superintendent in the Mississippi Conference. His pastoral experience includes a five-church rural charge, a new congregation and several larger membership churches. He has taught in a variety of settings and published in various denominational publications. His latest book, "There's Power in the Connection," was published in 2008 by Abingdon Press.

In April 2008, Goodpaster was elected to serve for two years as president of The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops, which includes United Methodist bishops from around the world. He will take office in 2010. [Story] These duties are in addition to those as Episcopal leader in the Western NC Conference.

Goodpaster earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss. and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, Ga. He received honorary degrees (Doctor of Divinity) from Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Ala. and Huntingdon College, Montgomery, Ala.

He is married to the former Deborah Cox. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.