The Most Revd Joshua A Arena-Gilliam

Presiding Bishop

Bishop Gilliam was born and raised in the Concord/ Kannapolis area and lives in Enochville with his wife, Nelva and their five children Paola, Addison, Emmanuel, Elijah (Blue), and Zoe; along with his niece Valeria.

Bishop Gilliam graduated from Concord High School. He is a graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, NC where he completed his Bachelors of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Music, Masters of Divinity through Liberty Theology Seminary in Virginia, and the Doctor of Ministry from Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, NC.

Bishop Gilliam says, “The Bible, The Creeds, and the worship of the church as found the Book of Common Prayer (1928) are the tools available to Orthodox Anglicans to help them stand firmly upon the Scriptures and understand that culture does not dictate our beliefs.” He explains that he loves the way that Orthodox Anglicans stand firmly on Christ as revealed in the Bible and that it does not need to be interpreted in light of modern social inventions.

On July 27, 2024, he was elected and enthroned as the seventh Presiding Bishop of the Orthodox Anglican Church and the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Orthodox Anglican Communion. He currently also serves as the Chancellor of St. Andrew’s Theological College and Seminary.