The Rev. Sarah Fisher elected Ninth Bishop of East Carolina

The Rev. Sarah Fisher, rector of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Marietta, Georgia, has been elected ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina by Diocesan Convention meeting Saturday, November 15th, 2025, in Goldsboro at the Maxwell Center.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Fisher, 54, was elected on the third ballot by 36 votes in the clergy order and 70 votes in the lay order. The election required a simple majority from both orders on the same ballot, in accordance with the constitution of the diocese.

Rector of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Marietta, Georgia since 2017, Fisher was previously associate rector of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Dunwoody, Georgia. Ordained to the priesthood in 2005 in the Diocese of Atlanta, she holds degrees from The General Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Agnes Scott College (BA).

Further information about Fisher, including her answers to essay questions for the Bishop Search, can be found here.

Other nominees on the ballot were the Rev. Brian Cannaday, rector of St. Christopher Episcopal Church in League City, Texas, and the Rev. Caleb Lee, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. Lee withdrew his name from consideration after the second ballot.

The bishop-elect will succeed Bishop Rob Skirving who will retire in 2026 after 11 years in office.

Pending the canonically required consent of a majority of the Episcopal Church’s diocesan standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction, Fisher will be ordained and consecrated as bishop diocesan on May 23, 2026, at the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern, North Carolina.

The Diocese of East Carolina consists of 67 parishes and two college campus ministries and covers the area from I-95 to the coast in the state of North Carolina. The Diocese serves several military bases, a large Latine community, and parishes of all sizes. It is divided into 5 deaneries.