The Rt. Rev. Joe Goodwin Burnett

The Rt. Rev. Joe Goodwin Burnett died peacefully in Atlanta last Friday night, surrounded by family and close friends. He was seventy-seven years old.

Joe was born on May 15, 1948, to the late Mary Julia Burnett and the Rev. Marshall Emmett Burnett. As the youngest of three sons of a United Methodist minister, Joe grew up in congregations in central Mississippi and was inspired from a young age by the deep faith of his parents. Joe graduated from Newton High School in 1966, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Millsaps College in 1970. From there, he enrolled in the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1974. He later went on to earn a Doctor of Ministry degree from Perkins in 1985, and a Doctor of Divinity degree (honoris causa) from The General Theological Seminary in 2004.

Ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church in 1974 and a priest in 1975, Joe's distinguished career in ministry spanned over 50 years. His first 25 years were spent in the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, serving congregations in Pascagoula, Jackson, Clinton, Gulfport, and Hattiesburg. In 1999, Joe was appointed as the Professor of Pastoral Theology at The School of Theology at the University of the South at Sewanee. In 2003, Joe was elected on the first ballot as the 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, where he was affectionately known as “the bishop of all outdoors.” He served in that capacity until 2011. Following his resignation as diocesan bishop, Joe served as an assisting bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, and in interim parish ministry in Washington, D.C., Mississippi, and South Dakota. He was also an instructor in the Advanced Degrees Program at the School of Theology at Sewanee.

Throughout his career, Joe maintained a strong focus on clergy development, congregational growth, liturgical renewal, interfaith dialog, racial reconciliation, and global mission. He had a particular passion for church music, and served for many years as a chaplain for the Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy. He was also active in the Association of Diocesan Music and Liturgy Commissions and served on the executive board of that organization. As bishop, he helped establish missional partnerships with the Dominican Republic and the Sudan. He was also an early champion of Omaha’s Tri-Faith Initiative, which is known throughout the United States as a model for interfaith learning, collaboration, and celebration.

Joe will be forever remembered as a faithful servant of the gospel and a leader in the church, with a warm and convivial personality and a keen and insightful intellect. He is preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Marshall Jr. and James, and is survived by his three sons, Justin, Jamie (Janet), and Jody (Julia), four grandchildren, Quinn, Stewart, Marshall, and Virginia, and many beloved family members and cherished friends.

A rite of Christian burial will be held on Friday, January 9, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska. The service will be live-streamed for those who wish to attend remotely.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Bishop Burnett’s honor to the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Omaha.