[Episcopal News Service] The Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting in January will become the assisting bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

Epting is the retired bishop of the Diocese of Iowa who later served for nine years as the presiding bishop’s deputy for ecumenical and interreligious relations. He retired from that position at the end of 2009.

Epting was elected bishop of the Diocese of Iowa in 1988, following 16 years as a parish priest in the Diocese of Central Florida. During his tenure in Iowa, Epting focused on the ministry of all the baptized, the renewal of the diaconate, spiritual formation and ecumenical relations both locally and nationally. He was a leader in the state council of churches and chaired the Episcopal Church’s writing team for “Called to Common Mission” outlining the full communion relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America begun in 2001.

Epting and Chicago Bishop Jeffrey Lee met when Epting was the rector of St. Mark’s Church in Cocoa, Florida and Lee was in seminary. In Chicago, Epting “will be sharing in the visitation schedule and exercising his considerable talents in other ways around the diocese,” Lee said in his announcement.

Epting blogs at “That We All May Be One.“