Keith Chen-Cheng Li elected seventh bishop of Taiwan
Left to right: Hawai‘i Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick, the Rev. Keith Chen-Cheng Li and Taiwan Bishop Lennon Yuan-Rung Chang. Li was elected to succeed Chang as bishop of Taiwan on May 9. Photo: Taiwan Episcopal Church/Facebook
[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Keith Chen-Cheng Li, rector of Good Shepherd Church in Taiwan, was elected the seventh bishop of Taiwan on May 9 during the annual diocesan convention. He was elected on the fourth ballot.
“Over the years, [Li] has earned the respect of brothers and sisters for his commitment to ministry and ministry. At this critical moment, he takes on this divine call and is ready to take the next stage of leadership,” the Diocese of Taiwan said in a May 9 Facebook post.
The other candidates were:
- The Ven. Lily Ling-Ling Chang, archdeacon of the central deanery and rector of St. James’ Church, Taichung.
- The Rev. Simon Tsai-Shin Tsou, rector of St. Peter’s Church, Chiayi.
Pending the canonically required consent of a majority of The Episcopal Church’s standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction, Li will be ordained and consecrated as bishop by Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on Nov. 7. He will succeed the Rt. Rev. Lennon Yuan-Rung Chang, who has been serving as bishop of Taiwan since 2020.
“Please continue to pray for Pastor Li and his family, as well as for the heritage and development of the parish,” the diocese said in its Facebook post. “May the Lord grant wisdom, courage and grace to lead the Diocese of Taiwan into a new chapter of mission.”
The Taiwan Episcopal Church, then under the jurisdiction of the Missionary District of Hawai‘i, was established in 1954 by members of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui – known in English as the Holy Catholic Church in China – the former Anglican church in China whose name derived from the Nicene Creed. The diocese served American military personnel based in Taiwan after World War II. The Taiwan Episcopal Church was organized into a missionary diocese in 1961 and granted full diocesan status in 1988.
