(The Reverend) Gary B. Manning has served as the Rector (pastor) of Trinity Episcopal Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin since July, 2004. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Manning completed his B. A. degree in theology at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, in 1981. Following a career in insurance sales, and years as an active participant in several congregations, in 1993, he joined the staff of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church as the parish administrator. Following a period of discernment, Manning attended the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia from 1999 through 2002, and received his M.Div. (cum laude) from that institution. He served as Associate to the Rector of Christ and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk, Virginia from 2002 – 2004.
Over the past thirteen years, Manning has been a senior trainer for the Diocesan Church Development Institute, training scores of lay leaders and clergy in several dioceses as well as his own, Diocese of Milwaukee. He completed coaches training through the Institution for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) in 2008, and later earned a Certificate in Motivational Interviewing from the Continuing Education Extension at the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI) in 2015. A natural story teller, Manning has worked with dioceses, congregations, and congregational leaders in a variety of circumstances — from the “fun stuff” of facilitating workshops to foster learning and improvement within organizations to the “not-so-fun-stuff” of assisting organizations in dealing with conflict and unplanned transitions.
Manning has been married to Tabitha for thirty-one years. Together they have one son, Matthew. Manning has an older son, Briton, who lives in Texas. An avid reader for his entire life, Manning caught the “fitness bug” in 2016. He enjoys long rides on his bike, and has twice ridden the RAGBRAI (bike ride across Iowa). Most recently, he completed a personal goal of running twelve half marathons in the twelve months immediately prior to his sixtieth birthday. A lifelong fan of bluegrass music, Manning hopes that, sometime before he departs this world, he will be able to say he is an “intermediate” as opposed to a “fledgling” banjo-picker!
