In April 2012, Bp. John Miller was received by Bp. Lebhar as an Assisting Bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese. Read a short biography about him.

John grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania. As a young boy, he became fascinated with the sea. By age 15, he was certified as a diver, while his father sat poolside watching over him, since the YMCA required a minimum age of 18 for SCUBA certification. After graduating from the University of South Florida in 1971, with a degree in Zoology, John worked for the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Ft. Pierce, FL, conducting marine science research from Bermuda to Antarctica, and the Bahamas to Belize. His research focused on the classification, life history, and ecology of sea stars, sea urchins and their relatives. From 1980-1990 he made more than 100 dives in the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles to depths 3,000 feet.

Following the death of their first child in 1986, Joyce and John became members of Trinity Church, Vero Beach, Florida. It was there that John came into a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus through the teaching of an Anglican Bishop, the Rt. Rev'd Michael Marshall, who "just" happened to be conducting a renewal weekend at Trinity the same week Joyce and John buried their infant son.

Receiving a call to ordained ministry in that same year-but resisting the call for next three-John entered Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA, in 1990, earning his Masters of Divinity in 1993. Through God's economy, John was ordained to the priesthood in January, 1994, by Bishop Marshall, who graciously made a special trip from England to preach and officiate at his ordination. Thereafter, John served at two Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Central Florida before birthing Prince of Peace Anglican Church in Melbourne, Florida, in 2004 through the Anglican Mission in the Americas. Consecrated as a Missionary Bishop in 2008, John has been overseeing 30 parishes and church plants in three Mission Networks located in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

At the end of April, Bp. Miller requested Letters Dimissory from Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje, Primate of the Anglican Province of Rwanda, to have his Holy Orders translated to Bp. Neil Lebhar. Shortly thereafter, Bp. Miller was received by Bp. Lebhar as an Assisting Bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese.

The possibility of a new call to serve once more in parish ministry surfaced when Bp. Lebhar received a quite unexpected word of knowledge that John would be a "fit" for Christ Church, Vero Beach, though Bp. Neil was unaware of John's long-standing relationship with many of its parishioners, and he already had a number of strong candidates in the search process. While John initially balked at the idea, he agreed to pray about allowing his name to be put forth as a candidate. After a few weeks of prayer, the Lord placed a burden on John's heart for Christ Church that consumed him for nearly two days. Almost as a means of escape, John agreed to candidate for the position, earnestly beseeching the Lord Jesus to incline his heart to do His will, whatever the outcome of his candidacy.   On May 24, 2012, John accepted the call to serve as the next rector of Christ Church. He will assume the leadership of Christ Church on August 13, 2012.

While remaining as an Assisting Bishop in the Anglican Church of North America under Bishop Lebhar, John's primary role will be to lead the flock of Christ Church. Additionally, he will continue to serve as an active Missionary Bishop, no longer overseeing Anglican Mission parishes, but "tithing" his time to the Mission, as his calendar permits, by sitting on the Council of Bishops and fulfilling a special episcopal portfolio to be agreed upon by Bishop Lebhar and Bishop Church Murphy in collaboration with the vestry of Christ Church.

Since 1994, John and his wife, Joyce, have led four pilgrimages to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and another to Greece and Turkey to study the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. John's favorite hobby, which he laments that he participates in far less than he would like, is offshore fishing. Among his most prized catches are a 250 lb. blue marlin, a 115 lb. yellowfin tuna, an 85 lb. roosterfish, a 40 lb. wahoo and a 9 ft. swordfish. A replica of the roosterfish hangs on his office wall opposite a picture of Jesus, Who made John both a "fisher of fish" and "fisher of men".

When asked how he was able to make the shift from a career in biology to one in theology, John's enthusiastically answers: "The Lord gave me 18 years to study His creation; now He's given me the remainder of my life to study the Creator. What two better jobs could any man hope for in this life?"    

Joyce and John will celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary this September with a cruise in the Mediterranean, just the two of them!!! They have three adult children, Paul (25), Kimberly (23) and David (19). Presently the Millers reside in Melbourne, Florida, but a move back to Vero Beach is on the horizon.