Bishop Fritz Mutti

Bishop Albert Frederick “Fritz” Mutti, III, United Methodist bishop who was a strong advocate for LGBTQ persons in the church and AIDS ministry, was born in Hopkins, Missouri, on February 13, 1938. His parents were Albert Frederick Mutti, Jr. and Phyllis M. Turner Mutti. All his life he has been identified by the nickname, "Fritz." He earned an A.B. from Central Methodist College in 1960, and an M.Div. degree from Garrett Theological Seminary in 1963. He earned a D.Min. degree at St. Paul School of Theology in 1975.

Fritz met Etta Mae McClurg while in high school and the two married in 1959. They had three sons. The tragic loss of those sons later in life was an impetus for their activism and advocacy for LGBTQ persons and AIDS ministry. Their oldest son, Tim, died of complications from AIDS in December 1990. Their middle son, Fred, died of the disease in September 1991. Their youngest son, Marty, later died unexpectedly of a blood clot in his lung in 2018.

Mutti was admitted on trial and ordained a Deacon in the former Missouri Annual Conference of The Methodist Church in 1961. He was then admitted to Full Connection and ordained an Elder in the Missouri West Annual Conference in 1963. Both ordinations were done by Bishop Eugene Frank.

Mutti served in a variety of appointments in Missouri and Indiana. He was Pastor of the Union-Star Chapel-Oak Grove circuit for two years after graduating from seminary. Moving from there to Savannah he became the founding Pastor of Crossroads Ecumenical Cooperative Parish. For eight years he was a member of the Missouri West Conference staff serving as Director of Education and Camping and as Conference Council Director. In 1982, he was appointed Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church, Blue Springs. Bishop W.T. Handy, Jr., appointed him to the Central District in 1987 and to the Kansas City North District in 1989. During these years he was a delegate to five Jurisdictional Conferences and four General Conferences. He led the General Conference delegation in 1984, 1988 and 1992.

Fritz Mutti was elected to the episcopacy by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in 1992 and assigned to the Kansas Area where he served until his retirement in 2004. This position gave him a more prominent platform to speak out against the United Methodist policies that excluded LGBTQ persons from the life of the church. He continually embodied grace and kindness yet great resolve in the face of hostility and animosity. In 1996, he worked behind the scenes with Bishop Susan Morrison to line up the “Denver 15” bishops who spoke out publicly at the General Conference in support of full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the church. Mutti also kept urging fellow bishops to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ people in the aftermath of the tumultuous 2019 special General Conference that saw the denomination strengthen bans on gay clergy and same-sex marriage. During the bishops’ 2019 spring meeting, as the episcopal leaders debated how to respond to the General Conference’s decisions, Bishop Mutti stood up to pay tribute to his gay sons Tim and Fred. “At this time, we want you to know we feel called to stand publicly in support of the LGBT community and we will continue to advocate for them,” he said. The yearslong effort to “open the doors” of the church was finally accomplished in 2024.

Fritz and Etta Me published Dancing in a Wheelchair: One Family Faces HIV/AIDS in 2001. Mutti worked with the Rev. Donald Messer to establish the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee, serving as the committee’s first chair. Fritz and Etta led the effort to establish the Global AIDS Fund in 2004. That Fund is now administered by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and provides training and resources to fight the disease and the stigma HIV and AIDS carry around the world.

Bishop Mutti also was a leader in The United Methodist Church’s ecumenical and interfaith work. Her served on the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns from 1996-200; the last four years as president. In retirement, he served as a member of the Coordinating Council of Churches Uniting in Christ. He helped push forward the 2012 Pan-Methodist full-communion agreement that strengthened ties between The United Methodist Church and five historically Black Methodist denominations.

Etta Mae Mutti died on June 7, 2023. Fritz Mutti died on September 1, 2026. His obituary from the United Methodist News Service (below) includes tributes from many church leaders.

(This biographical statement was written by Mark Bowman from the sources below.)

Biography Date: September 2026

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