Michael L. Mitchell elected president of AME Council of Bishops
On June 15, Michael L. Mitchell was elected president of the African Methodist Episcopal Council of Bishops.
A lifelong AME member, Mitchell became a district bishop in 2016 when he was elected to lead the AME’s 12th district, composed of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Previously, he spent 24 years at St. Stephen AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida, his hometown. At St. Stephen, Mitchell oversaw the expansion of various ministries, including the creation of a child care center that served more than 200 children and a business complex to encourage black entrepreneurship.
Mitchell currently serves as chair of the board for Shorter College and Jackson Theological Seminary, as first vice president of the Turner Theological Seminary board, and as a member of the Interdenominational Theological Center board. In April, Mitchell was appointed to Arkansas’s Economic Recovery Task Force, aimed at helping the state reopen responsibly following COVID-19 shutdown measures.
He will serve a one-year term as council president. —Christian Century staff
