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MEET THE

BISHOP

Anthony Noland Witherspoon

Greetings, beloved. My name is Anthony Noland Witherspoon, and I am the Presiding Prelate of the Southwestern Delta Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.  I was elected the 109th Bishop in the line of succession at the 52nd Quadrennial Session of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church General Conference, held in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.

​It is an honor and privilege to lead this episcopal district as we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and relieve the poor.  Our ministry is involved in social justice for all of humanity.  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."  

​Christ came to seek the lost and minister to the sick based on agape love. At the Southwestern Delta Episcopal District, we make every effort to replicate Christ's work, witness, and worship as we meet the needs of our community. 

Biography

Dr. Witherspoon is the son of the late Ms. Elfreida Witherspoon and was married to the late Sherry Renee Pharr of Charlotte, North Carolina.  He has two daughters, Brittany, a Livingstone College (Criminal Justice) graduate, and Anquanette (2 grandsons, Anthony Noland Ingram and Sede Zion 1).  During his forty years of ministry, he has served as Associate Minister at Clement Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Green Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church (Portland, Maine).  He served as Youth Pastor at the Brighton Rock A.M.E. Zion Church (Portsmouth, Virginia), Pastor of the Huntersville A.M.E. Zion Church (Huntersville, North Carolina), Pastor of New Jersey A.M.E. Zion Church (Lexington, North Carolina), Pastor of Fair Promise A.M.E. Zion Church (Sanford, North Carolina), Pastor of St. James A.M.E. Zion Church (Goldsboro, North Carolina), and is currently the Pastor of the Washington Metropolitan A.M.E Zion Church in St. Louis, Missouri since October 1999.  

He was elected and served as State President of the North Carolina Head Start Association from March of 1999 through March of 2000, served as Adjunct Professor of Religion/Ethics at Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, North Carolina, from 1998 to 1999, was a faculty member of North Carolina Wesleyan College, located at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina in 1999.  Pastor Witherspoon was appointed by the Honorable Governor Matt Blunt, to serve as a commissioner; of the Emancipation Day Commission for the State of Missouri 2006; appointed to The Judicial Commission 21st District by the Honorable Governor Jeremiah (Jay) Nixon in 2010-2016; elected to serve as the President of the International Ministers and Lay Association of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church 2017, and served as its treasurer from 2009-2017; serves on the Board of Christian Education for A.M.E. Zion Church; serves as a consultant to the Restructuring Commission for the A.M.E. Zion Church; serves as the Dean of the Leadership Training Institute for the Midwest Episcopal Area, A.M.E. Zion Church; serves as the Dean of the Leadership Training Institute for the Trinidad-Tobago Conference of the A.M.E. Zion Church; Chairman of the Finance Committee, Missouri Annual Conference, A.M.E. Zion Church; Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Missouri Annual Conference, A.M.E. Zion Church; Presiding Elder of the Trinidad District, and of the Tobago Annual Conferences. A former Adjunct Professor of African American Religious Studies, Criminal Justice/Sociology at St. Louis University in the field of African American Religious Traditions.

Dr.  Witherspoon is a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary, Webster Groves, Missouri, 2012 (D-Min); Duke Divinity School, 1998 (M-Div), Livingstone College, 1995 (BA in English); and East Mecklenburg High School.

Dr. Witherspoon formally served on the Doorways Assisted Living Board, the Executive Board of the Monsanto YMCA Board, the Interfaith Partnership Board (Cabinet member and First Vice Chair), and Churches United In Christ Board, to name a few.  He serves on the Faith Communities United Board of St. Louis and formerly served on the Executive Committee of Clergy Coalition of Metropolitan St. Louis.  He is the Chair of the Religious Affairs Committee for the Saint Louis City Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Contact

I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.

  • Southwestern Delta Episcopal District Leadership Training Institute
    Southwestern Delta Episcopal District Leadership Training Institute
    Jul 09, 2025, 8:00 AM – Jul 10, 2025, 12:00 PM
    Zion Chapel AME Zion Church, 361 Robinson Rd, Canton, MS 39046, USA
    The Southwestern Delta Episcopal District will convene its Leadership Training Institute at Zion Chapel AME Zion Church in Canton, Mississippi where the pastor is the Rev. Dr. Floyd Chambers.
  • Acolyte Virtual Conference
    Acolyte Virtual Conference
    Sat, Mar 29
    Online Conference
    Mar 29, 2025, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
    Online Conference

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