St James AME Church, Elgin, Illinois

 Transition of Senior Bishop McKinley Young
 

“Servant of God well done!
Rest from thy loved employ;
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter thy Master’s joy.”

The Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church acknowledging and surrendering to the will of God, announce that Bishop McKinley Young, the Senior Bishop and the 109th Elected and Consecrated Bishop, made his transition to the church triumphant on Wednesday, January 16, 2019. 

The Council of Bishops asks that the connectional church, join with us in prayer for Supervisor Dr. Dorothy Young, children, grandchildren, siblings and family that God will comfort them in their loss, and give them His peace. We also ask you to lift in prayer the Third Episcopal District as they have lost their Episcopal Leader.

Arrangements will be announced as they are finalized. Please refrain from reaching out to the family until tomorrow afternoon to give the family a period of privacy.
 
The Right Reverend Reginald T. Jackson
President
Council of Bishops
 

Biography of Senior Bishop McKinley Young

Senior Bishop McKinley Young was born in Atlanta, Georgia, a son of the Parsonage and a product of the Public Schools of Atlanta.  He received degrees from Morris Brown College, Atlanta; Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre, MA; and the University of Chicago Divinity School, Chicago, Il.  He holds honorary Doctorates from six institutions of Higher Education.  Bishop Young pastored churches in the 1st, 4th, and 6th Episcopal Districts being elected the 109th Bishop from Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta in 1992.

Bishop Young’s first Episcopal assignment was to the 15th District where he led in the Centennial Celebration of African Methodism in Southern Africa.  Bishop Young has provided leadership in the Ecumenical Community for over 40 years.  From 1996-2000 Bishop Young served as the Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer for the AME Church.  He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, the Executive Committee of the National Council of Churches, USA, the World Methodist Council, the Pan-Methodist Commission, the Consultation on Church Union and the Conference of National Black Churches.  Serving in the 10th District from 200-2004, Bishop Young led the church in stabilizing Paul Quinn College which was fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). He served in the 11th District from 2004-2012 where Edward Waters College’s accreditation was sustained after taking SACS to Federal Court. Two million dollars was raised by the District to secure EWC’s fiscal solvency.  Subsequently, the EWC Foundation was established. He focused on Christian Education, Ministerial Education, Continuing Education for Lay and Clergy and strengthening the component ministries of the District. He initiated a comprehensive voter education, registration, and mobilization which included a Day at the Capitol.  Under Bishop Young’s administration, the Eleventh District acquired through purchase the AME first property in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. 

In 2008, Bishop McKinley Young was assigned to the Third Episcopal District which embraces churches throughout the states of Ohio, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania.  He also served as Chancellor of Wilberforce University and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Payne Theological Seminary. At the 50th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Bishop McKinley Young was elevated to the office of Senior Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and reassigned to the Third Episcopal District for a second Quadrennium.

Bishop Young was involved with AME/SADA for over 20 years and served as the Chair of the Board.  He served as the President of the Council of Bishops and the General Board.  He chaired the Commissions on Women In Ministry, Global Witness and Ministry, Annuity Investments and Insurance, and the Commission on Church Growth and Development.

Bishop Young was married to Dorothy Jackson Young and the father of; Karyn (Ron) Young-Lowe, Deana (Julius) McAllister, Andrea (Roderick) Jones and Stephanie Lynn Young. Bishop and Mrs. Young are the grandparents of Jennifer Renee and Jessica Christina Lowe, Julius III, Colin and Dylan McAllister, Peyton, Noah, and Miles Jones.