Three Out of Six Newly Elected Bishops In AME Church Are Sons of Bishops

Three Out of Six Newly Elected Bishops In AME Church Are Sons of Bishops

By Angelena Spears, Columnist

When six new bishops were elected this week at the 52nd Quadrennial Session of the AME General Conference held in Columbus, OH, and three of the six were sons of bishops — the question that circled on Social Media was, “Is this nepotism?”  Others, outside of the church, accused the denomination of being “stuck in the past” and suggested this was proof that there was no real room for change at the top.

The three newly elected bishops following in their fathers’ footsteps were the Rev. Dr. Julius H. McAllister, Jr., (144th ) pastor of Bethel AMEC, Tallahassee, FL.  His father, Bishop Julius H. McAllister, Sr. (129th), retires this week — after serving his last assignment as presiding prelate of the First Episcopal District.   

The Rev. Vernon R. Byrd, Jr. (145), the pastor of St. Matthew’s AMEC, Philadelphia, is the son of the late Bishop Vernon R. Byrd, Sr. (105th), who was elected a bishop in 1984.

The Rev. Dr. Henry Allen Belin, III, pastor of First-Bethel AMEC, New York, NY, is the son of Bishop Henry Belin, Jr. (104th), who was elected in 1984 and passed away just months before seeing his son elected. The elder Belin was 96 years old. 

Persons who know the newly elected bishops refute the idea that they are simply riding on the coattails of their families.

Bishop Julius H. McAllister, Jr.

Cassandra D. Jenkins has been a member of Bethel Tallahassee for 40+ years, where the new bishop Julius McAllister has served as her pastor for eighteen years.  

She says her pastor has earned the position of bishop “based on his merit, his service and work.”

She quickly points to his accomplishments, which include the church’s over one million dollars in community outreach. Since coming to Tallahassee, he has grown the church to 1,300 members, and through a CDC (Community Development Corp), he has led the church to build over 85 homes in some of the roughest areas of the city.

Another longtime member at Bethel Tallahassee, Janice B. Lowery, agrees that her pastor has done the work to qualify him for the position.  Lowery says her pastor “has a heart of gold and he reaches out to all of his members.”

She said that when someone is absent from worship, Rev. McAllister will inquire if they are okay. He also makes sick and shut-in visits, and when people return to worship, he recognizes them. 

She said they have several people in their congregation with disabilities, and Rev. McAllister makes sure to reach out to them.  When young people are doing positive things, he will encourage them by announcing their achievements from the pulpit.

When Bishop Julius H. McAllister, Jr. greeted the conference after winning the election, he declared, “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our sight.”  He thanked his family and said, “My father and my mother have been my spiritual covering for many years.” He also said he was thankful for his father-in-law, the late Bishop McKinley Young (109th), who had been instrumental in his life.  

Bishop Vernon R. Byrd, Jr.

The Rev. April Martin, pastor of Mt. Zion AMEC, Devon, PA, was Bishop Byrd, Jr.’s campaign manager. She said she has known him for eight years and that he “listens to God. He follows the voice of God, and he trusts God to lead him—which God has done.”

Her sister, the Rev. Patricia McAllister, Mt. Zion AMEC, Columbia, PA, says she has known Rev. Byrd for more than 20 years. She says God often chooses families and quickly references the sons of Levi, whom she notes were called a family.

“When Moses came down from the mountain, he asked, ‘Who is on the Lord’s side?’”  Despite there being over two million people, only 2,000  responded they would follow the Lord, says Rev. Patricia McAllister.

“There is nothing wrong with being called as a family,” continues Rev. Patricia McAllister.  Her late husband was a pastor, and her son, the Rev. Bryan S. McAllister, is the pastor of Morris Brown AMEC’s lead church in the Philadelphia Conference. The Rev. Bryan McAllister is married to the Rev. Kamaria Milagros, Bishop Byrd’s daughter. 

Both Rev. Patricia McAlllister and her sister, the Rev. Martin, say Rev. Byrd is the same all of the time —there are no surprises. “He has a heart for the people and will be a great bishop,”  say the sisters.

In Bishop Byrd’s address to the General Conference, he referenced his dad and said his father had been electedprecisely 40 years ago. Bishop Byrd’s mother, retired Episcopal Supervisor Theora Byrd, was present for the election.  “I’m happy for him, and I’m happy for myself – because I raised him,” she said with pride.

Rev. Byrd’s wife, Dr. Melinda Contreras-Byrd, is also a reverend.

Bishop Henry A. Belin, III

Henry Belin’s election was very heartfelt. He told everyone that his father, Bishop Henry A. Belin, Jr. (104th), had urged him to enter the race.

“Forty years ago in Kansas City, my father stood behind this same desk,” said Bishop Belin, III.  Earlier this year, when he suggested I should get in the race, little did I know that he would not be here.  But he is here,” said Belin.  He stood with his two siblings, the Rev. Dr. Roderick Belin, who is president/publisher of the AME Publishing House, and his sister, the Rev. Dr. Toni Belin Ingram, who is a presiding elder in the Augusta North District.)

The other three persons who were elected as bishops were:

The Rev. Dr. Erika D. Crawford (143rd), pastor of Mt. Zion AMEC, Dover, DE; the Rev. Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, Sr. (147th), who had served as General Secretary/CIO for the AME Church; and the Rev. Dr. Gregory Vaughn Eason, pastor of Flipper Temple AMEC, Atlanta.