Bishop
T. Larry Kirkland, Sr. was elected and consecrated the one hundred and
fourteenth Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1996, in
Louisville, Kentucky. He received his first assignment to the
Seventeenth Episcopal District which encompasses the countries of Zaire,
Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi and Zimbabwe. After four
years of International service in the 17th District; the General
Conference of 2000 assigned Bishop Kirkland to serve as the Ecumenical
Officer representing the denomination all over the world. In
2001, he served as the President of the Council of Bishops and in 2002,
was assigned to serve his birth state (Alabama), the “Notable Ninth”
Episcopal District. This gave him the distinct pleasure of holding
two offices simultaneously. He was reassigned to the
“Notable Ninth” District in 2004, where he was proud to provide
stellar spiritual and social leadership to the entire state of Alabama.
He is credited with implementing a District-wide community
outreach program that included computer literacy training and health
services for the uninsured. Health Services were provided from the
newly erected, state-of-the-art medical facility located on the 167 acre
campus of Daniel Payne/Nichols-Thomas-Grady School of Religion. In 2008,
the General Conference assigned Bishop Kirkland to the “Favored Fifth”
Episcopal District which includes fifteen Western interior and coastal
states, Alaska and India.
Prior to being elevated to the Episcopacy, Bishop Kirkland served in
the “Favored Fifth” for twenty years as the popular pastor of Brookins
Community AME Church in Los Angeles, California and in the Eighth
Episcopal District (LA, MS). Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, many
ministers dubbed him “A Down Home Preacher” as an insult to his southern
roots and style of worship. The then pastor, who possesses an
extraordinary love for people and their needs, took that insult as a
challenge and armed with an anointing and an awareness of the power of
the word of God and the southern lineage of most Angelinos; the Bishop
began to distinguish himself as a pastor and grew the mission church of
twelve members, into a congregation of more than eight thousand.
While at Brookins he established a strong social and political AME
presence in the city of Los Angeles and the West Coast where he is now
affectionately known as “The Down Home Preacher with the Uptown
Message.” The Bishop maintains his ties with the city’s most
influential and plans to develop the District both socially and
spiritually.
Bishop Kirkland received his early education in the Jefferson County
Public Schools of Birmingham, Alabama. His preparation for
ministry began under the tutelage of his father Rev. H.E. Kirkland, (an
AME minister of over 50 years) and from his mother Gladys, (an
educator). He received a B.A. degree in Sociology from
Alcorn State University where he was an All-American football player and
a Master’s from Mississippi State University. He further developed
his ministry through higher education at The Claremont School of
Theology and the California Graduate School of Theology. Bishop
Kirkland’s education, along with his experiences as an educator and
football coach, prepared him for the rigors and challenges of being an
effective pastor and now Bishop.
His ministry of over 40 years has placed him in the company of
presidents, government officials, and celebrity personalities.
He has been featured in Ebony and Jet and was seen by the world via CNN
and CSPANN welcoming then Senator Barack Obama to Brown Chapel AME
Church’s observance of Bloody Sunday. He is the author of several
books on church growth and continues to be consulted by both Christian
and civic organizations. His preaching style and ability to
develop strong relationships across denominational and cultural lines,
have garnered him respect and standing invitations with some of
the nation’s greatest ministries.
Bishop Kirkland is married to Mrs. Mary L. Simon-Kirkland and is the
proud father of three adult children and the grandfather of one.