05/29/2026
Transition of the
Right Reverend Theodore Larry Kirkland
(1942-2026)
The Right Reverend Theodore Larry Kirkland, Sr., was elected and consecrated the one hundred fourteenth Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1996 in Louisville, Kentucky. His first assignment was to the Seventeenth Episcopal District encompassing the countries of Zaire, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. After four years of international service, the General Conference of 2000 assigned Bishop Kirkland to serve as the Ecumenical Officer for the Denomination. In 2001, he served as the President of the Council of Bishops, and in 2002, was assigned to serve the Ninth Episcopal District. This gave him the distinct pleasure of holding two offices simultaneously. He was reassigned to the “Notable Anointed Ninth” District in 2004,, where he was credited with providing the District with community outreach programs, including computer literacy training and health services for the needy, at a state-of-the-art medical facility located on the campus of Daniel Payne/Nichols-Thomas-Grady School of Religion. In 2008, he was assigned to the Fifth Episcopal District encompassing the Western United States, which he served until his retirement at the 2016 General Conference.
Prior to being elevated to the Episcopacy, Bishop Kirkland was the first pastor of Brookins Community AME Church, a mission to a mega-church located in Los Angeles, California. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1977 with a reputation for being a great revivalist from the south, many ministers dubbed him “A Down Home Preacher” as an insult to his southern roots and worship style. By being keenly aware of the power of the word of God and the southern lineage of most Angelinos, the Bishop took the insult as a challenge, began to distinguish himself as a pastor, and grew the mission church of twelve borrowed members to a congregation of more than eight thousand. His twenty-year tenure at Brookins helped establish a strong spiritual and social presence in the Los Angeles community and the entire West Coast. He was affectionately known as “The Down-Home Preacher with the Uptown Message.” Bishop Kirkland’s education at Alcorn State University, the University of Mississippi, the Claremont School of Theology, and the California School of Theology, along with his experiences as an educator and coach, prepared him for the rigors and challenges of building and maintaining a prominent ministry.
Bishop Kirkland’s ministry of over 40 years placed him in the company of presidents, politicians, celebrity personalities, and other dignitaries. He has been featured in Ebony and Jet and continues to be actively involved with local and state politics in the district he serves. He was seen worldwide on C-SPAN and CNN welcoming Senator Barack Obama to the Ninth District’s Observance of Bloody Sunday in Selma, AL. He was also featured in the documentary "O.J.: Made in America". He is the author of several books on church growth and continues to be consulted by both Christian and civic organizations. His preaching, evangelism, 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 was married to Mrs. Mary L. Simon-Kirkland and is the proud father of three adult children and the grandfather of one.
Arrangements will be sharerd as they become available. Please keep the family in prayer.
Rev. Tyronda Howse Burgess
General Secretary/Chief Information Officer
African Methodist Episcopal Church
