Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie serves as the 117th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Her historic election in the year 2000 represents the first time in the over 213-year history of the A.M.E. Church, a woman had obtained the level of Episcopal office. The firsts continued, as she is the first woman to serve as President of the Council of Bishops; Chair, General Conference Commission; Program Chair, 51st Session of the General Conference; host bishop to the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the President of the General Board of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Currently, she is honored to serve as the presiding prelate of the 10th Episcopal District, which encompasses the great state of Texas.
She previously served as the presiding bishop of the Thirteenth Episcopal District, Tennessee and Kentucky and the Eighteenth Episcopal District in Southern Africa. In each district, she initiated innovative ministry from building three group homes for children orphaned by AIDS in Swaziland, building new church structures in Lesotho and computer labs in AME High Schools to establishing Believe, Inc., and Tenth Future Inc., faith-based non-profits that help resource local congregations, initiate community projects, provide GAP scholarships for students at Paul Quinn College.
Bishop McKenzie was appointed to serve on the Advisory Council of the White House Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships by President Barack Obama in 2009. She is the Chair of the Board of Trustee of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas which has seen great growth in recent years. The school has established a mobile campus in North Dallas, re-establish the Religious Degree Program and is completing the structure of a new dormitory, the first new building on the campus in 40 years.
In 2016, Bishop McKenzie led the District in vision casting for the future with the result being the renovation of the Richard Allen Chapel on the campus of Paul Quinn College, which had been closed for 10 years. The 10th District is tackling the million- dollar first phase of the project with the anticipated dedication date of February 21, 2020.
Bishop McKenzie is the National Chaplain for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. the largest predominantly African American sorority of college-trained women. She has served for more than 30 years as the spiritual guide for over 250,000 women. She has also served as the National Chaplain for The Links, Inc. another exceptional organization of upwardly mobile women.
Bishop McKenzie has been named by Huffington Post as one of 50 Powerful Women Religious Leaders. She has been inducted into the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse University. She has also been honored at the top of the list of Great African American Female Preachers and on the Honor Roll of Great African American Preachers by Ebony Magazine.
Bishop McKenzie is the author of six books. The first two books, Not Without a Struggle and Strength in the Struggle address leadership and professional growth for women. She revised Not Without A Struggle in 2012, as it remains a staple at seminaries and schools of religion. Journey to the Well helps women seek new directions for personal growth and transformation following the footsteps of the Biblical Samaritan woman. Swapping Housewives tells the stories of Rachel, Jacob and Leah and shares the 21st century implications for married and unmarried love. Those Sisters Can Preach is an edited anthology of sermons from twenty-two outstanding preachers. Her latest work, The Big Deal of Taking Small Steps to Move Closer to God, shows how to develop a stronger relationship with God and more effective spiritual lifestyle by taking small steps that lead to big changes Bishop McKenzie, described, as an “electrifying preacher” is a much sought after workshop and seminar presenter on women, transformation and leadership. She has a global preaching ministry and has preached extensively in the United States including the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.; the Congressional Black Caucus Prayer Breakfast, The Hampton Minister’s Conference, Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Pastor’s and Leaders Conference, Harvard School of Divinity and Princeton School of Divinity just to name a few.
Bishop McKenzie is the founder of Selah Leadership Encounters for Women, a leadership empowerment conference held annually in Dallas and Atlanta. Essence Magazine named her Selah conference as one of its top 11 conferences for women to level up in 2019.
Bishop McKenzie is the wife of former NBA player, Dr. Stan McKenzie. They are the
parents of three adult children and two grandchildren.
