WASHINGTON — The African Methodist Episcopal Church has elected Bishop Francine A. Brookins, J.D., M.Div., as Chair of the General Board Social Action Commission, succeeding the late Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, whose leadership and advocacy for justice remain foundational to the denomination’s ongoing work. Bishop Brookins will continue to serve simultaneously as Chair of the Publications Commission.

Bishop Brookins, the 141st elected and consecrated Bishop of the AME Church, currently serves as the Presiding Bishop of the 5th Episcopal District. Elected during the 51st Quadrennial Session of the General Conference in 2021, she is the fifth woman elevated to the episcopacy in the denomination’s history. She is also the Chair of the Pan-Methodist Commission and Consultation on Methodist Bishops.

A licensed attorney with extensive experience in mediation, arbitration, and conflict resolution, Bishop Brookins brings a strong legal and administrative background to her expanded leadership responsibilities. Her previous assignments include service as Bishop of the 18th Episcopal District, where she led major renovation and community development initiatives across Southern Africa.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bishop Brookins is the daughter of the Rev. Carole Nelson Ingram and the late Bishop Hamel Hartford Brookins, a noted civil and human rights leader. She is a graduate of Georgetown University (B.A.), The George Washington National Law Center (J.D.), and the Pacific School of Religion (M.Div.).

“Bishop Brookins’s commitment to justice, community empowerment, and transformative ministry makes her exceptionally well-suited to lead the Social Action Commission at this pivotal moment,” said Bishop Silvester S. Beaman, President of the AME Church Council of Bishops. “Her appointment honors the legacy of Bishop Jackson while positioning the Church to continue its historic witness in the public square.”

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Contact:
Tyronda Burgess
African Methodist Episcopal Church
[email protected]

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