Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop John F. White serves as the 130th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was assigned the Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer for the A.M.E. Church by the 48th Session of the General Conference. He also serves as the denomination’s Endorsing Agent and Chairperson of the Commission on Seminaries, Universities, Colleges and Schools.
Bishop White has distinguished himself throughout the church and community as one who is concerned and caring for all of God’s children, the haves and the have-nots. His leadership and organizational styles have overseen explosive growth and transformation of churches throughout his ministry, which has enabled him to create meaningful and innovative ministries and outreach programs for all of God’s people.
Bishop White is a native of Boynton Beach, Florida, and a graduate of Carver High School, Delray Beach, Florida. He is the recipient of a Bachelor of Science degree from Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Florida; Master of Education from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida; Master of Divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia; and the Doctorate of Education degree in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1984, he successfully completed one unit of C.P.E. (Clinical Pastoral Education) at Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville, Florida. He has done further studies at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta and the South Florida Center for Theological Studies, Miami, Florida. He has also received Honorary Degrees from Shorter College, Little Rock, Arkansas and Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Florida.
Bishop White has also served as an educator in Florida’s Duval and Palm Beach County School districts, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Edward Waters College, and as a member of the ITC Continuing Education faculty. He has pastored churches in Florida and Georgia.
Throughout his ministry, Bishop White has dedicated himself to kingdom building. In 1977, he led the St. John A.M.E. Church of Eatonton, Georgia, in the building a new church edifice. While at Greater Grant Memorial A.M.E. Church, Jacksonville, Florida, he led the congregation in the burning of the church’s mortgage and the building of a new parsonage. During his 13½ - year tenure at Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church in Miami, (January 1988 – October 2001), he established the B.A.M.E. Development Corporation of South Florida Inc.; a Legal Assistance Program in collaboration with St. Thomas University Law School; the Agape Academic Enrichment Center, an after-school tutorial program for children in the Overtown community of the inner city Miami; the Wilbur F. Ellison Scholarship Fund; the Mattie B. Koonce Computer Lab; the Bethel Investment Club; and a new model for church growth, one church in two locations, planting a Bethel A.M.E.C. (Miami) satellite worship center at Silver Lakes Elementary School, Miramar, Florida. He also led the Overtown community in building the Jefferson Reaves Health Center and 211 units of tax credit residences, Miami River Apartments.
Bishop White began providing spiritual leadership in October 2001 to Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During his tenure, Mount Hermon experienced an unusual amount of spiritual growth. Bishop White created the Mount Hermon Development Corporation of South Florida, Sons of Allen Men’s Ministry, the Mount Hermon Summer Camp, Back-to-School Explosion, a separate youth church, and he hired several full-time employees, an Associate Pastor, Youth and Young Adult Minister, custodian, and Minister of Music. He led Mount Hermon in the building of a 17,000-sq.-ft. Family Life /Assembly Hall with a multi-purpose room, classrooms and an administrative suite. The cost of this project was $4 million.
Bishop White has risen repeatedly through the ranks of leadership, from his election as Student Council President in high school, to his seminary post as student representative to the Trustee Board of the Interdenominational Theological Center, to A.M.E.C. connectional leadership positions, including membership on the General Board, chairman of the Budget Committee of the A.M.E. Church, and service as a delegate to the World Methodist Council and the World Council of Churches. Bishop White is a former member of the City of Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency, and the Hospice Foundation of America Advisory Board. Bishop White also served as chairman of the Board of Examiners of the South (Florida) Annual Conference A.M.E. Church and Co-Chair of BISC (Broward Interfaith Sponsoring Committee), focusing on justice issues of Broward County. Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed him to the 25-member Blueprint Commission on Juvenile Justice for the State of Florida. He is a member of the World Methodist Council Executive Board and is involved in numerous religious, civic and social activities that include membership in the NAACP, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the Rotary Club of Miami.
Bishop White’s honors include: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity’s Distinguished Service Award; Outstanding Young Men of America–1983; Delegate to the Fifteenth and Sixteenth World Methodist conferences, Nairobi, Kenya–1986 and Singapore–1991, respectively; South Florida Lay Organization’s Pastor of the Year Award–1989; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Religious Leaders Award–1990; The Algonquin Club Outstanding Citizen Award–1992; The United Teachers of Dade Black Caucus Award–1993; the King of Clubs of Greater Miami Inc. Community Service Award–1994; the Black Episcopalian’s Richard Allen Memorial Award–1996; the Delta Eta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Excellence in Community Service Award – 2003; The Friends of Broward County African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, Distinguished Achievement Award in Community Service – 2005; the Ft. Lauderdale Chapter of Florida Memorial University Alumni Outstanding Leadership Service In the Community Award – 2008;Turner Theological Seminary Outstanding Church Leadership Award-2009; Sistrunk Historical Festival, Inc., Outstanding Achievement Award - 2009.
Bishop White was the guest lecturer for the 1990 Christian Education Congress in the 17th and 18th Episcopal districts, Zambia (Central Africa) and Swaziland (Southern Africa), respectively. He visited Israel in January of 1991 with an interfaith clergy group from Miami the week before Desert Storm. In 1993 he visited Seoul, Korea, where he preached in a Methodist Church of Korea with more than 70,000 members. In April of 1994 he traveled to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa, as well as Victoria Falls, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.”
Bishop White is married to Penny Hartsfield White, a native of Tallahassee, Florida. They are the proud parents of five lovely children: Tenner, John II, Alfred, Byron and Candace. They have three daughters-in-law, one son-in-law and seven grandchildren, Erica, Dwayne, Alisha, Kya, John III, Byron Ealie and Ashton.