Transition of Bishop Reginald Thomas Jackson (1954-2025)

Bishop Reginald Thomas Jackson was the Presiding Prelate of the Second Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) which comprises all the AME churches in the State of Maryland, Virgina, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia.

Bishop Jackson was elected and consecrated the 132nd Bishop of the AME Church in July 2012 at the 49th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference held in Nashville, TN. He was appointed as the Bishop of the Twentieth Episcopal District (Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Uganda) and as the Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer of the AME Church. From 2016 to 2024 he was the Bishop of the Sixth Episcopal District, which comprised of more than 500 churches in the state of Georgia, and as Chairman of Morris Brown College and Turner Theological Seminary. Under his leadership the Sixth District paid off all the district’s debts, Morris Brown College was reaccredited, he challenged the state to pass Hate Crimes Legislation, which was signed into law in 2020, and he was a vocal advocate for voting rights and a host of other social issues.

A native of Dover, Delaware, he graduated from the Dover Public Schools. In 1976 he graduated from Delaware State University with a bachelor’s degree in history. In 1972 he was licensed to preach at Mt. Zion AME Church, Dover, Delaware under the pastorate of The Rev. Rudolph W. Coleman. He was ordained an Itinerant Deacon in 1975 by Bishop Earnest Lawrence Hickman and an Itinerant Elder in 1977 by Bishop Richard Allen Hildebrand. He graduated from Turner Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia in 1979. Rev. Jackson served as supply pastor of Graham AME Church, Greenwood, Delaware in 1975 before leaving to attend seminary in Atlanta. In 1978 – 79 while in seminary he served as supply pastor of St. John AME Church, Atlanta, Georgia.

Upon graduating in June 1979, he was appointed as pastor of St. John AME Church, Jersey City, New Jersey, where he grew the congregation and was involved in the life of the city, especially the education system.

In June 1981, Rev. Jackson was appointed by Bishop Hildebrand as the pastor of St. Matthew AME Church, Orange, NJ. This was the beginning of a pastorate that would last 31 years. During his pastorate the congregation grew from 75 to more than 2800 Disciples of Christ, including more than 300 children, engaged in ministry, mission, and outreach. St. Matthew accepted the motto as “the Servant Church of the Oranges” and instituted more than 30 ministries to meet the spiritual, emotional, educational, physical, and financial needs of both church and community. The annual church budget increased from $50,000.00 to $2,000,000.00 annually. Two church edifices were built, and a community development corporation was formed.

Bishop Jackson became involved in the life of the city, county, and state, speaking out on issues, informing, and organizing ministers and community to act in promoting God’s kingdom on earth. He served for 16 years on the Orange Public Schools Board of Education (12 years as president) and 13 years on the Board of Trustees of Essex County College (10 years as president). From 1994 to 2012 Rev. Jackson served as President of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey (BMC) representing more than 600 Black churches in New Jersey. He was outspoken on every major issue in New Jersey, pressuring the New Jersey State Supreme Court to order New Jersey to increase spending on poor school districts in the state, adequate funding for charity care, legislation to end predatory lending, ending the death penalty in New Jersey, needle exchange and legislation to make racial profiling a crime, the only state in the nation to pass such a law. Bishop Jackson received four pens from three governors used to sign legislation he was influential in helping to get passed. He has received hundreds of awards for his service including honorary doctorates from Payne Theological Seminary, Interdenominational Theological Center and Wilberforce University. He is a Life Member of the NAACP, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, and a Board Member of the Conference of National Black Churches.

Bishop Jackson was married to the late Christy Davis Jackson, Esq., and the father of two children: Regina Victoria Jackson and Seth Joshua Jackson.