Bishop Anne Henning Byfield Bishop Anne Henning Byfield is one who dares to Live, Learn, Lead, and Love GOD with creativity and passion as a bishop, preacher, psalmist, spoken word artist, strategic consultant, writer, composer, wife, mother, and grandmother. Married to Ainsley for 45 years they have one son, Michael, a daughter in love, Adrienne, and four grandchildren. She serves as the 135th elected and consecrated bishop of the AME Church. Her historic election in the year 2016 represents the first time in the history of the AME Church, a person was elected who had a sibling on the Council of Bishops, Bishop C. Garnett Henning. She currently serves as the Bishop of the 13th Episcopal District, which includes the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. She is the former Presiding Bishop of the 16th Episcopal District which includes the Caribbean, South America, and Europe. She is the President of the Council of Bishops; Chair of the Social Action Commission of the AME Church. She is also a member of the International World Methodist Evangelism Committee and a Golden Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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Bishop Henning Byfield was born in the state of Tennessee to Rev. Dr. Herman W. Henning, and Mrs. Mattie Elizabeth Henning with seven siblings. Her early education occurred in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga, TN. She attended Chattanooga City College, Wilberforce University, Newburgh Theological Seminary,  Payne Theological Seminary, and Ashland Theological Seminary, earning the Associate of Science Degree, Bachelor of Science Degree, Master of Divinity Degree and Doctor of Ministry Degree, respectively. Her dissertation is entitled The Effects of Short Notice Appointments on Itinerant Ministers in the North District Indiana Annual Conference, AME Church. She was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from R.R. Wright School of Religion, Johannesburg, South Africa.

 

Bishop Henning Byfield formerly served as Presiding Elder of the North District Indiana Annual Conference and of the South District making her the first female Presiding Elder in the Fourth Episcopal District and the first female Presiding Elder in the AME connection whose father was also a Presiding Elder. She has served as Senior Pastor of three churches: Bethel AME Church (Bloomington, IN); Robinson Community AME Church (Indianapolis, IN); and St. Paul AME Church (Detroit, MI). In the corporate arena, Bishop Byfield formerly served as Assistant Director of the Department of Labor Contract Compliance Program, Indianapolis Office and Executive Director of the Wayne County Community Action Program in Richmond, Indiana. 

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Bishop Henning Byfield is the author of three books: Let the Worship Begin, The Essence of My Existence, and Produced by Strength, Living by Power. She Co-Authored Odyssey, A Girls Mentoring Program and served as Editor of From The Heart of A Leader. Other publications include contributions to: Those Preaching Women, International Edition; Mr. President, Interfaith Perspectives on the Historic Presidency of Barack H. Obama; Black Women and Black Girls Matter, and Toward a Theology of Holy Black Rage. Additionally, and notably, Bishop Henning Byfield was commissioned to write the litany used for the funerals of Civil Rights icon, Mrs. Rosa Parks in Detroit, Michigan, and Congresswoman Julia Carson in Indianapolis, IN.

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She is published in the One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism Hymnal, with a hymn which debuted at the 2018 Hampton Ministers and Music Conference, and she was commissioned to write the lyrics for the Rosa Parks Hymn for the State of Alabama AME Holiday Celebration. Bishop Byfield is a poet and spoken word artist and has produced a Spoken Word CD entitled Flowing Essence. 

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Bishop Byfield is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions which include being a 2020 recipient of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference Beautiful Are Your Feet Award, the recipient of the Indiana Christian Drum Major for Peace and Justice Award, the Indiana Health Department 25 Years of Continued Service for the Healing and Support to the HIV AIDS Community, and Lifetime Achievers Award from Turner Theological Seminary, among others.