Official Statement from the Board of Bishops Regarding the Death of
Bishop George Edward Battle, Jr.
We, the Board of Bishops of The A.M.E. Zion Church, acknowledge with great sorrow the passing of our colleague and former Senior Bishop, Bishop George Edward Battle, Jr., who passed away on yesterday, Sunday, March 9, 2025.
Bishop Battle was elected our 84th Bishop in the line of succession at the 44th Quadrennial General Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, in July 1992. Upon his election, he was assigned to the South Atlantic Episcopal District, and upon the death of Bishop Herman L. Anderson, he also served the Central North Carolina Conference and the Virgin Island Conference. In 1996, he was assigned to the Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District, where he served for eight years. In 2004, he was assigned to the Northeastern Episcopal District, where he also served for eight years. In 2012, he became our Senior Bishop and was assigned to the Piedmont Episcopal District, where he served for nine years until he retired in 2021. He continued to be a vital part of the Board of Bishops even during the five years of his retirement.
Having served as an active Bishop for 29 years, Bishop George Edward Battle, Jr. will take his place in history as one of our longest-serving active bishops. He was not only an evangelist, pastor, bishop, and Christian servant; he was a great philanthropist, a community leader, a champion for education, and a social justice advocate. We acknowledge that, indeed, a prince and a great man in The A.M.E. Zion Church has fallen, but he is now in the presence of his Lord, whom He served with all of his heart. He will be greatly missed.
We offer our sincere prayers and condolences to his faithful and loving wife, Mrs. Iris Battle, their children, George Edward III and LaChandra, their grandchildren, and a host of other relatives, friends, and community associates, all of whom he loved so dear. We applaud Mrs. Iris Battle for how she cared for him during his illness. Further information on the celebration of his life and legacy will be shared as soon as it is available.
“Servant of God, well done!
Rest from thy loved employ;
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter thy master’s joy.”
Submitted with Sorrow,
The Board of Bishops of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Bishop U.U. Effiong, President
Bishop Darryl B. Starnes, Senior Bishop
Bishop W. Darin Moore
Bishop George D. Crenshaw
Bishop Hilliard Dogbe
Bishop Brian R. Thompson, Sr.
Bishop Eric L. Leake
Bishop Daran H. Mitchell
Bishop Anthony N. Witherspoon
Bishop Melanie Miller
Bishop Dwayne A. Walker
Bishop Bernando Ngunza
Bishop Seth O. Lartey, Located
Bishop Joseph Johnson, Retired
Bishop Marshall H. Strickland, Retired
Bishop Nathaniel Jarrett, Jr., Retired
Bishop George W.C. Walker, Sr., Retired
Bishop S. Chuka Ekeman, Retired
Bishop Warren M. Brown, Retired
Bishop Kenneth Monroe, Retired
Bishop Dennis V. Proctor, Retired
Bishop Michael A. Frencher, Sr., Retired
