Presiding Elders' Council
A.M.E. Zion Church
History of Presiding Elder’s Council Logo
The Official Logo of the International Presiding Elder’s Council, adopted in 2010, is emblematical of the history of this high office of the church. The office of Presiding Elder was birthed because of the rapid growth of the Methodism in America. The Presiding Elder’s logo was designed to capture our position, purpose and proposed direction: middle management with the primary responsibility of church planting.
The Presiding Elder is annually appointed by and subsequently an extension of the office of the Bishop. The rider mounted upon his horse is reminiscent of the time when Presiding Elders, who were first called “circuit riders”, travel by horseback across the settled and frontier areas of the United States of America during the 18th and 19th centuries to assess the spiritual status of the church and its members, administer the sacrament of The Lord’s Supper and plant new congregations
The rider carries a Bible and preaches a simple message of repentance, baptism and living a disciplined life as exampled by Jesus Christ.
The rider carries a candle symbolic of the Word of God being a light in a dark world and the riders’ willingness to spread the Gospel message day or night.
The Official Colors of the Presiding Elder office are Cobalt Blue and Silver. Blue represents ecclesiastical elevation. However, blue does not denote the highest elevation in Methodism…the Episcopacy or the office of Bishop, which is represented by the color purple. Silver has a history of being the second most valuable metal and in this case is reflective of the Presiding Elder office in that the office is consider second to the office of Bishop, whose office is denoted by the color gold. The background of our logo is The Official Logo of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
Council Presidents from 1976 to Present
The Presiding Elder is annually appointed by and subsequently an extension of the office of the Bishop. The rider mounted upon his horse is reminiscent of the time when Presiding Elders, who were first called “circuit riders”, travel by horseback across the settled and frontier areas of the United States of America during the 18th and 19th centuries to assess the spiritual status of the church and its members, administer the sacrament of The Lord’s Supper and plant new congregations
The rider carries a Bible and preaches a simple message of repentance, baptism and living a disciplined life as exampled by Jesus Christ.
The rider carries a candle symbolic of the Word of God being a light in a dark world and the riders’ willingness to spread the Gospel message day or night.
The Official Colors of the Presiding Elder office are Cobalt Blue and Silver. Blue represents ecclesiastical elevation. However, blue does not denote the highest elevation in Methodism…the Episcopacy or the office of Bishop, which is represented by the color purple. Silver has a history of being the second most valuable metal and in this case is reflective of the Presiding Elder office in that the office is consider second to the office of Bishop, whose office is denoted by the color gold. The background of our logo is The Official Logo of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
Council Presidents from 1976 to Present
1. Rev. Dr. M. C. Williams 1976 to 1985
2. Rev. Dr. A. L. Wilson 1985-1993
3. Rev. Dr. Gregory R. Smith 1993-2001
4. Rev. Dr. Malone Smith 2001-2002
5. Rev. Dr. Cynthia Willis Stewart 2002-2009
6. Rev. Dr. Barbara LaToison 2009-2017
7. Rev. Dr. Anthony K.R. Gibson 2017-
—written by Rev. Dr. Anthony K.R. Gibson 2014
