The Most Reverend Jesse Delano Ellis II
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Joint College of Bishops, Presiding Prelate of the Pentecostal Churches of Christ, and Senior Pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ (Cleveland, Ohio)
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 September 19, 2020) was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops. Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ. He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches. As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world. Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Northeast Ohio is remembering the life of an influential spiritual leader, who died just days after receiving a special honor.
Bishop J. Delano Ellis passed away Saturday at the age of 75.
His wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, who now leads the church shared the announcement on social media, asking people to pray for his family.
“I’ve got one thing to say… to God be the glory,” he told a crowd gathered September 6 for what would be his last public appearance.
Bishop Ellis II attended a dedication ceremony naming a portion of Chester Avenue between East 105th and East 107th Streets called Bishop J-Delano Ellis II Way.
Family members say he was hospitalized less than 24 hours after the dedication. The street runs in front of Pentecostal Church of Christ, where Bishop Ellis had been senior pastor since 1989.
“It flourished exceptionally from there, you know, from there, there’s so many churches, even in the area that were birthed out of him being a Pentecostal Church of Christ, so he’s got sons and daughters all over the Cleveland and Ohio area,” his brother-in-law George Clinkscale told Fox 8 from his home in Texas.
“I would see the bishop in the deepest and the darkest neighborhoods, just helping people and giving back and giving his all to help people,” said Ward 9 city councilman Kevin Conwell.
“I wanted to emulate him, the scripture says ‘mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace’ and I marked him literally, I marked every one of his whims, his hand gestures, his singing, his teaching ability… I just wanted to be like him,” said Bishop Iran Whitthorne.
Whitthorne, of Bethel Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood, says Bishop Ellis sanctioned him and left a lasting impression.
“That was to do things at the highest of our ability, to do things with dignity and to do things more than anything to honor God,” he said.
“It’s painful to say the least, but we’re all encouraged, I think he prepared all of us,” said Clinkscale.
“I can’t be any more proud than I am of my own husband, my best friend,” his wife told the crowd at the dedication ceremony.
“I saw pictures of him looking at the sign, but it’s almost as if though, he was looking up for an chariot of angels coming for him,” said Bishop Whitthorne.
According to the church’s website, Bishop Ellis leaves behind a wife of more than 38 years, five children, a foster child, and 24 grandchildren. He had three great-grandchildren, although one is now deceased.
Funeral arrangements for Bishop Ellis are still being organized.
In the meantime, expressions of love should be sent to Sabrina Ellis at Pentecostal Church of Christ located at 10515 Chester Avenue in Cleveland.
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 – September 19, 2020)[1][2] was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops.[3][4] Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ.[5][6][7][8] He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.[4][10]
Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches.[11][12][13] As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world.[14] Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric – A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church.[15] The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
J. Delano Ellis was ordained by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones, Sr. in 1963 and elevated to the episcopacy in 1970 within the Church of God in Christ.[16][17] In the Church of God in Christ, Ellis organized the Adjutant's Corp.[18]
In 1989, Ellis founded the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (now the United Covenant Churches of Christ).[18][17] During his tenure as presiding prelate of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ he co-founded the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops.[3] The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops (JCAAPB), more commonly the Joint College of Bishops (JCOB), is an ecumenical synod established by J. Delano Ellis, Wilbert Sterling McKinley, Roy Edward Brown, and Paul S. Morton in November 1993.[3][4] The Joint College of Bishops originally functioned as a High Church Pentecostal body, later expanding into other Protestant traditions and the Convergence Movement. Unique among adherents of paleo-orthodoxy, members of the Joint College of Bishops are noted for redefining the history and meaning of Western Christian vestments in contrast with historical documents (e.g., Roman Catholic and Anglican vestments granted new definitions).[19][20][21] [22] After 30 years of leadership at the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, J. Delano Ellis abdicated his pastorate in 2019; his wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, was appointed the new senior pastor.[4] On September 19, 2020, Ellis was pronounced deceased in a public statement by his wife.[2] His death almost immediately follows a street being named in his honor.[23]
Western stream
Ellis claims this succession via the Church of England, John Wesley, Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Church of God in Christ. The link from the Methodist Episcopal church is stated as being via three Church of God in Christ bishops (David Charles Williams, Carl Edward Williams and Reuben Timothy Jones), all of whom held "Holy Orders" from the Methodist Episcopal Church.
NOTE 1: In his book, Ellis makes no claim or comment at all as to whether the line of succession via Wesley, Coke, Asbury and the Methodist Episcopal Church carries un-broken episcopal succession as distinct from presbyteral succession only. The question as to whether there can be an episcopal succession via Wesley is a moot point. Wesley was a Church of England clergyman but he was not a Church of England bishop. Some[who?] believe that Wesley was secretly consecrated bishop by Greek Orthodox bishop Erasmus of Arcadia in 1763. For more information, see the wikipage for John Wesley.
NOTE 2: Ellis does not indicate that Williams, Williams and Jones possessed episcopal consecration from the Methodist Episcopal Church, nor does he cite any episcopal apostolic lineage for their status as bishops of the Church of God in Christ.
Ellis also notes that in 1964 he had been ordained presbyter by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones of the Church of God in Christ, and he notes his episcopal consecration in 1970 by Bishop Brumfield Johnson of the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America Incorporated of Boston (Dorchester), Massachusetts, with other Mount Calvary bishops assisting. His book cites no episcopal apostolic lineage for this 1970 consecration.
Eastern stream
This succession is traced from the Syro-Chaldean church in the East, via Archbishop Bertram S. Schlossberg (Mar Uzziah), archbishop-metropolitan of the Syro-Chaldean Church of North America, now known as the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America.
In 1995, Ellis states, the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America entered into collegial fellowship with the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ. At a Holy Convocation of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, Bishop Robert Woodward Burgess II (representing Archbishop Schlossberg, who was living in Jerusalem) assisted at the consecration of a number of additional bishops.
Archbishop Schlossberg and Bishop Burgess possess lineages from the Bishops Prazsky (Slavonic Orthodox lineage), and from Bishop Gaines (Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox lineage) converge in Schlossberg and Burgess, as well as numerous lineages deriving via Hugh George de Willmott Newman (Mar Georgius).
In his book, Ellis mentions the Slavonic and Russian/Ukrainian lineages via the Prazskys and Gaines, but the only one of Newman's many lineages that he cites is the Syro-Chaldean.
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Joint College of Bishops, Presiding Prelate of the Pentecostal Churches of Christ, and Senior Pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ (Cleveland, Ohio)
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 September 19, 2020) was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops. Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ. He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches. As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world. Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Northeast Ohio is remembering the life of an influential spiritual leader, who died just days after receiving a special honor.
Bishop J. Delano Ellis passed away Saturday at the age of 75.
His wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, who now leads the church shared the announcement on social media, asking people to pray for his family.
“I’ve got one thing to say… to God be the glory,” he told a crowd gathered September 6 for what would be his last public appearance.
Bishop Ellis II attended a dedication ceremony naming a portion of Chester Avenue between East 105th and East 107th Streets called Bishop J-Delano Ellis II Way.
Family members say he was hospitalized less than 24 hours after the dedication. The street runs in front of Pentecostal Church of Christ, where Bishop Ellis had been senior pastor since 1989.
“It flourished exceptionally from there, you know, from there, there’s so many churches, even in the area that were birthed out of him being a Pentecostal Church of Christ, so he’s got sons and daughters all over the Cleveland and Ohio area,” his brother-in-law George Clinkscale told Fox 8 from his home in Texas.
“I would see the bishop in the deepest and the darkest neighborhoods, just helping people and giving back and giving his all to help people,” said Ward 9 city councilman Kevin Conwell.
“I wanted to emulate him, the scripture says ‘mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace’ and I marked him literally, I marked every one of his whims, his hand gestures, his singing, his teaching ability… I just wanted to be like him,” said Bishop Iran Whitthorne.
Whitthorne, of Bethel Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood, says Bishop Ellis sanctioned him and left a lasting impression.
“That was to do things at the highest of our ability, to do things with dignity and to do things more than anything to honor God,” he said.
“It’s painful to say the least, but we’re all encouraged, I think he prepared all of us,” said Clinkscale.
“I can’t be any more proud than I am of my own husband, my best friend,” his wife told the crowd at the dedication ceremony.
“I saw pictures of him looking at the sign, but it’s almost as if though, he was looking up for an chariot of angels coming for him,” said Bishop Whitthorne.
According to the church’s website, Bishop Ellis leaves behind a wife of more than 38 years, five children, a foster child, and 24 grandchildren. He had three great-grandchildren, although one is now deceased.
Funeral arrangements for Bishop Ellis are still being organized.
In the meantime, expressions of love should be sent to Sabrina Ellis at Pentecostal Church of Christ located at 10515 Chester Avenue in Cleveland.
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 – September 19, 2020)[1][2] was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops.[3][4] Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ.[5][6][7][8] He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.[4][10]
Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches.[11][12][13] As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world.[14] Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric – A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church.[15] The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
J. Delano Ellis was ordained by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones, Sr. in 1963 and elevated to the episcopacy in 1970 within the Church of God in Christ.[16][17] In the Church of God in Christ, Ellis organized the Adjutant's Corp.[18]
In 1989, Ellis founded the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (now the United Covenant Churches of Christ).[18][17] During his tenure as presiding prelate of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ he co-founded the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops.[3] The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops (JCAAPB), more commonly the Joint College of Bishops (JCOB), is an ecumenical synod established by J. Delano Ellis, Wilbert Sterling McKinley, Roy Edward Brown, and Paul S. Morton in November 1993.[3][4] The Joint College of Bishops originally functioned as a High Church Pentecostal body, later expanding into other Protestant traditions and the Convergence Movement. Unique among adherents of paleo-orthodoxy, members of the Joint College of Bishops are noted for redefining the history and meaning of Western Christian vestments in contrast with historical documents (e.g., Roman Catholic and Anglican vestments granted new definitions).[19][20][21] [22] After 30 years of leadership at the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, J. Delano Ellis abdicated his pastorate in 2019; his wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, was appointed the new senior pastor.[4] On September 19, 2020, Ellis was pronounced deceased in a public statement by his wife.[2] His death almost immediately follows a street being named in his honor.[23]
Western stream
Ellis claims this succession via the Church of England, John Wesley, Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Church of God in Christ. The link from the Methodist Episcopal church is stated as being via three Church of God in Christ bishops (David Charles Williams, Carl Edward Williams and Reuben Timothy Jones), all of whom held "Holy Orders" from the Methodist Episcopal Church.
NOTE 1: In his book, Ellis makes no claim or comment at all as to whether the line of succession via Wesley, Coke, Asbury and the Methodist Episcopal Church carries un-broken episcopal succession as distinct from presbyteral succession only. The question as to whether there can be an episcopal succession via Wesley is a moot point. Wesley was a Church of England clergyman but he was not a Church of England bishop. Some[who?] believe that Wesley was secretly consecrated bishop by Greek Orthodox bishop Erasmus of Arcadia in 1763. For more information, see the wikipage for John Wesley.
NOTE 2: Ellis does not indicate that Williams, Williams and Jones possessed episcopal consecration from the Methodist Episcopal Church, nor does he cite any episcopal apostolic lineage for their status as bishops of the Church of God in Christ.
Ellis also notes that in 1964 he had been ordained presbyter by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones of the Church of God in Christ, and he notes his episcopal consecration in 1970 by Bishop Brumfield Johnson of the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America Incorporated of Boston (Dorchester), Massachusetts, with other Mount Calvary bishops assisting. His book cites no episcopal apostolic lineage for this 1970 consecration.
Eastern stream
This succession is traced from the Syro-Chaldean church in the East, via Archbishop Bertram S. Schlossberg (Mar Uzziah), archbishop-metropolitan of the Syro-Chaldean Church of North America, now known as the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America.
In 1995, Ellis states, the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America entered into collegial fellowship with the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ. At a Holy Convocation of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, Bishop Robert Woodward Burgess II (representing Archbishop Schlossberg, who was living in Jerusalem) assisted at the consecration of a number of additional bishops.
Archbishop Schlossberg and Bishop Burgess possess lineages from the Bishops Prazsky (Slavonic Orthodox lineage), and from Bishop Gaines (Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox lineage) converge in Schlossberg and Burgess, as well as numerous lineages deriving via Hugh George de Willmott Newman (Mar Georgius).
In his book, Ellis mentions the Slavonic and Russian/Ukrainian lineages via the Prazskys and Gaines, but the only one of Newman's many lineages that he cites is the Syro-Chaldean.
The Most Reverend Jesse Delano Ellis II
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Joint College of Bishops, Presiding Prelate of the Pentecostal Churches of Christ, and Senior Pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ (Cleveland, Ohio)
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 September 19, 2020) was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops. Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ. He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches. As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world. Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Northeast Ohio is remembering the life of an influential spiritual leader, who died just days after receiving a special honor.
Bishop J. Delano Ellis passed away Saturday at the age of 75.
His wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, who now leads the church shared the announcement on social media, asking people to pray for his family.
“I’ve got one thing to say… to God be the glory,” he told a crowd gathered September 6 for what would be his last public appearance.
Bishop Ellis II attended a dedication ceremony naming a portion of Chester Avenue between East 105th and East 107th Streets called Bishop J-Delano Ellis II Way.
Family members say he was hospitalized less than 24 hours after the dedication. The street runs in front of Pentecostal Church of Christ, where Bishop Ellis had been senior pastor since 1989.
“It flourished exceptionally from there, you know, from there, there’s so many churches, even in the area that were birthed out of him being a Pentecostal Church of Christ, so he’s got sons and daughters all over the Cleveland and Ohio area,” his brother-in-law George Clinkscale told Fox 8 from his home in Texas.
“I would see the bishop in the deepest and the darkest neighborhoods, just helping people and giving back and giving his all to help people,” said Ward 9 city councilman Kevin Conwell.
“I wanted to emulate him, the scripture says ‘mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace’ and I marked him literally, I marked every one of his whims, his hand gestures, his singing, his teaching ability… I just wanted to be like him,” said Bishop Iran Whitthorne.
Whitthorne, of Bethel Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood, says Bishop Ellis sanctioned him and left a lasting impression.
“That was to do things at the highest of our ability, to do things with dignity and to do things more than anything to honor God,” he said.
“It’s painful to say the least, but we’re all encouraged, I think he prepared all of us,” said Clinkscale.
“I can’t be any more proud than I am of my own husband, my best friend,” his wife told the crowd at the dedication ceremony.
“I saw pictures of him looking at the sign, but it’s almost as if though, he was looking up for an chariot of angels coming for him,” said Bishop Whitthorne.
According to the church’s website, Bishop Ellis leaves behind a wife of more than 38 years, five children, a foster child, and 24 grandchildren. He had three great-grandchildren, although one is now deceased.
Funeral arrangements for Bishop Ellis are still being organized.
In the meantime, expressions of love should be sent to Sabrina Ellis at Pentecostal Church of Christ located at 10515 Chester Avenue in Cleveland.
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 – September 19, 2020)[1][2] was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops.[3][4] Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ.[5][6][7][8] He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.[4][10]
Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches.[11][12][13] As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world.[14] Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric – A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church.[15] The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
J. Delano Ellis was ordained by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones, Sr. in 1963 and elevated to the episcopacy in 1970 within the Church of God in Christ.[16][17] In the Church of God in Christ, Ellis organized the Adjutant's Corp.[18]
In 1989, Ellis founded the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (now the United Covenant Churches of Christ).[18][17] During his tenure as presiding prelate of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ he co-founded the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops.[3] The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops (JCAAPB), more commonly the Joint College of Bishops (JCOB), is an ecumenical synod established by J. Delano Ellis, Wilbert Sterling McKinley, Roy Edward Brown, and Paul S. Morton in November 1993.[3][4] The Joint College of Bishops originally functioned as a High Church Pentecostal body, later expanding into other Protestant traditions and the Convergence Movement. Unique among adherents of paleo-orthodoxy, members of the Joint College of Bishops are noted for redefining the history and meaning of Western Christian vestments in contrast with historical documents (e.g., Roman Catholic and Anglican vestments granted new definitions).[19][20][21] [22] After 30 years of leadership at the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, J. Delano Ellis abdicated his pastorate in 2019; his wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, was appointed the new senior pastor.[4] On September 19, 2020, Ellis was pronounced deceased in a public statement by his wife.[2] His death almost immediately follows a street being named in his honor.[23]
Western stream
Ellis claims this succession via the Church of England, John Wesley, Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Church of God in Christ. The link from the Methodist Episcopal church is stated as being via three Church of God in Christ bishops (David Charles Williams, Carl Edward Williams and Reuben Timothy Jones), all of whom held "Holy Orders" from the Methodist Episcopal Church.
NOTE 1: In his book, Ellis makes no claim or comment at all as to whether the line of succession via Wesley, Coke, Asbury and the Methodist Episcopal Church carries un-broken episcopal succession as distinct from presbyteral succession only. The question as to whether there can be an episcopal succession via Wesley is a moot point. Wesley was a Church of England clergyman but he was not a Church of England bishop. Some[who?] believe that Wesley was secretly consecrated bishop by Greek Orthodox bishop Erasmus of Arcadia in 1763. For more information, see the wikipage for John Wesley.
NOTE 2: Ellis does not indicate that Williams, Williams and Jones possessed episcopal consecration from the Methodist Episcopal Church, nor does he cite any episcopal apostolic lineage for their status as bishops of the Church of God in Christ.
Ellis also notes that in 1964 he had been ordained presbyter by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones of the Church of God in Christ, and he notes his episcopal consecration in 1970 by Bishop Brumfield Johnson of the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America Incorporated of Boston (Dorchester), Massachusetts, with other Mount Calvary bishops assisting. His book cites no episcopal apostolic lineage for this 1970 consecration.
Eastern stream
This succession is traced from the Syro-Chaldean church in the East, via Archbishop Bertram S. Schlossberg (Mar Uzziah), archbishop-metropolitan of the Syro-Chaldean Church of North America, now known as the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America.
In 1995, Ellis states, the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America entered into collegial fellowship with the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ. At a Holy Convocation of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, Bishop Robert Woodward Burgess II (representing Archbishop Schlossberg, who was living in Jerusalem) assisted at the consecration of a number of additional bishops.
Archbishop Schlossberg and Bishop Burgess possess lineages from the Bishops Prazsky (Slavonic Orthodox lineage), and from Bishop Gaines (Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox lineage) converge in Schlossberg and Burgess, as well as numerous lineages deriving via Hugh George de Willmott Newman (Mar Georgius).
In his book, Ellis mentions the Slavonic and Russian/Ukrainian lineages via the Prazskys and Gaines, but the only one of Newman's many lineages that he cites is the Syro-Chaldean.
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Joint College of Bishops, Presiding Prelate of the Pentecostal Churches of Christ, and Senior Pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ (Cleveland, Ohio)
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 September 19, 2020) was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops. Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ. He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches. As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world. Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church. The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Northeast Ohio is remembering the life of an influential spiritual leader, who died just days after receiving a special honor.
Bishop J. Delano Ellis passed away Saturday at the age of 75.
His wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, who now leads the church shared the announcement on social media, asking people to pray for his family.
“I’ve got one thing to say… to God be the glory,” he told a crowd gathered September 6 for what would be his last public appearance.
Bishop Ellis II attended a dedication ceremony naming a portion of Chester Avenue between East 105th and East 107th Streets called Bishop J-Delano Ellis II Way.
Family members say he was hospitalized less than 24 hours after the dedication. The street runs in front of Pentecostal Church of Christ, where Bishop Ellis had been senior pastor since 1989.
“It flourished exceptionally from there, you know, from there, there’s so many churches, even in the area that were birthed out of him being a Pentecostal Church of Christ, so he’s got sons and daughters all over the Cleveland and Ohio area,” his brother-in-law George Clinkscale told Fox 8 from his home in Texas.
“I would see the bishop in the deepest and the darkest neighborhoods, just helping people and giving back and giving his all to help people,” said Ward 9 city councilman Kevin Conwell.
“I wanted to emulate him, the scripture says ‘mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace’ and I marked him literally, I marked every one of his whims, his hand gestures, his singing, his teaching ability… I just wanted to be like him,” said Bishop Iran Whitthorne.
Whitthorne, of Bethel Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood, says Bishop Ellis sanctioned him and left a lasting impression.
“That was to do things at the highest of our ability, to do things with dignity and to do things more than anything to honor God,” he said.
“It’s painful to say the least, but we’re all encouraged, I think he prepared all of us,” said Clinkscale.
“I can’t be any more proud than I am of my own husband, my best friend,” his wife told the crowd at the dedication ceremony.
“I saw pictures of him looking at the sign, but it’s almost as if though, he was looking up for an chariot of angels coming for him,” said Bishop Whitthorne.
According to the church’s website, Bishop Ellis leaves behind a wife of more than 38 years, five children, a foster child, and 24 grandchildren. He had three great-grandchildren, although one is now deceased.
Funeral arrangements for Bishop Ellis are still being organized.
In the meantime, expressions of love should be sent to Sabrina Ellis at Pentecostal Church of Christ located at 10515 Chester Avenue in Cleveland.
Jesse Delano Ellis II, known as J. Delano Ellis, (December 11, 1944 – September 19, 2020)[1][2] was a leader in African American Pentecostalism in the United States and founding president/chairman and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Joint College of Bishops.[3][4] Ellis also established and was presiding prelate of the Apostolic/Oneness United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (today the United Covenant Churches of Christ) and Pentecostal Churches of Christ.[5][6][7][8] He was the senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio,[9] a ministry to which he was called on May 14, 1989.[4][10]
Ellis is widely known as a progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals. He worked to introduce order, identity, and an appreciation of Christian history among Pentecostal churches.[11][12][13] As a promoter of ecumenism, Ellis had put the Pentecostal movement as it is manifested among African Americans in conversation with the broader Christian community around the world.[14] Through Ellis, many Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal denominations claim to derive "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" as described in his book, The Bishopric – A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church.[15] The Apostolic Pastoral Congress, a British organization, derives succession from Ellis through Abp. Doye Agama.
J. Delano Ellis was ordained by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones, Sr. in 1963 and elevated to the episcopacy in 1970 within the Church of God in Christ.[16][17] In the Church of God in Christ, Ellis organized the Adjutant's Corp.[18]
In 1989, Ellis founded the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ (now the United Covenant Churches of Christ).[18][17] During his tenure as presiding prelate of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ he co-founded the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops.[3] The Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops (JCAAPB), more commonly the Joint College of Bishops (JCOB), is an ecumenical synod established by J. Delano Ellis, Wilbert Sterling McKinley, Roy Edward Brown, and Paul S. Morton in November 1993.[3][4] The Joint College of Bishops originally functioned as a High Church Pentecostal body, later expanding into other Protestant traditions and the Convergence Movement. Unique among adherents of paleo-orthodoxy, members of the Joint College of Bishops are noted for redefining the history and meaning of Western Christian vestments in contrast with historical documents (e.g., Roman Catholic and Anglican vestments granted new definitions).[19][20][21] [22] After 30 years of leadership at the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, J. Delano Ellis abdicated his pastorate in 2019; his wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, was appointed the new senior pastor.[4] On September 19, 2020, Ellis was pronounced deceased in a public statement by his wife.[2] His death almost immediately follows a street being named in his honor.[23]
Western stream
Ellis claims this succession via the Church of England, John Wesley, Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Church of God in Christ. The link from the Methodist Episcopal church is stated as being via three Church of God in Christ bishops (David Charles Williams, Carl Edward Williams and Reuben Timothy Jones), all of whom held "Holy Orders" from the Methodist Episcopal Church.
NOTE 1: In his book, Ellis makes no claim or comment at all as to whether the line of succession via Wesley, Coke, Asbury and the Methodist Episcopal Church carries un-broken episcopal succession as distinct from presbyteral succession only. The question as to whether there can be an episcopal succession via Wesley is a moot point. Wesley was a Church of England clergyman but he was not a Church of England bishop. Some[who?] believe that Wesley was secretly consecrated bishop by Greek Orthodox bishop Erasmus of Arcadia in 1763. For more information, see the wikipage for John Wesley.
NOTE 2: Ellis does not indicate that Williams, Williams and Jones possessed episcopal consecration from the Methodist Episcopal Church, nor does he cite any episcopal apostolic lineage for their status as bishops of the Church of God in Christ.
Ellis also notes that in 1964 he had been ordained presbyter by Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones of the Church of God in Christ, and he notes his episcopal consecration in 1970 by Bishop Brumfield Johnson of the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America Incorporated of Boston (Dorchester), Massachusetts, with other Mount Calvary bishops assisting. His book cites no episcopal apostolic lineage for this 1970 consecration.
Eastern stream
This succession is traced from the Syro-Chaldean church in the East, via Archbishop Bertram S. Schlossberg (Mar Uzziah), archbishop-metropolitan of the Syro-Chaldean Church of North America, now known as the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America.
In 1995, Ellis states, the Evangelical Apostolic Church of North America entered into collegial fellowship with the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ. At a Holy Convocation of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, Bishop Robert Woodward Burgess II (representing Archbishop Schlossberg, who was living in Jerusalem) assisted at the consecration of a number of additional bishops.
Archbishop Schlossberg and Bishop Burgess possess lineages from the Bishops Prazsky (Slavonic Orthodox lineage), and from Bishop Gaines (Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox lineage) converge in Schlossberg and Burgess, as well as numerous lineages deriving via Hugh George de Willmott Newman (Mar Georgius).
In his book, Ellis mentions the Slavonic and Russian/Ukrainian lineages via the Prazskys and Gaines, but the only one of Newman's many lineages that he cites is the Syro-Chaldean.
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