Bishop Turner and the AME Church

Bishop Daniel A. Payne, D.D., LL.D.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. "Bishop Daniel A. Payne, D.D., LL.D." New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Bishop Henry M. Turner

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library. "Bishop Henry M. Turner." New York Public Library Digital Collections. 

Bishop Turner is one of the Four Horsemen of the AME church. The Four Horsemen—Bishop Allen, Bishop Quinn, Bishop Payne, and Bishop Turner— are men whose exceptional work advanced, developed, and strengthened the church. Turner, the twelfth consecrated bishop, earned his place.

Turner established the Southern Recorder after being appointed the chairman of the AME Book Concern, the organization responsible for publishing and selling AME texts. Turner created the Voice of Missions and the Voice of the People. Both are newspapers devoted to supporting the mission work of the AME church, particularly in Africa.

Turner travelled to Africa four times and eventually established four AME conferences in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and South Africa. Many churches began with revival sermons that Turner preached, and they still stand today. Churches, schools, the networks of people are part of Turner's legacy.

Turner developed a reputation for being a splendid orator, preacher, teacher, and administrator. Under his leadership, several churches were established in the southern states, especially in South Carolina and Georgia. Turner also helped to found schools, colleges, and training institutions including Morris Brown College, where, as chaplain, he remained for twelve years. 

Turner died of a massive stroke while on AME church business in Canada. The AME church honors Bishop Turner’s legacy through his designation as a Horseman and through the churches and schools that bear his name.