Bishop Da'Henri Ramsey Thurmond, Sr.

Bishop Da’Henri Ramsey Thurmond, Sr. is a native of Augusta, Georgia. He is the third of four children born to the late Mr. Earl H. Thurmond, Sr. and the late Maxine W. Thurmond. The son of Paine College graduates, he received his early education in the Richmond County Public School System and is a graduate of Westside Comprehensive High School.

He attended and graduated from Georgia Southern University, where he was inducted into the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society. He is a magna cum laude graduate of the Medical College of Georgia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy and was inducted into the IMHOTEP Society and recognized in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. In 2015, he graduated magna cum laude from the Interdenominational Theological Center, Phillips School of Theology, with a Master of Divinity degree. While at ITC, he received the Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt Scholarship and the Isaac B. Clark Preaching Award. In 2020, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where his area of concentration was Developing Leadership for Effective Programming in the Post-Modern Generation. He studied under Bishop Sir Walter Mack and Dr. Herbert Miller, Jr.

Bishop Thurmond is a fourth-generation member of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He was baptized as an infant by the late Rev. Luther Randall Neal at Mother Trinity C.M.E. Church in Augusta. Under the pastorate of Rev. Jerry Poole, at the age of 11, he and his cousin and fellow member, Shelia Roundtree, served as the first two acolytes in the history of his home church. He later served as one of the youngest stewards in the history of Mother Trinity under Rev. Larry Fryer.

He began his professional career in respiratory therapy and later served successfully as a Senior Clinical Oncology Specialist in pharmaceutical and biologic sales. Yet, he acknowledged a higher calling and purpose for his life. He accepted his call to ministry at Trinity under the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. Donald R. Jordan and served under Dr. Jordan for four years as a Local Preacher.

In 2005, he was appointed pastor of Rock of Ages C.M.E. Church by Bishop Othal Hawthorne Lakey, and a successful pastorate ensued. While at Rock of Ages, disciples were added, new ministries were established, including a bus ministry, portions of the church were remodeled, and the fellowship was reinvigorated. During his pastorate at Rock of Ages, he was actively involved in the community, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of the CSRA, the School Council of Sego Middle School, and the Board of Directors of the Southside Family Y.

In July 2008, he was appointed Pastor in Charge at St. Paul C.M.E. Church in Savannah, Georgia, where the prophetic, visionary, and legendary Rev. Dr. Henry R. Delaney served as

Senior Pastor. In July 2009, he was appointed Senior Pastor of St. Paul. God continued to bless St. Paul in innumerable ways. During Bishop Thurmond’s tenure, a number of new ministries were added, more than 1,700 new members joined the church, the annual budget exceeded $1.2 million, and “The Paul” became very active in numerous community organizations.

While at St. Paul, he served as Chair of the Joint Board of Finance for the Central Georgia Region and as a member of the General Connectional Board of the CME Church. He served as a delegate to the General Conferences of 2010, 2014, and 2018. At the 2022 General Conference, he served as a delegate and Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance. He also served as a delegate to the 2026 General Conference. In addition, he was a delegate to the World Methodist Conference in Durban, South Africa.

During his 18 years of pastoral ministry at St. Paul, his community involvement included serving as a founding member of the Savannah Alliance of Pastors; a member of the School Council at Hubert Middle School; a business partner with the Henderson E. Formey, Jr. Early Learning Center; and former Co-President of the Savannah Area Interfaith Justice Ministry, now known as J.U.S.T. He continues to serve on the Boards of Directors of Carver State Bank, Step Up Savannah, and ELEVATE Savannah. Bishop Thurmond is also privileged to serve on the Board of Trustees of the St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital System, where he serves as Chair of the Professional Relations Committee.

He has been named Pastor of the Year by the Sixth Episcopal District of the CME Church. He was a 2021 Fellow of the Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2022, he was awarded the Peace Builder Award by The Mediation Center of Savannah. In 2025, he received the Courageous Faith Award for the Sixth Episcopal District at the Unity Summit in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as the 2025 Presidential Trailblazer Award from the Savannah Branch of the NAACP. On January 17, 2026, he was honored to serve as the dedication speaker for the renaming of the Savannah Civic Center as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center. He is a proud life member of the NAACP and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and is also a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.

On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Dallas, Texas, he was elected the 69th Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. On Friday, June 19, 2026, he was consecrated and appointed to serve as the Presiding Bishop of the Third Episcopal District, which encompasses a large portion of the Midwestern United States.

Bishop Thurmond is happily married to Antoinette Johnson Thurmond. They are the blessed parents of a son, D. Ramsey, Jr., and a daughter, Barbara Maxine.