Meet the Presiding Elder of the Washington-Virginia District

Reverend Kevin Jerome Agee is a native of Washington, DC. He has been the Presiding Elder of the Washington-Virginia District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church since July of 2013 and has served as Pastor of Russell Temple CME Church in Alexandria,Virginia since July 2021. Presiding Elder Agee has also pastored churches in Halifax, Virginia, Waterbury, Connecticut, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Jersey City, New Jersey, Syracuse, New York, Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland and Front Royal, Virginia.He has also been an instructor in the Certificate of Theology Extension Program for the Office of Continuing Education of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Pastor Agee has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Maryland in College Park and a Master of Divinity Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He has also done postgraduate studies at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut.Pastor Agee also received a Certificate of Administration and Management from the Institute of Church Administration and Management at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia and a Certificate of Pastoral Crisis Intervention from the Critical Incident Stress Foundation and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Presiding Elder Agee is a Clergy Alternate to the Judicial Council and a member of the General Connectional Board of the CME Church. He is also Assistant Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Phillips School of Theology, the Theological Seminary of the CME Church. Prior to serving as a Presiding Elder, Reverend Agee was the Chairman of the Committee on Ministerial Examination and a member of the Pastoral Care Committee of the New York-Washington Region of the CME Church and a member of the New York-New England District Joint Board of Finance. He is a former Vice President of the New York-Washington Region Board of Christian Education, a former Dean of Leadership Training and Associate Dean of Leadership Training of the Philadelphia District, a former Dean of Leadership Training of the New York-New England District and a former instructor in the New York-New England District School of the Prophets. 

Presiding Elder Agee has served on numerous boards of directors and task forces in the communities in which he has pastored. Some of his key leadership positions included Co-Founder and Secretary of the African American Clergy Association of Waterbury, Co-Chair of the Commission on Social Concerns of the Christian Conference of Connecticut, President of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, Vice President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Bridgeport and Vicinity, Bridgeport Redevelopment Agency/Housing Site Development Agency Commissioner, President of the Black Liturgical Churches Union of Jersey City, Chairman of the Mayor’s Interfaith Advisory Commission of Jersey City, Chairman of the Social and Political Action Committee of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Jersey City and Vicinity, Worker Justice Task Force Co-Chair of the Jubilee Interfaith Organization of Northern New Jersey, Executive Board Member of the New Jersey Regional Coalition, President of the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse, Clergy Caucus Co-Chair of the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse, Vice President of Interfaith Works of Central New York and President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Syracuse and Vicinity.

Presiding Elder Agee has received awards for his social justice advocacy from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Waterbury Club (Humanitarian Award), the Waterbury Branch NAACP, the Christian Conference of Connecticut, the Jersey City Branch NAACP (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award), the Learning Tree Radio and Television Program of Paterson, New Jersey (Marcus Garvey Award for Speaking Truth to Power), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County (Academy of Diversity Achievers),the Greater Syracuse Labor Council, and the Central New York Chapter of the Working Families Party. He was also recognized as a Legacy Leader by both the Gamaliel Foundation in Chicago, Illinois and the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse for his efforts in congregation-based community organizing. At the 2012 CME Pastors’ Conference, the late Senior Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr. recognized Reverend Agee as the Outstanding Minister in the Seventh Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He also received the 2013 Freedom Award from the Syracuse-Onondaga NAACP. His most recent honor is the 2014 Racial Justice Catalyst Award from the Communitywide Dialogue to End Racism of Interfaith Works of Central New York and in 2022, at The 39th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the CME Church, Presider Elder Agee was elected as a Member of the Judicial Council.

Presiding Elder Agee is married to Gwendolyn Jean Wallace-Agee. They have two adult sons, Toby and Derrick, a daughter-in-law, Jasmine, and five grandchildren, DaMonique, Kaishon, Dovon, Davinand Jacob.