Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Tyrone T. Davis (DMin,’09)
Dr. Tyrone T. Davis, although currently serving as treasurer, has served as the chair of the Zion Community Project’s board of directors since 2006. He retired as an itinerant minister in the CME Church in June 2022 after 51 years of itinerancy. He received a Bachelor of business administration in accounting from University of Cincinnati, a MDiv from Lexington Theological Seminary, and a DMin from Memphis Theological Seminary.
As a member of the board of trustees for three CME-affiliated HBCUs, he has utilized all his skill sets to promote the work of the Zion Community Project, which aims to restore the Zion Cemetery, the largest African American community burial ground in Memphis, which was opened in 1876 by former slaves to establish a sacred burial ground for people of color. The Zion Community Project works to create a sense of pride in neighborhoods surrounding Zion Cemetery while emphasizing the historic and educational contributions of the notable citizens interred during those early years.
Along with Dr. Peatchola Jones-Cole, Dr. Tyrone Davis recently published a book titled Historic Zion Cemetery in Memphis. The book aims to capture the history of the cemetery from both the post slavery period as well as the rise of the Zion Community Project and its restoration efforts in the early 1990s.
Tell us about your call to ministry.
I acknowledged my call in 1956 at the age of 7. I preached a trial sermon in September 1962 at age 13 and was licensed to preach in March 1963. At the time of my call, I had no idea that ministers and pastors were paid. I thought ministers were all volunteers.
How did your time at MTS influence your work with the Historic Zion Cemetery and the writing of your book?
Although I began working in the cemetery in October 2002, the DMin training received between 2006 and 2009 helped to prepare me for the task of writing and editing. It helped me to examine the potential of the present condition of the cemetery and the stories hidden in those graves and headstones in the light of the past achievements of those proud citizens who did so much to maintain and sustain Memphis and Shelby County in the early days following the abolition of slavery.
What’s something you learned at MTS that still informs your work? Although I earned my MDiv degree in 1976, the idea of reflection and reflective thought had not yet been shared with me. The inclusion of this concept undergirded my DMin work and caused me to slow what had been, for many years, a fast pace that hindered my hearing and listening to how God continues to speak to us in the quietness of the present.
Why should prospective students discerning a call to ministry consider Memphis Theological Seminary?
MTS is a unique institution that does not attempt to convert or supplant the foundational beliefs of those seeking to further their study in ministry. MTS encourages independent thought and also offers opportunities for students to fill in the gaps of doctrinal belief with objective substance that integrates holistically with each student’s growth.
MTS President Dr. Jody Hill visited Zion Cemetery with Dr. Davis earlier this year. Here are a collection of photos from their time together at this sacred place:
