archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
, and earned a B.A. from the
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...
(1976), studying Spanish Language and Literature and (Latin American) History and working as a student pastor. In 1980, he received his M.Div. at the Duke Divinity School, having studied Comparative
Semitics
Semites, Semitic peoples or Semitic cultures is an obsolete term for an ethnic, cultural or racial group.Master of Sacred Theology at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
. He then studied at New College, Edinburgh, and earned a Ph.D. in Early Church History (1985). His dissertation, ''Arnobius of Sicca. Conflict and Competition in the Age of Diocletian'', was published in 1995 by Oxford University Press.
Simmons was consecrated bishop at St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Marietta, Georgia in 2000. He was elected archbishop in 2007 by the House of Bishops of the Anglican Province of Christ the Good Shepherd and was installed on March 26, 2008.