Key Takeaways
- The ordination will take place at Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, a historic Underground Railroad site in New York.
- DMX’s ministry was expressed through music, public prayer, and his openness about faith and redemption.
- The event brings together community leaders and fans to reflect on his spiritual path and cultural influence.
The spiritual legacy of DMX will be formally honored this month, as the late Hip Hop icon is set to be posthumously ordained as a minister during a ceremonial service in New York.
The Gospel Cultural Center announced that DMX, born Earl Simmons, will be ordained on Saturday (Jan. 10) at Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Tarrytown. The service is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will take place at the historic church, which was founded in 1860 and served as a verified safe house along the Underground Railroad.
The ceremony’s location carries deep symbolism, reflecting the rapper’s lifelong spiritual struggle and his impact as a figure who publicly wrestled with faith, pain, and redemption. Rather than preaching from a pulpit, X’s ministry lived through his music, prayers, and unfiltered honesty.
“Earl Simmons wrestled with God in the public square, turning his pain into a ministry of raw truth,” Bishop Dr. Osiris Imhotep, founder of the Gospel Cultural Center, said in a statement on Facebook. “This ordination recognizes the divine calling he fulfilled every time he spoke a prayer into a microphone.” Further details for the ordination here.
The service will include scripture from Acts 17:31 and is expected to draw clergy members, community leaders, and fans whose connection to the “X Gon' Give It to Ya” hitmaker extended far beyond music. For many, his openness about faith, even at his lowest points, made him relatable and deeply human.
Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church remains one of the oldest Black churches in Westchester County. Its role in helping enslaved people escape to freedom adds another layer of symbolism, connecting DMX’s journey to a site long associated with liberation and resilience.
DMX’s faith, final years, and lasting spiritual impact
DMX died in April 2021 at the age of 50 after suffering a heart attack. In his later years, faith became increasingly central to his public life. He was ordained as a deacon in Arizona in 2019 and frequently spoke about feeling called to ministry.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yonkers native held Bible study sessions on Instagram Live, reading scripture and praying with thousands of viewers. He also openly discussed plans to release a gospel album.
The upcoming ordination stands as a powerful tribute to a man whose spirituality was never polished, but always sincere, and whose prayers reached millions.