resigned from a local faith committee over antisemitic controversy. As late as the 21st century, Ellis also served as a member of Eureka Lodge No. 52 of the Prince Hall Freemasons. He was a grand prior and 33rd degree mason. After 30 years of leadership at the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, J. Delano Ellis, II abdicated his pastorate in 2019; his wife, Dr. Sabrina Ellis, was appointed the new senior pastor. On September 19, 2020, Ellis died, according to an announcement from his wife. His death almost immediately followed a street being named in his honor. The Potter's House Church founder Thomas Dexter Jakes preached at his funeral. Following his death, Bishop Woodson of the PCC's Mid-South Episcopal Diocese was elected as new presiding prelate for the Pentecostal Churches of Christ. The majority of the executive and advisory boards of the Joint College of Bishops also resigned. After resignation, the remainder of the college of bishops temporarily became the J.D. Ellis Training Academy, before restoring the Joint College of Bishops. Apostolic succession In an appendix to his book The Bishopric – A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church, Ellis claimed both "western and eastern streams of apostolic succession" for himself and for the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ. He claimed "western streams of succession" via the Church of England, John Wesley, Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Church of God in Christ. The claimed succession from the Methodist Episcopal Church is stated as being via three Church of God in Christ bishops (David Charles Williams, Carl Edward Williams and Reuben Timothy Jones), all of whom held "Holy Orders" from the Methodist Episcopal Church. In his book, he made no claim or comment at all as to whether the line of succession via Wesley, Coke, Asbury and the Methodist Episcopal Church carries unbroken apostolic succession as distinct from presbyteral succession only. He also didn't indicate that Williams, Williams and Jones possessed episcopal consecration from the Methodist Episcopal Church, nor does he cite any episcopal apostolic lineage for their status as bishops of the Church of God in Christ. The question as to whether there can be apostolic succession via Wesley is a moot point. Wesley was a Church of England clergyman but he was not a Church of England bishop. Some believe that Wesley was secretly consecrated bishop by Greek Orthodox bishop