He later earned a Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary in the same city and was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America.

Sutton continued his graduate studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, and after a few years joined the Episcopal Church, completing his Anglican ministry training in 1993 at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

On June 28, 2008, he was consecrated as Bishop of Maryland, having been elected at the previous diocesan convention on the first ballot.

The consecration was held at the Washington National Cathedral, where Sutton had served as canon pastor.

He became the first African American bishop for the Diocese of Maryland, and was installed in the Cathedral of the Incarnation on June 29, 2008.