[12] When he was consecrated at Duke Chapel in Durham on June 17, 2000, he became the first African-American diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Church in the American South.

Throughout his ministry in North Carolina, Curry was also active in issues of social justice, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality.

Curry also led the Diocese of North Carolina to focus on the Millennium Development Goals through a $400,000 campaign to buy malaria nets that saved over 100,000 lives.

Among Curry's first acts as presiding bishop was the placement of three senior staff at Episcopal Church headquarters on administrative leave pending investigation for violating workplace policies.

We are therefore all called to strive for and adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct embodying the love of God and reflecting the teachings and the way of Jesus.

"[26] The revivals were scheduled to include multi-day public events in the Episcopal Dioceses of Pittsburgh, West Missouri, Georgia, San Joaquin, and Honduras.

[26] In June 2023, the adult sons and ex-wife of Bishop Prince Singh accused Curry of mishandling their allegations of abuse.

The primates stated that during that three-year period, Episcopal leaders would not be allowed to represent the Anglican Communion on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, would not be elected or appointed to internal committees, and would not take part in decisionmaking on issues pertaining to doctrine or polity.

[31][32] In the aftermath of the sanctions, Curry maintained his public support for same-sex marriage, stating: Our commitment to be an inclusive church is not based on a social theory or capitulation to the ways of the culture, but on our belief that the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross are a sign of the very love of God reaching out to us all.

[32]As part of the final communique from the gathering, the Anglican primates announced that the Archbishop of Canterbury would appoint a "task group" aimed at healing the rift and rebuilding of mutual trust amidst deep differences.

The leaders joined together in an ecumenical Vespers service led jointly by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Roman Pontiff, followed by a private meeting between Pope Francis and the Anglican primates.

The events honored the fiftieth anniversary since the then Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI met in 1966, the first such meeting since the English Reformation in the 16th century.

[36]Curry's presence in Rome was criticized by Nicholas Okoh, Archbishop of Nigeria and chairman of the traditionalist group Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

Okoh publicly stated that Curry's invitation was a violation of sanctions established by Anglican primates during their January 2016 gathering in Canterbury.

The address was wide-ranging in its sources quoting from Martin Luther King Jr.,[39] the traditional African-American spiritual "There Is a Balm in Gilead", New Testament epistles, and the French Jesuit priest and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

[60][61] In late 2023 he had surgery to remove his right adrenal gland and an attached mass,[62] and was hospitalized in December of that year for subdural hematoma ("brain bleed") caused by a fall.

[64] Following surgery in March 2024 to insert a pacemaker,[65][66] Curry resumed his public engagements in May 2024, including by preaching on Ascension Day at Saint Thomas Church in New York.