Rev. Durley earned his PhD in Urban Education and Psychology fromt he University of Massachusetts in the United States. He is the pastor at the Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. He was also one of the first volunteers from the US Peace Corps in Nigeria.

Rev. Durley participated in the Civil Rights Movement with Martin Luther King Jr. Since 2011, he has been part of the International Civil Rights: Walk of Fame. In July 2015, his work on climate change was recognized by the White House.