The Frank A. & Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair in African American Preaching & Sacred Rhetoric
Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas has left an indelible mark on preaching, pastoral ministry, and the Academy. In honor of his inimitable work, Christian Theological Seminary is establishing the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair to publicly acknowledge, celebrate, and resource Thomas’ commitment to developing practitioner scholars and advancing scholarship on the beauty, depth, creativity, imagination, and power of African American preaching.
The Call
Our call to the African American community is to fund more chairs that celebrate the value and impact of African American scholarship, beginning with the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair of African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. The potential in the African American community to fund philanthropic enterprises is seriously under-appreciated and under-developed. African American families have—more than any other racial group—contributed the largest portion of their wealth to charity.
The Call
Our call to the African American community is to fund more chairs that celebrate the value and impact of African American scholarship, beginning with the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair of African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. The potential in the African American community to fund philanthropic enterprises is seriously under-appreciated and under-developed. African American families have—more than any other racial group—contributed the largest portion of their wealth to charity.
The Reason
The presence of endowed chairs in an institution of higher learning makes it clear that excellence in scholarship and formation are secured as lasting dimensions, values, and practices of a learning community. Establishing this endowed chair:
- Recognizes the impact and generosity of Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas
- Demonstrates a bold and daring commitment to African American life and history
- Unashamedly declares that the African American story, as told by African Americans, is an integral and dynamic part of the American story
- Is particularly important and timely given the current assault on African American history in education
CTS’ vision to be an academic learning community that gives witness to God’s liberative, restorative, and life-affirming message relies directly on excellence in scholarship, teaching, and learning. Endowed chairs and professorships are instrumental in fulfilling this vision.
The Foundation
The PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric was established at Christian Theological Seminary in 2017. Dr. Thomas served as the founding and inaugural Director of this historic PhD program. The program has set a strong foundation:
- World’s first ever doctoral program of its kind
- Founded on the belief that African American preaching is worthy in all its dimensions and expressions of being studied at the highest levels of academic inquiry
- Has expanded into several new initiatives, including the Mixed Methods Preaching Conference, the Compelling Preaching Initiative, and the African American Legacy Preaching Series
These efforts have received an outpouring of donor support and student enrollment, demonstrating how strongly they resonate with the community. The logical next step is to establish an endowed chair that will ensure this program and its many manifestations will continue their growth and impact for generations to come.
The Legacy
Dr. Frank A. Thomas
- 46 years of partnership with Joyce S. Thomas, parenting Anthony William Thomas and Rachel Sojourner Dickerson
- 31 years pastoring two remarkable congregations
- 36 years serving as Professor of Preaching
- More than 2,500 students impacted through direct classroom instruction
Author of many publications including The God of the Dangerous Sermon, Surviving a Dangerous Sermon, and How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon. Co-edited Preaching With Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons 1750 to the Present with Martha Simmons, published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2010.
Founding Director of:
The Goal
The African American church community has already heavily invested in the PhD Program with over $700,000 in scholarships and program support since the inception of the program in 2017. Given this legacy of generosity, we now seek to raise $3M for the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric to provide resources for the longevity and sustainability of the program’s commitment to develop practitioner-scholars and scholarship in the African American preaching tradition in perpetuity.
The Campaign
$1.5M
by 6/30/24
$3M
by 12/31/25
The Future
The establishment of this Endowed Chair will ensure the sustained viability and continued impact of Dr. Thomas’ legacy for generations to come. Current PhD students are a living testimony to his commitment to sharing the insights and value of African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric with current and future preachers. These practitioner-scholars are already making significant contributions to pastoral ministry, activism, and the Academy. Take for example:
- Gina M. Stewart, pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee and President for the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention, serving as the first female president in the organization’s history
- Michael W. Waters, Founder and Lead Pastor of the Abundant Life African American Episcopal Church in Dallas, Texas
- Frederick Haynes, III, President of international human and civil rights organization the Rainbow Push Coalition
- Dominique A. Robinson, the John E. Hines Assistant Professor of Preaching at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas (a historical assignment as she is the first African American full-time faculty member of the institution).
Establishing the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair will ensure that this type of leadership and community work continues with future generations of PhD students and those they influence, exponentially increasing the impact of Dr. Thomas’ career work.
F.A.Q.
What is an Endowed Chair?
An endowed chair is funded through donor contributions and is invested in a professionally managed fund. A predetermined draw from the fund offsets the operational expenses of the professor sitting in the Chair. When the endowment is fully funded, a faculty member will be named to the chair. The endowed Chair is the highest academic award that the Seminary can bestow on a faculty member.
What is the Impact of this Endowed Chair?
It is a sign of sustainability of the PhD program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric and evidences a strong commitment to current and future students that the program will always exist.
Continues groundbreaking leadership in the field of homiletics, that is, preaching and the teaching of preaching across the nation and globe.
Helps CTS recruit the nation’s brightest and best students and professors with outstanding credentials to serve the PhD program.
Provides support for fresh research, promoting the continual discovery and understanding of the brightest and best of African American preaching.
What is the Legacy Preaching Series?
This is a set of video interviews about compelling preaching with renowned preachers. The series is hosted by Program Director Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas and posted to YouTube for subscribers. Additional video interviews for this series will be posted every 3 weeks throughout the course 2024. You can view the series here.
What is the Mixed Methods Preaching Conference?
The Mixed Methods Preaching Conference is a preaching conference hosted annually on campus at CTS. Current and aspiring preachers come to campus in fellowship to learn more about preaching through participatory workshops, teaching labs, and preaching labs with collegial feedback and sermon critiques.
What is the Compelling Preaching Initiative?
CTS’s Compelling Preaching Initiative is an 18-month certificate program for Exemplar preachers to engage in cohort learning about the theology and pedagogy of preaching while further developing their own preaching method. During this program, Exemplar preachers produce their own published work and help lead participatory workshops, teaching labs, and preaching labs at the Mixed Methods Preaching Conference to help participants enhance their preaching style. The program culminates with Exemplar preachers going forth to mentor and coach aspiring Apprentice preachers in the hopes of advancing the collective impact of compelling preaching.
