A Legacy of Preaching & Celebration

Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas

DECEMBER 20, 2024

A year from now there will be a distinct homiletic hole during McCormick’s Winter J Term, one that since 1985 has been filled by Rev. Dr. Frank A Thomas’ adored Preaching And Celebration course. After 34 years of teaching at McCormick, Rev. Thomas is retiring, cementing a legacy of innovation, trailblazing, and impact. While Rev. Dr. Thomas is his well-deserved and proper title - he holds a Ph.D. in Communications (Rhetoric) from the University of Memphis, and D.Min. degrees from Chicago Theological Seminary and United Theological Seminary - calling him Rev. Thomas seems more appropriate given his deep, selfless pastoral heart that shines as bright today as it did when he first started teaching.

Many institutions have been blessed over the years to have Rev. Thomas on staff, but it was at MTS that he got his start. A guest preaching opportunity led to his recommendation for a faculty role at McCormick. He began by teaching a “Preaching in the Black Church” course initially attended solely by black preachers in training. It was one of the first courses of its kind, spotlighting insights into African American preaching that cannot be found in other traditions. While groundbreaking, Rev. Thomas credits the relationships built with students for the course’s longstanding success. “I minister to students,” he offers with deep conviction, “it’s helping students understand their call…I’m not trying to make anyone anything other than who they already are.” 

Within a decade, the course was coveted by students from across the globe. It became a course that could not be missed. Rev. Thomas recalls how the course became “became a virtual UN in there.” As the popularity of his MTS courses grew, Rev. Thomas' dynamic presence in the preaching world also expanded to seminaries around the U.S. and to the wider church, which drew out feelings of deep gratitude from him. He celebrates that the church is better for having African American preaching included. “I’ve always tried to bring African American preaching to the table as equal a member as European, Hispanic, Asian, and any other preaching traditions," he shares. "The church is strengthened by that voice being at the table.” 

Even as Rev. Thomas begins the countdown to his retirement from teaching, he knows that he has helped lay the groundwork for something much bigger. He passionately proclaims the need for revival in American Christianity, explaining that African American preaching will be one of the sparks, a testimony to his unwavering commitment to his ministry. Still, he concedes, ministry of this type is hard, and helping people is demanding. Essential to thriving is having the right people around you, and for Rev. Thomas, his go-to partner for over 40 years has been his wife, Rev. Dr. Joyce S. Thomas. They serve together as certified professional coaches and hone & uplift one another in ministry. “For me, it was my spouse and my family," he reflects. "But for others, it's about having other partners and a community.” 

To share that Rev. Thomas is retiring is solely a recognition that he will no longer teach at McCormick and other institutions. But his impact in shaping homiletic thought through the lens of African American preaching will continue through the African American Legacy Preaching Series, a digital resource that helps preachers understand the approach, preparation, and delivery behind the preaching of some of the best expositors in the world. He will also offer guidance to the PhD program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary, the first PhD in African American preaching in the country, which he established. His impact will also be felt through the recently announced “Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric” at CTS. 

In his ongoing endeavors, Rev. Thomas has a lofty goal for the decade ahead. “I would like to see us graduate 20 professors of homiletics who specialize in African American preaching,” he shares. These ministers, like himself, would be dedicated to advancing African American preaching and caring for the hearts and ministry of budding preachers. He has no desire to have “many other Frank Thomases running around,” but he hopes that his preaching and teaching will enable many more people to become themselves, answering questions about themselves, and digging deeper into themselves so that they can know their calling in ministry. It is clear that even as he retires, the legacy of Reverend Thomas’ work will grow as African American preaching makes an increasing, indelible mark on the American and global church.