{"id":36,"date":"2023-08-07T17:16:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T17:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecmechurch.cmechurches.org\/?page_id=36"},"modified":"2026-05-20T01:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T01:00:02","slug":"bishop-marvin-f-thomas-sr","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thecmechurch.org\/bishop-marvin-f-thomas-sr\/","title":{"rendered":"Bishop Marvin F. Thomas, Sr.\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Bishop Marvin F. Thomas, Sr.\u00a0<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1st Episcopal District<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas, Sr. was elected the 62nd<\/sup> bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church on July 1, 2014, at the 37th<\/sup> Quadrennial Session & 38th<\/sup> General Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.\u00a0 Upon his election to the Episcopacy, he was assigned to the denomination\u2019s Second Episcopal District, covering the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and Central Indiana.\u00a0 He served as the presiding prelate of the Second Episcopal District from 2014-2022.\u00a0 Prior to his election as bishop, he served as the seventh president\/dean of The Phillips School of Theology (\u201c<\/b>The Seminary of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church\u201d)<\/b> at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the pastor of the Good News Community CME Church in Lithonia, GA.\u00a0 While at ITC, Bishop Thomas also served as the Chair of the Council of Deans and an adjunct instructor.<\/p>\n

He holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a minor in sociology from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa,\u00a0 \u00a0labama.\u00a0 He also earned the Master of Divinity degree from The Phillips School of Theology at The ITC and the\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.<\/p>\n

He has served as the pastor of Walls Memorial CME Church in Chicago, Illinois.\u00a0 In addition to his tenure as pastor of Walls Memorial, he served as pastor of other congregations in the CME Church and presiding elder in the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Ohio.\u00a0 He currently serves as pastor of Trinity CME Church, Memphis, Tennessee.\u00a0 Bishop Thomas previously served as the Vice President for Student Affairs and a member of the Religion faculty at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee.\u00a0 He has also served as a member of the religion faculty and Student Services staff at his alma mater, Stillman College.<\/p>\n

In July of 2022, during the General Conference of the CME Church convening in Cincinnati, OH, Bishop Thomas was assigned to his current position, where he now serves as the presiding bishop of the First Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, which encompasses the states of Arkansas and Tennessee.\u00a0 He also serves as the chair of the denomination\u2019s Department of Lay Ministry.\u00a0 In addition, he serves as chair of the Lane College Board of Trustees, chair of Board of Directors of Connectional Headquarters of the CME Church, Collins Chapel Board of\u00a0 Directors, and the John Madison Exum Towers.\u00a0 He previously served on the boards of the Ohio Council of Churches, including a term as president, and the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. Bishop Thomas is presently a member of the National Board of Directors of the NAACP and a life member of the same organization.\u00a0 In February of 2022, Bishop Thomas was named the Stillman College Distinguished Alumnus.\u00a0 Bishop Thomas was also awarded Honorary\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Doctorate degrees from Texas College in\u00a0Tyler, Texas, and Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.\u00a0 He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.\u00a0 In April of 2025, Bishop Thomas was the recipient of the Alpha Phi Alpha \u201cFaith In Action\u201d award.\u00a0 The City of Memphis\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 honored Bishop Thomas with a Resolution citing his leadership, service and spiritual guidance while being \u2018Chaplain of the Day for the Memphis City Council Meeting, April 2025.\u00a0 In June of 2025, Bishop Thomas accepted the honor of serving as Co-Chair of the NAACP Memphis Branch Hooks-Graves Prayer Breakfast.\u00a0 He also serves as Pastor of the Trinity C.M.E. Church of Memphis. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Bishop Thomas is a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.\u00a0 He is the second of six children born to the late Mrs. Minnie Thomas Brown.\u00a0 Bishop Thomas has two adult children, Kourtney Lea Thomas and Marvin Frank Thomas, Jr., and one grandson, Kameron.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Contact Information:
Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas, Sr.
<\/strong>1st Episcopal District<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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