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The Frank A. & Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair in African American Preaching & Sacred RhetoricArchbishop Desmond Tutu with Joyce & Frank ThomasRev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas has left an indelible mark on preaching, pastoral ministry, and the Academy through his own work, the students he has taught, the churches he has served, the books he has written, videos he has recorded, and the communities he has shared his passions and insights with during his illustrious career. His work embodies the beauty and significance of African American preaching, giving living testimony to the ways black sacred rhetoric has shaped and continues to revive our world with positive change, awakening people to God’s call for justice and equity while also teaching them the tools to mobilize for action and service. In honor of his inimitable work, Christian Theological Seminary is establishing the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair. This endowed chair will 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. Establishing this Endowed Chair is one way CTS can support Dr. Thomas’ work and reflect his pioneering nature by leading the way in ensuring African American preaching and scholarship is lifted up, celebrated, and taught with the utmost reverence for generations to come. CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY School of Theology

The potential in the African American community to fund philanthropic enterprises such as scholarships, endowed chairs, etc. 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. According to a report by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Black households give 25% more of their income annually than white households, and nearly two-thirds of African American households donate to organizations and causes, totaling $11 billion each year. Despite this legacy of African American philanthropy, our research shows that while approximately 125 African Americans sit in endowed chair positions, there are only six endowed chairs currently funded by African Americans. 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. African American preaching and sacred rhetoric deserves to have its beauty, value, and legacy lifted up in perpetuity. CTS believes Frank A. Thomas and Joyce S. Thomas should be recognized for their impact and generosity through the establishment of an endowed chair in their honor. Establishing this endowed chair is of particular timeliness and importance given the assault on African American history in education today. Christian Theological Seminary will join with African American communities, churches, schools, philanthropists, and all communities of good to combat this assault and proclaim the value of African Americans to American history by raising funds to establish this endowed chair. This eort demonstrates a bold and daring commitment to African American life and history, and unashamedly declares that the African American story, as told by African Americans, is an integral and dynamic part of the American story. The presence of endowed chairs in an institution of higher learning should not be taken for granted. They make it clear that excellence in scholarship and formation are secured as lasting dimensions, values, and practices of a learning community. CTS’ vision to be an academic learning community that gives witness to God’s liberative, restorative, and life-arming message relies directly on excellence in scholarship, teaching, and learning. Endowed chairs and professorships are instrumental in fulfilling this vision. What is an Endowed Chair?An endowed chair is funded through donor contributions and is invested in a professionally managed fund. A prede-termined draw from the fund osets the operational expenses of the professor sitting in the Chair. When the endow-ment 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 Preach-ing 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, preach-ing 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 CallTheReasonThe

The PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric was established at Christian Theological Seminary in 2017. It was the 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. Dr. Thomas served as the founding and inaugural Director of this historic PhD program. Currently, there are 24 doctoral students in 3 cohorts progressing toward their PhDs in various aspects of African American preaching. The program has received an outpouring of donor support and student enrollment because we and the philanthropic community believe the beauty, depth, power, imagination, creativity, and history of African American preaching can generate a preaching renaissance to revive American Christianity in the 21st century. Several initiatives have already grown out of the PhD Program, including the Mixed Methods Preaching Conference, the Compelling Preaching Initiative, and the African American Legacy Preaching Series. 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 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.For more information on how you can support the Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair in African American History and Sacred Rhetoric, please contact Dr. Kristin Champa at kchampa@cts.edu or 317-931-2310.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 Founding Director of: PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric Mixed Methods Preaching Conference Compelling Preaching Initiative at Christian Theological Seminary African American Legacy Preaching Series 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.FoundationTheLegacyTheGoalThe $1.5M by 6/30/24 $3M by 12/31/25 CampaignThe

Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas has established an incredible legacy through his pastoral work, scholarship, teaching,preaching, and mentoring. The establishmentof this Endowed Chair will ensure the sustainedviability and continued impact of that legacy for generations tocome. Current PhD students are a living testimony to Dr. Thomas’commitment to sharing the insights and value of African AmericanPreaching and Sacred Rhetoric with current and future preachers.These practitioner-scholars are already making significantcontributions to pastoral ministry, activism, and the Academy. Takefor example Gina M. Stewart, pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee and President for the Lott CareyForeign Mission Convention, serving as the first female presidentin the organization’s history; Michael W. Waters, Founder and Lead Pastor of the Abundant Life African American EpiscopalChurch in Dallas, Texas; Frederick Haynes, III, President of international human and civil rights organization the RainbowPush Coalition; and Dominique A. Robinson, the John E. HinesAssistant Professor of Preaching at the Seminary of the Southwestin Austin, Texas (a historical assignment as she is the first AfricanAmerican full-time faculty member of the institution). Establishingthe Frank A. and Joyce S. Thomas Endowed Chair will ensurethat this type of leadership and community work continues withfuture generations of PhD students and those they influence,exponentially increasing the impact of Dr. Thomas’ career work.www.cts.eduMichael W. WatersDominique A. Robinson Frederick Haynes, IIIGina M. StewartFutureThe