Rev. Dr. Charles Wesley Thurman Jr.

Wesley Seminary Profile, Spring 2021

Written by Peter Troutner ‘18

Charles Wesley Thurman Jr. could not be kept away from seminary. Having received his Master of Divinity in 2016 and his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in 2020 from Wesley Seminary, that could’ve been the end of his journey with theological education. Yet, God had other plans.

At the end of 2020, just months after graduating with his own DMin, Thurman became the associate director of the DMin program at Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS). This role came in addition to his existing leadership of St. Matthew AME Zion Church for the past three years. NTS and the church are in Kansas City, MO., where he and his wife have made a home with their four young children.

While at Wesley, his focus went beyond the academic learning to how he could be used by the Lord as a gateway to disciple others.

The changing church and generational shifts prompted Thurman to understand why American millennials are the least religious generation and how he might bring spiritual formation to Black millennials in particular.

In older generations, the church centers around preaching and singing, but Thurman sees small groups as having a profound effect on the millennial generation. These allow for communication, accountability, and discipleship in ways that connect with their generation. Maybe that means the way we do church has to change and especially the way we disciple, he says.

Since coming to NTS, he’s continued to think about how he can improve on theological education for others like himself.

“It provides me an opportunity to share my experience with other African Americans. Theological education is something that can be improved upon in the Black community so this is an opportunity for me to open the door for that.”

His goal is to one day have a DMin track created specifically with the purpose of being geared toward training Black pastors.

“The leadership of seminaries creates opportunities for people to see and be seen.” He takes his leadership role seriously, realizing the professors and leadership of seminaries alike must tailor education to different perspectives and open their minds to what differing viewpoints we bring to the classroom. Ultimately seminary is about formation and that happens when people feel seen and heard.

Degree

MDiv ‘16, DMin ‘20

Current Location

Bartlesville, OK