The Department of Student Services is here to support every aspect of your seminary journey. From academic support and career development to vocational discernment and pastoral care, we provide the resources you need to thrive. Our team offers guidance with housing, pulpit supply, job searches, and reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. We also connect students with clergy coaches and counseling services, both pastoral and professional.
Greetings!
Location: Founders-1st Floor
Phone: 901.334.5833
Email: mlthomas@memphisseminary.edu
Rev. Dr. Maxine Thomas serves as the Student Services Specialist at Memphis Theological Seminary. An ordained Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, she has spent her life empowering others through ministry, education, and leadership. Alongside her husband of 36 years, Rev. Troy Thomas, she co-pastors St. Andrew AME Church. Dr. Thomas is the founder and Executive Director of Sisters Keeping the Covenant, a ministry focused on healing and wellness for women and teen girls, and serves as Dean of the Thirteenth Episcopal District Board of Examiners, guiding ministers pursuing ordination in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Dr. Thomas holds degrees from Wilberforce University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Asbury Theological Seminary. A dynamic preacher, educator, and author of four Christian books, she has also served as a college professor and mentor to countless ministry leaders. She finds great joy in her family—three daughters, two sons-in-love, and her beloved grandchildren who affectionately call her “SweetMa.” Dr. Thomas’s life and ministry reflect her deep love for God and her passion for helping others grow in faith and purpose.
Discover Our Student Services
- Coordination of pastoral care services and counseling, in conjunction with the MTS faculty and chaplain.
- Referrals to experienced spiritual directors.
- Information about community activities involving students, including Voter Registration, Constitution Day, and Student Government events.
- Coordination of preaching opportunities for students.
- Vocational discernment, career planning, and employment strategies.
Visit our online career center at memphisseminary.optimalresume.com - Employment opportunities for current students while enrolled.
- Securing permanent job placement for graduating students.
- Advocacy for students who are members of groups that have been disadvantaged in employment because of their race, ethnicity, gender, and/or disability.
- ATS Profiles of Ministry assessments.
- ATS Entering and Exiting Student Questionnaires.
- Dissemination of the MTS statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the MTS code of conduct.
- Coordination of programs designed to assist students develop and improve writing skills, focusing on research, documentation, and composition.
- Coordination of commuter housing in conjunction with the Department of Facilities and Safety.
- Support and services to International students.
- https://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/schools/memphis-theological-seminary.php
- Support and services to students with disabilities.
New students will be considered for scholarships if they are accepted on or before the early application deadline. Scholarship application deadline for the fall is May 31st and Spring December 31st.
Campus Student Groups
Women Student Fellowship
MTS has played a historic role in advocacy for women in theological education and women in ministry. We are proud of our female students and are committed to supporting them through seminary and beyond. A program of the Student Senate, Women in Ministry meets monthly over brown-bag lunches and offers a community of encouragement, practical guidance, and opportunities to develop informal mentoring relationships with established female ministers. All female students are welcome to attend!
Women in Ministry Brown Bag Lunch Meetings
Where: Cumberland 102,
When: 12p-1pm, First Monday of the month
October 3, November 7, February 6, March 6, and April 3
Baptist Student Fellowship
Thanks to the generous support of an MTS Alum, the Baptist Student Fellowship hosts an annual lunch where MTS’s Baptist students (National Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Alliance of Baptists, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, American Baptist, and many more!) gather for fellowship and formation. All Baptist students welcome!