Bishop Lemuel F. Thuston
Chairman, General Assembly
Answering the call to ministry in his youth, he traveled extensively lecturing, teaching, and evangelizing in 46 of the 50 states and in 22 foreign nations on four continents. He has authored four writings: Essential Ministry Tools, Tears of Jeremiah, From Aldersgate to Azusa, and Decently and In Order In the Sanctified Church—his most recent work is currently in distribution.
After twenty years of successful pastoral, teaching, and military assignments across the globe, he was appointed by the late Bishop W. H. McDonald to the Historic Boone Tabernacle COGIC in Kansas City, MO. Additionally, he serves as the senior pastor of Mason Temple COGIC in Kansas City, KS.
Pastoral ministry and teaching assignments have taken Bishop Thuston to Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, The Bronx, Lubbock, TX, Wichita Falls, and the U. S. Air Force Academy. Due to the initiation of numerous evangelistic strategies and ministry upgrades, the construction of a $4.4 million edifice was necessary, which was dedicated by the late 1st Assistant Presiding Bishop A. Brooks and the late Bishop Sedgwick Daniels.
Upon the recommendation of the jurisdictional pastors, Presiding Bishop G. E. Patterson appointed and consecrated Pastor Thuston as the jurisdictional bishop of the Kansas East Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ in May 2004. Ever-present Kingdom objectives have facilitated growth of this historic jurisdiction now comprises 66 holiness – Pentecostal congregations and missions across Kansas and Missouri.
He currently serves simultaneously, having been re-elected for two terms as Chairman of the COGIC General Assembly and as the jurisdictional prelate of Kansas East. Our international church has experienced a continuum of significant accomplishments during his tenure, including hybrid General Assembly sessions and elections, 10-year Strategic Planning for the national church, and local church mediation protocols.
Bishop Thuston has earned a M.A., M.Div., Th.D., and D.Min. (ABD); Assemblies of God Graduate School, St. Paul Methodist Seminary, Faith Baptist Seminary, and Drew University. Adjunct Lecturer – Pontifical Institute at the Vatican, International Wesleyan Holiness Consortium, African American Holy Land Scholars Union, and White House Presidential Clergy Panel.
He has a history of serving the national church at every opportunity: Dean of Instruction for the National Youth Department, Assistant Chief and Dean of the International Adjutant Corps, Founding Board of Directors All Saints Bible College, and Doctrinal Committee Chairman for the Board of Bishops.
Sharing 39 years of marriage with his wife, Marian, they are the parents of daughter Melody and grandchildren Ezra and Claire Roberta of Atlanta, GA; Bishop Thuston is the 5th of 10 children, the son of the late Superintendent Floyd and Supervisor Roberta Thuston.