PITTS THEOLOGY LIBRARY

ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPTS DEPARTMENT

FRANK, THOMAS E., COLLECTION,

MSS 350

Extent: Two records boxes (Boxes 1-2), 2.08 cubic feet

Access: Unrestricted

Reproduction: All requests subject to limitation noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Copyright: Information on copyright (literary rights) available from repository.

Citation:  [Title or Description of Item], Thomas E. Frank Papers, MSS 350, Archives and Manuscripts Department, Pitts Theology Library, Emory University

Biographical Sketch:

 Dr. Thomas E. Frank served as Professor of Religious Leadership and Administration, and Coordinator of the Initiative in Religious Practices and Practical Theology at Candler School of Theology, a graduate school of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He teaching focused on religious leadership, administration, congregational studies, United Methodist history and polity, and directs the program in Methodist Studies.

Professor Frank's primary interest has been the history, congregational life, and organizational culture of mainstream Protestant denominations. He is the author of two books on United Methodism, coauthored with Russell E. Richey, Episcopacy in the Methodist Tradition: Perspectives and Proposals (Abingdon Press 2004). His work Polity, Practice, and the Mission of the United Methodist Church has been updated in a new edition (Abingdon Press 2006). His book exploring the culture and imagination of local church congregations is entitled The Soul of the Congregation: An Invitation to Congregational Reflection (Abingdon Press 2000). He was the principal writer and consultant for the United Methodist bishops' pastoral letter and Episcopal teaching statement on Vital Congregations - Faithful Disciples (Graded Press 1990). He has also explored the relationship of Protestant Christianity and the liberal arts, and is the author of Theology, Ethics, and the Nineteenth Century American College Ideal: Conserving a Rational World (Mellen Research University Press 1993).

Professor Frank's interest in the place of religious congregations and institutions in the settlement of the United States led him to pursue a Master of Heritage Preservation degree at Georgia State University, which he completed in 2006. Among many consulting roles, has served on the Board of Directors of Partners for Sacred Places, a national non-profit organization headquartered in Philadelphia, devoted to preservation of historic religious buildings.

Professor Frank has preached and lectured widely in the United States as well as in Korea, Sweden, England, Holland, Poland, and Germany. He has published numerous articles on religious leadership, polity, and congregational studies.

Raised in Kansas and Missouri, Dr. Frank received his BA from Harvard University and his MDiv and PhD degrees from Emory. He was a United Methodist pastor in Missouri for nine years, and taught at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis for a year prior to coming to his Emory in 1987. His lifelong interests included music, poetry, fiction, and writings about nature, architecture, and the sense of place. He is married to Gail R. O'Day, Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs and Almar H. Shatford Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Candler School of Theology.

Container Listing:

Series I: The Faith and Practices of Christian Congregations Study

Box 1 Folder 1 Survey Results 1991-1994

Folder 2 Conference Schedules, Responses 1994

Folder 3 Proposal for Collected Volume undated

Folder 4 Memoranda 1994-1995

Folder 5 Report to St. Luke’s Church 1989

Folder 6 Living toward Public Church Report 1990

Folder 7 Response RE: Directory, Newsletter 1981-1991

Folder 8 Graduate Assistants 1992

Folder 9 Lilly Grant Proposal 1991

Folder 10 Grant Agreement 1991

Folder 11 Progress Report 1 1991

Folder 12 Progress Report 2 1992

Folder 13 Progress Report 3 1992

Folder 14 Progress Report 4 1993

Folder 15 Progress Report 5 1994

Folder 16 Final Financial Report 1995

Folder 17 Final Lilly Grant Proposal 1990

Folder 18 Final Report 1994-1995

Folder 19 Lilly Proposal and Agreement 1990

Folder 20 Budget and Financial Report 1990

Folder 21 Planning Grant 1991

Folder 22 Meeting Minutes 1990

Folder 23 Draft Grant Proposals 1990

Folder 24 Pew Grant Proposal 1989

Folder 25 Glenmede Trust 1986

Folder 26 Charles R. Foster 1991-1993

Folder 27 Robert M. Franklin 1991-1993

Folder 28 Don E. Saliers 1989-1993

Folder 29 Sally B. Purvis undated

Folder 30 Gail R. O’Day undated

Folder 31 Proposals Submitted 1990

Folder 32 Pamela D. Couture 1991-1992

Series II: Homosexuality in the United Methodist Church, ca. 1997-2005

Beth Stroud, Box 2

Greg Dell Trial, Box 2

Series III: Subject Files

Subject Files, A-Deh, Box 3

Subject Files, Dew-N, Box 4

Subject Files, O-W, Box 5