Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton
About (Bishop) Rev. Dr. Teresa Jefferson-Snorton
About (Bishop) Rev. Dr. Teresa Jefferson-Snorton
Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton is the Presiding Bishop of the Fifth Episcopal District of the CME Church, which includes the states of Alabama and Florida. She previously served as Presiding Bishop of the Eleventh Episcopal District, which included ten counties in Central and Eastern Africa.
She was the Executive Director of the national Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE) for almost twelve years prior to her election as Bishop.
She is the former Executive Director of the Emory Center for Pastoral Services in Atlanta, Georgia and former Director of Pastoral Services at Crawford Long Hospital. She has been adjunct instructor in Pastoral Care at Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
She is a fourth generation, life-long CME. Her great-grandfather, father and uncle were all CME pastors and her grandmother was an active missionary. Her two sisters are also CME ministers. As an ordained minister in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, she was a former pastor in Kentucky.
Prior to moving to Atlanta, in addition to being a pastor, she was a Psychiatric Staff Chaplain in Louisville, on the adjunct faculty of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky, and on the faculties of the Patient Counseling Program at the Medical College of Virginia and the School of Theology of Virginia Union University in Richmond.
Bishop Jefferson-Snorton has a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology in Pastoral Care from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Patient Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Bishop Snorton is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Miles College, Fairfield, Alabama. She serves on the Pan-Methodist Council, the governing board of the National Council of Churches, President of Churches Uniting in Christ and as Chair of the Family Life Committee of the World Methodist Council.
Bishop Jefferson-Snorton has been active on several boards and committees of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, including the Commission on the Concerns of Women in Ministry and immediate past President of the Chaplains Commission. She is the current Ecumenical Officer and Endorser for the CME Church. She has been a delegate to six CME General Conferences, is a former National Youth Conference officer, and a member of several committees in her region/annual conference, including the Joint Board of Finance, the Committee on Ministry, the Leadership Training School faculty, and the Coordinator of the Renewal Plan for the Second Episcopal District.
Bishop Jefferson-Snorton is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She has been a member of several boards and advisory committees related to interfaith dialogue, religion and health, and pastoral education. Her awards include the Wayne Oates Pastoral Care Award from the Long Run Baptist Association in Louisville, Kentucky, a recipient of the B. Julian Smith Award from the Board of the Christian Education in the CME Church and a recipient of the Legacy Award of the CME Women's Missionary Council.
In 2010, she received the Fortitude Leadership Award from the East Point, GA chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, the Distinguished Service Award from the Racial, Ethnic, Multicultural Network of the ACPE, Inc, and the Distinguished Achievement in Research and Writing Award from the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
She is frequently a guest preacher at churches of all denominations and lecturer and speaker for hospitals, seminaries, conferences, leadership schools and retreats on religion and health, multicultural, ethical and gender issues, pastoral care and spiritual development. She is the author of several articles, chapters and book reviews on topics related to pastoral care and ministry. Her most recent writing is a co-edited work with Dr. Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, Women Out of Order: Risking Change and Creating Care in a Multi-Cultural World.
Bishop Jefferson-Snorton is married to the Rev. Lawrence Jefferson-Snorton and their blended family includes six sons, one daughter and three grandchildren.