Originally from Wales, Derek Thomas is Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina, and the Robert Strong Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.
After pastoring for 17 years in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Thomas returned to the USA in 1996 where, in addition to his service to the Jackson campus of RTS, he served as the Minister of Teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson until 2011, when he joined the staff at FPC, Columbia. As well as serving in the pastorate, Derek has served as editor of the Evangelical Presbyterian, a monthly denominational magazine.
A graduate of RTS in 1978, he gained a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, Lampeter in Calvin’s preaching on the book of Job. He has written or edited several books and has contributed to the Trust’s ‘Let’s Study’ commentary series (Galatians, Revelation). In 2004, Derek Thomas became Editorial Director for The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and the editor of its e-zine, Reformation 21. He married his wife, Rosemary, in 1976 and they have two adult children and two grandchildren.