Our Minister
Minister Orlander R. Thomas
Senior Minister · Southside Church of Christ · Durham, North Carolina
Orlander R. Thomas serves as the Senior Minister of the Southside Church of Christ in Durham, North Carolina. He is a graduate of Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas, where he earned a B.S. in Religious Studies.
In 2010, he married Britney Scott of Compton, California. They have been married for 15 years and are blessed with three wonderful children: Omri, Orlander, and Brightlee Rose Thomas.
Join us online as we journey through God’s word together.
A Pastor, Scholar, and Public Theologian
From 2006 to 2015, Minister Thomas served various churches in Los Angeles, California, and Miami, Florida. Those years shaped a ministry practice that brings preaching, teaching, and community engagement together.
Committed to holistic education, he has earned Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Ministerial Leadership. In 2020, he completed his Master of Divinity degree at Duke Divinity School, also receiving certificates in African & African American Studies and Black Church Studies.
Minister Thomas is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which allows him to merge the intersections of church and community in meaningful ways.
He serves as Adjunct Professor of Bible & Theology at Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas, and strives to be a lifetime student of the word. He views himself as a public theologian whose goal is to promote conversations about God in the public square that may lead to holistic communal healing and empowerment.
Orlander R. Thomas
Senior Minister · Southside Church of Christ
Meet the Thomas Family
In 2010, Orlander married the beautiful Britney Scott of Compton, California. Together with their children—Omri, Orlander, and Brightlee Rose—they share life and ministry as a family committed to Southside and the wider Durham community.
Orlander & Britney Thomas
Partners in life, family, and ministry at Southside.
The Thomas Family
Serving God together in Durham, North Carolina.
Walk with us as we follow Jesus.
Whether you are new to faith or looking for a church home, you are invited to worship, learn, and serve alongside Minister Thomas and the Southside family.