Rev. A. Byron Coleman III has been in ministry over 30 years. He currently serves as Senior Pastor of the Fifth Street Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Pastor Coleman received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Morehouse College (’93) in Atlanta, GA. While at Morehouse, he served as the President of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistants, as well as the Director of Midweek Worship for the entire Atlanta University Center campus. He received his Master of Divinity Degree (’97) from Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. During his time in Philadelphia, he served as an Associate Minister to several congregations and was the Director of Environmental Justice for the South Philadelphia Coalition of Concerned Churches.
His call to ministry led him from Philadelphia to Oklahoma City where he has served as the Senior Pastor for 22 years at the Fifth Street Baptist Church. During his tenure at “The 5th “(as it is affectionately called) the church has experienced phenomenal growth. Not only has the physical infrastructure been strengthened but more importantly the soul infrastructure has been strengthened. Under Pastor Coleman’s leadership new ministries have been created to further touch lives. Some of which include Marriage Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Teen Church, and the 5th also has an impactful Outreach Ministry that travels to homeless shelters throughout the entire year serving meals providing clothes and counseling. Pastor Coleman, along with his wife, host one the largest African American Marriage Conferences in the country, “The Love Lab”, which has been in existence for over 20 years.
Even though Pastor Coleman was called to parish ministry, God has allowed him to use his gifts and knowledge in other areas. He currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the African/African American Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma. There he teaches a variety of classes: African American Religious Traditions, Leadership in the African American Community, African American Men and Introduction to African American Studies. While serving at the University, Rev. Coleman has been asked to speak on many occasions, serves on several panel discussions and advises many students on campus.
Rev. Coleman, for the last 10 seasons, has served as the Chaplain for the professional basketball team the Oklahoma City Thunder. In this capacity he serves as a counselor/life coach to NBA players.
He has been the keynote speaker and lecturer at high schools, seminaries, and universities. In 2001 Pastor Coleman was inducted into Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College. His affiliations include being a member of the NAACP, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (Boule), Prince Hall Masons (King David Lodge) and Oklahoma Center for Biblical Literacy.
He is married to Dr. Sharri Mattison-Coleman (Spelman, ’93). They have two sons Chandler Avery and Courtland Alexander.
