Antipas L. Harris, DMin PhD

Antipas is a public theologian, leader, scholar, author, and public speaker. He is passionately engaged in reimagining the role of faith in the public square and the formation of future leaders for the church and the world. His leadership experience is multifaceted, spanning theological education, the church, and the community. He understands truth, love, justice, grace, and mercy as central to Christian identity and the apex for effective public witness.

Over the last 18 years, Harris has taught at various universities and theological schools, including Sacred Heart University, New York Theological Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary, Portland Theological Seminary, Vanguard University, Virginia Christian College, and Regent University. While working at Regent University, he held an administrative position and was a tenured associate professor. He was named the 2019–2020 prestigious Moen Preaching Chair at North Central University. Harris currently teaches courses in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Old Dominion University.

Antipas is also the founder of Harris Institute, with a mission for both youth leadership development and adult experiential life-long learning. The institute's motto is "the world is our classroom; we travel, teach, and learn" — with theological and leadership think-tanks that convene annually at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, and an annual educational pilgrimage in Ghana and missions in East Africa.

Academy

Harris is passionate about leadership in theological education. He has chaired and served on numerous university committees and also served as acting director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Regent University. He has supervised several dissertations and served on many doctoral committees. Bridging the academy and the church, Harris initiated the Church Education Initiative at Regent Divinity School to build a deeper relationship between theological education and local churches.

Harris was the founding president of Jakes Divinity School in Dallas, Texas — a church-based divinity school at The Potter's House. He established Jakes Divinity School (JDS) to enhance theological education as an additional benefit within a widely recognized ministry that has a global impact. As President, Harris led the school's original and strategic plans.

Harris has presented lectures and academic papers at several universities, including the University of Oxford, the University of Ghana, Pentecost University, Perez University, and Trinity Theological School.

In addition to the countless young people Harris has taught and mentored, he organized a formal mentoring group called Young Ministers, Pastors, and Leaders (YMPL) Mentoring to support 20 aspiring Christian leaders. Many of his mentees were seminarians; today most are graduates serving and thriving in various areas of ministry in the church and society. In 2026, the Hampton Roads Committee of 200 Plus Men awarded Antipas with the 200 Plus Men Educator of the Year Award.

Church

Harris embodies ecumenism and demonstrates the ability to build global networks and influence within the church and society. He has served several pastoral staffs within various mainline, denominational, and non-denominational churches for the past 31 years — beginning his ministry in a rural church in Manchester, Georgia and since serving in several urban and suburban intercultural contexts and leading short-term ministry teams abroad. He has taken part in two successful church plants: one an international church in Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the other an urban church in Portsmouth, VA.

Harris is well-known for his ability to build coalitions with unlikely community partners, crossing racial, ethnic, denominational, and religious lines. He believes that all of humanity is inextricably bound up together: "We must care for all of God's creation, every person, our families, communities, cities, nation, and world. We must work to love each other — including those who don't look, believe, think, or act like us — as one big human family."

While serving as a pastor in New Haven, Connecticut, Harris formed a strategic partnership with Yale University that produced the urban musical Broken Chains: A Gospel Hip-Hopera — an imaginative story of the persecution of Peter by Roman Emperor Nero. The production spread throughout New Haven, Yale University, the Shubert Theatre, and an arts magnet school, drawing on international artistic elements from the Caribbean Islands and West Africa. It debuted in December 2011 and proved meaningful in building community relations across ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

Harris later served as founding dean of the Urban Renewal Center (URC) in Norfolk, Virginia, focused on racial unity. Through the URC, Harris has led several educational forums on race, cultural diversity, and the opioid epidemic, drawing attendees from faith traditions, civic organizations, the business community, and law enforcement. He also leads the Black Sacred Arts Series, which highlights the history and relevance of black sacred art in religious, cultural, ideological, and sociological development in the United States.

Community

Harris gains inspiration and challenge from productive relationships with civic leaders, pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, bishops, legislators, CEOs, presidents, and deans to address community and national concerns. His commitment to faith and society has influenced several initiatives: an academic support program and ministries that offer hand-ups through financial literacy and economic empowerment.

Harris has served on numerous nonprofit boards. For approximately eight years he served on the board of the Hampton Roads Committee of 200 Plus Men, Inc., supporting efforts to help hundreds of men of color enroll in college. He served on the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference board and was involved in the Faith and Education Coalition's efforts to advance criminal justice reform. He currently serves on the board of Community in Schools of Hampton Roads and the board of Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.

Harris is the first to serve as Vice Chair for Interfaith Relations on the regional executive board of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce — a 5-star accredited organization that values the interfaith community's role in setting the moral climate for thriving business. The President of the Chamber affectionately refers to him as the "Chamber chaplain."

An essential part of Harris' public leadership has been participation with the Norfolk Police Department (NPD), including the Fair and Impartial Police Committee and co-creating the Clergy Patrols program — accompanying officers in the field to de-escalate situations, mediate conflict, and connect people in need with support. He also led international short-term missions in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, co-founded Hampton Roads' Hands United Building Bridges (HUBB) — a council of interfaith clergy — and partnered with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra to launch "Evening of Hope" at the Harrison Opera House, an annual event uniting Hampton Roads to honor victims of violence and frontline workers. In 2024, Lead 757 of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce awarded Antipas the Julian Hirst Award for excellence in community leadership.

Education

Harris earned his BA in Religion and Creative Music Technology from LaGrange College, MDiv from Emory University, STM from Yale University, DMin from Boston University, and a PhD from St. Thomas University. He is well-published, with several peer-reviewed articles, newspaper columns, chapters, edited volumes, and monographs.