Dr. Keith Thomas has served as the pastor of Cottage Hill Baptist Church, one of the largest churches on the Gulf Coast, since 2003.

Born in Pasadena, Texas, Dr. Thomas studied for the ministry and graduated from Howard Payne University, majoring in Bible and minoring in Greek. He is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees. As a denominational leader and pastor for over 29 years, he has served as Vice President of the Texas Baptist Pastors’ Conference, Chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Committees, and President of the Florida Baptist Convention. He served as a Trustee Member representing Florida for the North American Mission Board and currently serves as a Trustee for FamilyNet, a NAMB media subsidiary, and Emanuel University and Seminary in Oradea, Romania.

With a heart for reaching those without Christ, Dr. Thomas has led the membership of Cottage Hill Baptist Church to deepen their commitment to evangelism. The motto of the church under his leadership is “People Sharing Jesus” with four priorities of ministry: to exalt the Savior, encourage the servants, equip the saints, and evangelize the sinner. There is great emphasis upon developing believers to become mature followers of Christ through aggressive discipleship training.

In addition to making and baptizing disciples, Pastor Thomas has led the church with a vision to reach the Gulf Coast and the world for Christ. This missions-minded focus begins at the church’s doorstep with active missions work in the local community and extends around the world through overseas mission opportunities and partnerships.

Under the ministry of Dr. Thomas, Cottage Hill Baptist Church’s worship celebrations on Sunday morning and evening reach over 1,500 in attendance with 1,100 in weekly Bible Study. The Cottage Hill Baptist School System expands the present outreach of the church by providing quality Christian education for the city of Mobile and surrounding areas. With over 600 families represented, Cottage Hill Baptist School and Cottage Hill Christian Academy stand as beacons of light, leading both children and parents to grow in the love of the Lord Jesus.

Dr. Thomas and his wife Karen have been married for 28 years and place a high priority on family life. They have enjoyed raising their four children Nathan, Nolan, Lauren, and Kelsey.