Ore Lee Spragin, Jr., a man of Christian faith and practice, is a native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, and a life-long member of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church. He is a 1984 graduate of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi (B.S., biology, pre-med); and a 1993 graduate of Wesley Biblical Seminary (M.Div., pastoral studies). He has also done graduate studies at Jackson State University and University Medical Center, both in Jackson, Mississippi. From 1985 to 1987, Ore worked as a biochemistry laboratory assistant at the University Medical Center and taught biology from 1993 to 1995 at Wesley College in Florence, Mississippi. In 2010, Ore completed requirements for and received the Th.D. in Methodist Studies from the Graduate Theological Foundation, then located in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Ore is an ordained Elder (1987) admitted to Full Connection (1988) in the CME Church and has been an itinerant minister since 1985 – serving as a pastor in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia; and as a Presiding Elder from 2003 – 2014.

In 2014, Ore Spragin was elected Editor of The Christian Index, the official organ of the CME Church. He presently serves in that capacity and as Pastor of the Hines Memorial CME Church in Albany, Georgia (USA).

He has conducted seminars in the Church, in the USA and abroad, in the areas of church history and doctrine, spiritual formation and Christian discipleship, biblical studies, worship, and church leadership.

His professional and ministerial affiliations include: The Pan-Methodist Commission; Trustee Board, Breeding-Montgomery Bible College (Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria); Ministerial Examination Committee, South Georgia Region, Sixth Episcopal District; The Associated Church Press; Trustee Board, Phillips School of Theology at the ITC, Atlanta, Georgia; Advisory Board, Methodist House of Studies, Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee; NAACP; former trustee, Epworth Old Rectory, England; and former member, Commission on Faith and Order (CME Church).

Ore Spragin is the author of three books: Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (2010); The History of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (1870-2009): Faithful to the Vision (2011); and An Exposition of The Apostles’ Creed (2014); contributed to Commentary on the Articles of Religion published by the CME Church (2016); and is published in The Christian Index and in other denominational publications. He also wrote for the “Faith in Memphis” section of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Ore, who enjoys photography, media technology, and sound engineering in his spare time, is happily married to Phyliss Morgan Spragin, and they have one adult daughter, one deceased son, and one grandchild.