Rev. Dr. Marvin Luther Crawford has been dubbed the “preaching physician”—a title very much reflective of his role as a pastor, professor, and physician.  Drs. Henry and Ella Mitchell, renowned homiletics professors, described him as a rustic scholar with an excellent narrative gift.

Dr. Crawford is in his 14th conference year as Senior Pastor at First Saint Paul AME Church located in Lithonia, GA.  He graduated magna cum laude from Albany State University, and pursued his medical training at the University of Iowa College of Medicine while also preparing for ordination in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

He completed a residency program in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia and received his Master’s in Divinity with honors from the Interdenominational Theological Center.

Dr. Crawford has centered his spiritual energies into encouraging the greatest of these to help, and the least of these to hope.  All of his pastorates, such as, food banks, educational assistance, health care education, economic empowerment, youth development, substance abuse intervention, housing and crime prevention, have been the central point of his ministry.

Dr. Crawford has received several awards including:  Morehouse School of Medicine Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year (eight times in an 22-year career); five times the overall Teacher of the Year; the Dean’s Faculty of the Year award; Terrell County, GA Chapter of the NAACP award for Theological and Medical Pursuits; the Clark’s Preaching award of ITC; Turner Seminar of ITC Alumnus of the Year, 2008; and the John Templeton Foundation award for his Spirituality and Medicine curriculum endeavors.

Dr. Crawford is noted for his ability to incorporate spirituality into patient care and is one of the nation’s authentic experts in this area.  He is noted for helping to develop the Morehouse School of Medicine curriculum on spirituality and medicine which was one of the first programs in the nation with a media release in over 400 newspapers and other sources.

Dr. Crawford is married to Dr. Sherell Vicks-Crawford, and they have two lovely children – Claire and Marvin, Jr.