Bishop Malcolm W. Coby

Bishop Malcolm Winslow Coby is the Jurisdictional Prelate of the Oklahoma Southeast Jurisdiction of Church of God In Christ, Inc. He was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1946. He is the oldest of three brothers. He is a loving father and grandfather. He is married to Reva Coby who is a Certified Case Manager for a Community Action program in Oklahoma City and the First Lady of the Oklahoma Southeast Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. 

Bishop Coby attended the public schools of Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma. He received the B.S. in Education (1968) and the Master of Education (1970) from the University of Central Oklahoma in Special Education (Mental Retardation and Learning Disabilities). After teaching in the public schools of Oklahoma City, he launched his college teaching career in 1971 at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He was one of the first African Americans to teach at Southwestern and the first at the University of Sciences and Arts of Oklahoma in 1974. He received the Ph.D. in Education from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma (Emotional Disturbance major) in 1976. He returned to his alma mater, University of Central Oklahoma, in 1976. 

He rose to the rank of full professor in 1990. He is also the first African American to hold that academic rank in the College of Education in the history of the university. He retired from UCO in 1997 with the rank of Professor Emeritus of Education. He recently received the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. He has received numerous awards including Outstanding Young Man in America in 1980 and served on the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Handicapped Concerns. His first pastorate was at the Thompson Memorial Church of God in Christ in his native hometown of Muskogee. Bishop Coby achieved many accomplishments in the five years he and his family commuted from Oklahoma City weekly. In 1987, He was appointed pastor of the Sixth and Jordan Church of God in Christ (now Victory Temple) by the late Bishop J.O. Patterson, Sr., after the demise of Bishop W.E. Jefferies. He is also the founder of the C.H. Mason Christian Academy and served as Administrative Assistant to Bishop F.D. Lawson, Jr. in the Oklahoma Southeast Jurisdiction.

Within the jurisdiction, Bishop Coby served as Chairman of the Jurisdictional Assembly, Director of Christian Education, Area Director for the C.H. Mason Bible College and School of Theology, Chief Legal Officer, member of the Executive Board, and Assistant to the Superintendent of the Oklahoma City District. On the national level, he serves on the C.H. Mason Foundation Board of Directors and is a seminar presenter with the National Council of Pastors and Elders, the national Leadership Conference, and the Auxiliaries in Ministry Convention. He has authored several books including, Handbook for Church Organization, Administration and Ministry, Through the Looking Glass, Saints in the Wilderness, Discipline Ideas for Parents and Teachers, Don’t Let the Mountain Intimidate You, and many other workbooks, teaching tapes and videos. He serves as the Chairman of the National Board of Directors for All Saints Bible College. He serves as one of the hosts of the local Praise the Lord (PTL) broadcast for the Trinity Broadcast Network.