Our Story
Shorter Chapel was organized just before 1868. In 1873, the Trustees of Shorter Chapel started negotiations with the Trustees of the White Methodist Church (First Methodist Church) to purchase a plot of land on Church Street in Franklin, Tennessee. On May 12, 1873, the Trustees of the two congregations met and signed the deed giving Shorter Chapel the property which included a parsonage. Research revealed that the bricks were made by slaves and that the church had been used as a hospital for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
In 1923, the members decided it was time to relocate. Land was purchased in the heart of the Black Community, now known as The Historic Natchez Community. To preserve the historical status of the church, the original bricks of the church were carried either by hand or by wheelbarrow to the present site. Because of its history, Shorter Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is listed on the Tennessee and National Historical Registries.
Shorter Chapel is a "Tie to the Past and a Link to the Future".
Meet Our Pastor
Rev. Boyce E. Wilkins, Jr. was born and reared in Nashville, Tennessee to the late Boyce E. Wilkins, Sr. and Marion L. Wilkins.
He was educated in the public school system of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County schools. Rev. Wilkins matriculated to Tennessee State University and ultimately graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with the Bachelor of Business Arts and the Master of Arts in Religion degrees. Rev. Wilkins earned the Master of Divinity degree from Payne Theological Seminary.
Rev. Wilkins has dedicated his life to the service of others. He has an extensive history in public service. Rev. Wilkins served this nation honorably for 29 years in the U.S. Air Force, and its reserve components. He has served 16 years in law enforcement at the local and federal levels.
Rev. Wilkins surrendered to the call to Christian ministry in June of 2017 at Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church under the pastorate of the Rev. Walter W. Reid, Jr. He preached his initial sermon on July 17, 2017 and was admitted to the Tennessee Annual Conference in October of 2019. Rev. Wilkins was ordained an Itinerate Deacon in October of 2020 and appointed his first pastoral charge to Mullin Chapel A.M.E. Church in Shelbyville, Tennessee by Bishop Jeffrey N. Leath.
While being appointed to Mullin Chapel during a pandemic, Rev. Wilkins assessed the needs of the congregation and established virtual worship services, established an online giving platform, and continues to foster an atmosphere of love and connectedness within the congregation and the community.
Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield ordained Rev. Wilkins an Itinerate Elder in October of 2021 during the Tennessee Annual Conference and appointed him pastor of St. Phillip AME Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
A frequent quote of Rev. Wilkins’s is, “There is no greater call on an individual’s life than to be called into the service of the Lord.”
Rev. Wilkins is married to the former Tonya Lamore Tharpe. Together they have five children and three grandchildren. Rev. Wilkins is a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
