Leadership

Bishop Eric J. Freeman, PhD, is a community advocate, Christian cleric, and social impact strategist who serves as a bishop within the Christian Covenant Fellowship of Ministries. As founder and Senior Pastor of The Meeting Place Church of Greater Columbia, he has guided the congregation into a 23-acre, 215,000-square-foot campus housing a banquet and conference center, a renal care facility, the NAACP South Carolina State Conference headquarters, and an eight-screen cineplex. Dr. Freeman established TMPC Nonprofit Holdings, Inc. and New Capernaum Life Services, directing tens of millions of dollars to transform underutilized spaces and securing more than $7.5 million for workforce training, health services, and empowerment programs.

Dr. Freeman earned a B.S. in Financial Management from the University of Florida, an M.A. in Religion and Theological Ethics from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, and his PhD in Homiletics from Clamp Divinity School at Anderson University. His doctoral dissertation underscores the inseparability of biblical theology and societal engagement. In 2023, Dr. Freeman was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year award by the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, recognizing his outstanding community service and advocacy. Having also studied at Cornell University's Executive Leadership Program, Dr. Freeman is a life member and executive board member of the South Carolina District of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., a diamond life member of the NAACP, and actively serves as an advisor to civic and faith-based organizations on social impact, policy, and civility initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels. He and his wife, Coleen, have two adult children.