Kenneth Carder Named Ruth W. & A. Morris Williams Chair of the Practice of Christian Ministry
May 3, 2007
Bishop Kenneth Carder, professor of the practice of pastoral formation and a senior fellow with Duke Divinity School’s Pulpit & Pew program, has been named the Ruth W. & A. Morris Williams Chair of the Practice of Christian Ministry. His new position is effective July 1.
The professorship was established by A. Morris Williams, a university trustee emeritus and former chairman of the Divinity School’s Board of Visitors as well as the son of a United Methodist preacher. Its purpose is to highlight the importance of parish ministry and to help form students as effective practitioners who are ready to lead congregations, said Dean L. Gregory Jones.
“The Williams Chair addresses a crucial need for Duke Divinity School to have wise pastoral leaders who can offer their insight and experience to students preparing for parish ministry,” Jones said. “Our faculty combines both outstanding scholars and wise practitioners, and we are grateful for these complementary strengths in preparing outstanding students for leadership in the church.
“Ken Carder is widely recognized for his wisdom, his leadership, and his creativity as a pastor and as a bishop.”
Carder came to the divinity school following 30 years in parish ministry and 12 years as a United Methodist bishop. He retired from the Mississippi episcopacy in 2004 and joined the Divinity School faculty later that year.
In the chair, he succeeds Peter Storey, who retired in 2006 to return full-time to his native South Africa and now is professor emeritus. The chair was first held by Jackson Carroll, also professor emeritus, who previously led Pulpit & Pew: Research in Pastoral Leadership, a major study funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc. and based at the divinity school.
“Being named to the Williams Chair is a distinct honor for which I am humbled and profoundly grateful,” Carder said. “To be chosen to occupy a distinguished professorship devoted to the practice of Christian ministry is especially gratifying. Perhaps the greatest honor is following the two previous occupants of the Williams Chair, Jack Carroll and Peter Storey, both of whom are treasured friends, insightful mentors, and valued colleagues.”
Carder is the author of three books, “Sermons on United Methodist Beliefs, A Bishop's Reflections,” “Living Our Beliefs,” and a study guide for “Who Are We? The Doctrine, Mission, and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.” He also has contributed articles to several journals and magazines, including The Christian Century, Circuit Rider, and Christian Social Action.
He also is a member of the University Senate of the United Methodist Church and chair of the Senate's Commission on Theological Education.
Read more about Bishop Carder in Divinity magazine.