September 13, 2022

Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, immediate past executive secretary-treasurer (EST) of Lott Carey, has been appointed the 6th president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, in the United States.

He is the first African American and the first person of color to hold the position of president at the institution.

Dr. Goatley, who led Lott Carey for 20 years, assumes this post after distinguished service at Duke Divinity School as the Associate Dean for Academic and Vocational Formation, the Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Jr. Research Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry, and the Director of Office of Black Church Studies.

“We are delighted that one of our own, Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, has been selected to lead one of the leading Christian seminaries on the American west coast, and indeed, the country,” said Rev. Emmett Dunn, who succeeded Dr. Goatley as the EST for Lott Carey.

“We congratulate Dr. Goatley on his appointment and assure him of our continued prayer and support.”

A noted missiologist, Dr. Goatley is also known for his work on Christian leadership and theology. He has had long experience as an academic theologian and engagements in justice advocacy, Christian mission, and global ecumenism.

Founded 75 years ago in 1947, Fuller Theological Seminary comprises approximately 4,000 students from 90 countries representing 110 Christian traditions. It is organized into schools of theology, psychology, and intercultural studies and offers a range of advanced masters and doctoral degrees.

In August this year, the Lott Carey board of directors approved a scholarship for students at Lott Carey mission schools in the names of Dr. and Mrs. Goatley. The board granted an initial sum of $5,000 to its launch. Other solicitations will be received to boost the fund.

“Dr. Goatley has been a great servant of the church. His commitment to global Christian mission through education, training, capacity building, healthcare, disaster relief and church planting, are well known,” said Rev. Dunn. “He successfully and expertly shepherded Lott Carey into its global outreach for two decades. We expect him to do the same in his tenure at Fuller.”

A graduate of the University of Louisville in Kentucky, Dr. Goatley holds an MDiv with an emphasis in pastoral care and counseling and a PhD in theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He will be inaugurated as the president of Fuller in January 2023.