Dale P. Andrews, Frank H. Caldwell Associate Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, has accepted an invitation from Boston University School of Theology to serve as the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, with tenure. The announcement of this and two more faculty appointments was shared by the University’s Board of Trustees in early May.

“Dale has achieved considerable stature in the field of homiletics since his graduation from Vanderbilt University and the beginnings of his teaching career at Louisville Seminary in 1998,” said Seminary Dean Dianne Reistroffer. “He has developed and taught courses in preaching, worship, pastoral counseling, ecclesiology, and African American religion. He is a dynamic communicator, a hardworking and productive scholar, and a respected colleague and member of the Louisville Seminary community. A popular lecturer and preacher as well as a social activist, Dale is a logical choice for the distinguished professorship at Boston University School of Theology.”

When Andrews joined the Seminary faculty, he brought with him a rich combination of teaching and experience integrated within diverse curriculum arenas, particularly homiletics and pastoral theology. He has also helped the Seminary community to be more publicly active in speaking against injustice and standing up for the marginalized, and his contributions to the education of Louisville Seminary students through these practical experiences have been highly valued among students in all degree programs.

An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church, Andrews served several AME Zion churches in Connecticut and New Jersey. In 2000, he was instrumental in helping to establish a covenant between Louisville Seminary and the Mid-West District of the AME Zion Church. The partnership officially recognizes the Seminary as an approved theological institution for training ministers and lay people in the AME Zion Church.

“Dale has blessed our community of the Word in wonderful and manifold ways, and with distinction, power and love. As a result of his historic appointment to the Martin Luther King Jr. Chair, we hold great expectations for his future and journey as a pastoral and homiletics teacher,” stated LPTS President Dean K. Thompson.

Recently, Andrews was named co-editor of the Louisville Seminary-published journal, Family Ministry: Empowering Through Faith. He will continue to serve in this role with Dr. J. Bradley Wigger in a wider collaboration on behalf of research and practice in family ministry. Andrews is also the author of Practical Theology for Black Churches: Bridging Black Theology and African American Folk Religion (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002) and co-author of Listening to Listeners: Homiletical Case Studies (Chalice Press, 2004) and New Proclamation: Advent through Holy Week, Year A, 2004-2005 (Augsburg Fortress Press, 2004).

Louisville Seminary’s faculty members include theologian-scholars, researchers, counselors, and therapists who are committed to providing high-quality instruction to students. An 11:1 student to faculty ratio fosters a collegial learning environment in the classroom, worship, in seminary committees, and even around the lunch tables.

The faculty consists of professors with credentials from some of the world’s leading theological institutions and universities. Nearly 50 percent of the faculty is female, more than 60 percent are members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but United Methodist, American Baptist, Reformed Church and Lutheran faith traditions are also represented.