Prof. Emmanuel Y. Lartey comes from Accra, Ghana. He holds degrees in Psychology and Statistics [BA (Hons.), University of Ghana], MA en passant, and PhD, University of Birmingham, UK, in Pastoral Theology, Religion and Health. He is currently the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Pastoral Theology and Spiritual Care at Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, GA, USA.

 

In 1984 he began is lecturing career in practical theology at Trinity Theological Seminary in Legon, Ghana. From 1989 – 2001 he served as Senior Lecturer in Pastoral Studies and Practical Theology in the Department of Theology, University of Birmingham, UK. During those years he also served as External Examiner in Practical Theology at the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, Manchester, Nottingham, and Canterbury. Moving to the USA in 2001 he was Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia from 2001 – 2004, when he was appointed to Emory University as Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care and Counseling. He was the Director of the Doctoral program in Pastoral Counseling of the Atlanta Theological Association (2003-2009).

 

Professor Lartey has wide international administrative experience. He served as Chairperson of the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT) 1997 - 2000; President of the International Council for Pastoral Care and Counseling (ICPCC) from 1999 - 2004; and was the first Treasurer of the International Academy for Practical Theology (IAPT).He served as Editor of the Journal of Pastoral Theology (2013- 2017) of the Society for Pastoral Theology. He currently serves on the Executive of the International Association for Spiritual Care. (IASC).

 

 

In terms of ministerial experience, Prof. Lartey was commissioned a minister in the Methodist Church, Ghana in 1978. His first ministerial appointment was to the Kaneshie Circuit, Accra District, as Circuit minister. He served as Chaplain and Science Teacher at Wesley Grammar School, 1979 – 1981.  Upon his return to Ghana following doctoral studies in the UK, he served as Methodist Pastor at the Interdenominational Accra Ridge Church 1985 – 1988; then Pastor of Legon Interdenominational Church 1988- 89. In the UK he was recognized Methodist Chaplain at the University of Birmingham (1990 – 2001). In the USA he has served as Pastor at the Ghana Interdenominational Church, Atlanta, GA; was founding Pastor of the United Ghana Christian Church; Associate Pastor, then Pastor at the Ebenezer Ghana Methodist Church which later became the Wesley Methodist Church, Atlanta. He led this church to acquire a $1.2 m building property in Loganville, GA in 2019. He was appointed Presiding Bishop’s Deputy for the North America Mission Diocese of the Methodist Church, Ghana in 2020.

 

 In addition to 28 chapters in edited volumes and over 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals, Professor Lartey’s single-authored book publications include Pastoral Counselling in Intercultural Perspective, (1987); In Living Color: An Intercultural Approach to Pastoral Care and Counselling, (1997/2003) and Pastoral Theology in an Intercultural World (2006). Postcolonializing God: An African practical theology (2013).He co-edited a book geared towards ministry in contemporary African contexts titledPastoral Care, Health, Healing and Wholeness in African Contexts, (2017). His latest co-edited book has the title Postcolonial Images of Spiritual Care (2020).