Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
For nearly half a century, the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. has stood at the heart of Morehouse College’s spiritual and intellectual life. Now, the founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel & professor is preparing to close one chapter of his storied career.
Carter, 76, announced he will retire from his deanship on June 30, 2026, after 47 years at the historically Black men’s college. His tenure, which began on July 1, 1979, when he was appointed by then-President Hugh Gloster, makes him one of the longest-serving leaders in Morehouse history.
“This is my 46th year, and I will retire from the deanship June 30, 2026,” Carter said in an interview with The Atlanta Voice. “I will maintain my professorship and go on sabbatical for one year, which will complete 47 years with Morehouse College.”
From Dawson to Morehouse: Transforming the Chapel
Born in Dawson, Georgia, Carter’s journey to the ministry started early. His mother later told him that his grandmother had prayed over him as an infant, asking God to “make this boy a preacher.” Carter didn’t learn of that prayer until after earning his doctorate at Boston University School of Theology.
“I was wrestling with my calling from ninth through twelfth grade, and finally announcing it publicly my senior year, as something just between me and God,” he recalled. “So when I heard my mother say that, it stunned me.”
Before coming to Morehouse, Carter served as acting director of the Martin Luther King Jr. African American Cultural Center at Boston University while completing his doctorate. Though some doubted he could lead the Morehouse chapel without being an alumnus, Carter was selected unanimously from a pool of 500 candidates.
One of his earliest acts was persuading the Board of Trustees to rename Memorial Chapel as the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Carter said he didn’t want to preside over “a museum for battles that are no longer being fought.” The board eventually approved the change unanimously.
Over the next four decades, Carter led the chapel’s evolution into a hub for global ethics, peacebuilding, and interfaith dialogue. He launched the Chapel Assistants Pre-Seminarians Program, widely regarded as a top feeder program for divinity schools nationwide. He also introduced initiatives like the Gandhi–King–Ikeda awards and the Community Builders Prizes, which brought international leaders to Morehouse’s campus.
The chapel itself transformed under Carter’s leadership, both physically and philosophically. Beyond renaming the building for Martin Luther King Jr., he oversaw the installation of historic stone tablets on its facade, salvaged from a King monument at Boston University. Carter recalled being present when the monument was first dedicated: “The President himself dedicated it, and I was in the crowd. When he finished delivering his speech, he stepped from behind the podium, and walked three rows back, and handed me his speech, and said, ‘You’re the only one here who will appreciate this.’”
Years later, when Boston University renovated the monument with marble and gold lettering, the original stones were offered to Morehouse. Carter accepted them, seeing their arrival as divine confirmation of his calling to remain at the college. The chapel’s Thurman Tower also houses a time capsule with artifacts spanning thousands of years of African and world history, further grounding the space in a global legacy.
Praise from Morehouse Leadership: A Lasting Legacy
Carter’s influence has stretched well beyond the campus gates. Generations of Morehouse students trained under his mentorship have gone on to leadership in churches, seminaries, and public life. Recruiters from divinity schools, he said, often prefer Morehouse graduates because they “rise to the top of the class all over the nation.”
In moments of national crisis, major media outlets have sought out Morehouse pastors and alumni, a testament to the chapel’s reach under his stewardship.
Still, Carter’s path was not without challenges. In his 19th year, he nearly resigned, facing a crisis of faith, telling his wife Marva that he felt “burnt out” and “lonely.” A weeklong trip that included preaching in Los Angeles restored his sense of purpose.
“When I landed in Atlanta, everything said, you’re home,” he remembered.
Preparing for the Next Chapter: A Scholar’s Passion
Away from the pulpit, Carter is known as a voracious reader and collector of books, boasting what he believes to be the largest personal library of any Morehouse faculty member. His love of knowledge began as a child, flipping through books he couldn’t yet read but sensed contained “secrets, answers to the problems of the world.”
His passion for education also connects him to the roots of Morehouse. Carter has written about the college’s founder, William Jefferson White, a journalist who risked his life by opening clandestine schools for enslaved people before establishing what became Morehouse in 1867.
“There’s a reason why during slavery there were laws on the books against teaching enslaved Africans to read,” Carter said. “And there’s a reason why the founder of Morehouse College was considered the greatest Black journalist of his era.”
Carter’s career has spanned multiple eras in Morehouse history, from Gloster to the present. His work helped redefine the chapel not only as a place of worship but as a platform for leadership, service, and global vision.
As the college begins its search for a new chapel dean, Carter is looking ahead to a sabbatical and a slower pace. But he said the affirmation he has received since announcing his retirement has been both humbling and reassuring.
The college plans an international search for his successor, chaired by trustee and alumnus Rev. Dr. Delman Coates, Class of 1995.
Since announcing his retirement, Carter said his life has changed. Visitors from around the world have come to see him, offering thanks and reflections on his legacy.
“Since July 1, my life has not been the same,” he said. “They’ve been telling me that I did it. And then the strange thing is, they’re saying nobody else could have done this, but you’ve done it.”
