Carol E. Lytch

President, Lancaster Theological Seminary

Dr. Carol E. Lytch began as the eleventh president of Lancaster Theological Seminary August 15, 2011.She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) with standing in Donegal Presbytery. Early in her career Carol served as co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Cranbury, NJ with her husband.

Before coming to Lancaster Seminary, Dr. Lytch served as assistant executive director of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), the accrediting agency for theological schools in United States and Canada. Prior to her work with ATS, she was coordinator of the Lilly Endowment’s Program for Strengthening Congregational Leadership.She was also visiting scholar and researcher-in-residence at Louisville (KY) Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Dr. Lytch is a cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, earned her Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, and her PhD in Christian ethics and sociology of religion from Emory University.Her research focused on the factors that influence teens to embrace a church-related Christian commitment, a topic has continued to inform her scholarship in subsequent years. Another research focus is the Christian practice of testimony.

In a meeting with seminary alumni and alumnae, Dr. Lytch told them that she will be focusing her energy in three areas: 1) multi-cultural diversity at Lancaster Seminary; 2) spiritual formation of the next generation of church members/leaders; and 3) education for alternate tracks to ordination within the denominations the Seminary serves.

Dr. Lytch and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Stephens G. Lytch, have two adult children and one grandchild.