The Reverend Carlton David Johnson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and currently serves as Transitional Pastor of First Afrikan Church.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Emory University, with a concentration in literature of the African diaspora. Following a distinguished 27-year career in Project, Operations, and Client Services Management, he returned to academia, earning a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center and a Master of Theology from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. His scholarly research focuses on the impact of African American preaching on grief and mourning.
Reverend Johnson serves as Director of the Office of Global Ecumenical Partnerships in Presbyterian Life and Witness. He previously served as Director of the Office of Racial Equity and Women’s Intercultural Ministries and as Associate Director of the Office of Theology, Formation, and Evangelism. He also serves as a Staff Chaplain with Grady Health System.
Since joining First Afrikan Church, Reverend Johnson has served as an elder and has been actively involved in the Bantaba Men’s Fellowship, Kijana Boys Rites of Passage, the Fawohodie Ministry to the Incarcerated and Their Families, and the Music Ministry. He has also served on the boards of the First Afrikan Presbyterian Church Community Development Corporation, the Presbyterian Pastoral Care Network, and the Next Church Strategic Planning Team.
Throughout his life and ministry, Reverend Johnson has demonstrated a deep commitment to serving the marginalized, with a particular passion for mentoring young African American men. His outreach has included service with the United States National Guard Youth Challenge Academy and his beloved Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., where he currently serves as Chaplain of the Atlanta chapter.
Reverend Johnson and his wife, Cara, reside in Atlanta, Georgia.