Danjuma Gibson Joins Pittsburgh Seminary as Professor of Practical Theology and Psychology
Effective July 1, 2025, Dr. Danjuma Gibson has joined the faculty of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as professor of practical theology and psychology.
Dr. Gibson brings extensive experience in theological education, congregational ministry, and administrative leadership to his role at PTS. Most recently, he served as professor of pastoral theology, care and counseling at Calvin Theological Seminary, where he also designed, launched, and directed a new master of arts program in clinical mental health counseling. Dr. Gibson has received research fellowships and grants from The Association for Theological Schools (ATS Luce Pilot Project), Villanova University (Church Management Research Fellowship), and Wabash Center (Wabash Center Research Fellowship); his research in these has particularly progressed study of how black and brown communities respond to racial violence and economic factors such as gentrification and disinvestment. He served as senior pastor of Zion Faith Center Bible Church (Chicago, Ill.) for more than 15 years and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Michigan. He has additional experience as a doctor of ministry program co-director and as a professional in the financial sector, notably as vice president of commercial banking at BMO Harris Bank (Chicago, Ill.). He holds a B.A. in business administration (Morehouse College), an M.B.A. (DePaul University), M.A.s in Christian studies and in urban ministry (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), an advanced certificate in self-psychology and religion (Center for Religion and Psychotherapy of Chicago), and a Ph.D. in pastoral theology, personality, and culture (Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary), in addition to his licensure in professional counseling (LPC).
Dr. Gibson is the author of two books, Through the Eyes of Titans: Finding Courage to Redeem the Soul of a Nation (Cascade, 2024) and Frederick Douglass, A Psychobiography: Rethinking Subjectivity in the Western Experiment of Democracy (Springer, 2018), and co-editor of Justice Matters: Spiritual Care and Pastoral Theological Imaginations in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Routledge, 2023). He has authored numerous book chapters and articles and delivered public lectures on a range of topics related to pastoral practices, trauma, African American religions, bi-vocational ministry, mental health, and intersecting subjects.
“The scholarly expertise and significant leadership experience that Dr. Gibson brings to PTS will be invaluable for the formation of students preparing for all kinds of caregiving ministries,” says the Rev. Dr. Angela Hancock, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty and Howard C. Scharfe Associate Professor of Homiletics. “The opportunity to learn how to effectively respond to community violence, systemic racism, trauma, and other hard realities of our time from an expert practitioner in the fields of mental health and pastoral care will be an incredible gift the Seminary can offer our community of learners.”
Dr. Gibson says, “I am thrilled and deeply humbled to be joining Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. I look forward to joining fellow laborers in the PTS community’s ongoing story of ministry, scholarship, and spiritual formation for service to the church and the world.”