Duke Divinity School has announced the hiring of its first Joseph B. Bethea Professor, James Abbington. The new endowed chair, designed to support a senior faculty member specializing in Black Church studies, was made possible by a $5 million award from The Duke Endowment to boost Black Church studies at the school.

“Dr. Abbington will be a wonderful addition to our faculty and the broader Duke community,” said Dean Edgardo Colón-Emeric. “His appointment helps ensure that Duke Divinity School remains at the forefront of Black theological formation and study, and his particular scholarly interests hold promise for future collaborations and interdisciplinary opportunities across the university.”

Abbington will hold the title of Joseph B. Bethea Professor of the Practice of Sacred Music and Black Church Studies, effective July 1. His research interests include worship and music in the Christian church, African American sacred folk music, organ, choral music, and ethnomusicology. He was previously associate professor of church music and worship at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga., and associate visiting professor of Christian hymnody at Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Conn.

Joseph B. Bethea was the founding director of Duke Divinity’s Office of Black Church Studies (OBCS)—one of the earliest Black Church offices among all U.S. theological schools —which he led from its establishment in 1972 until 1977. Bethea later became the first Black bishop elected to the episcopacy by the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. In its more than 50 years, the OBCS remains at the forefront of Black theological formation, hosting world-renowned preachers and lecturers, providing pastoral care for students, and leading a range of initiatives to develop, preserve, and share resources from the Black Church for the whole church.

“This chair represents The Duke Endowment’s continued commitment to support both the school and the OBCS, our shared mission to support the church in a changing world, and the particular importance of scholarship and research related to the Black Church,” said Dan Struble, associate dean for external relations.