In The Seminarian:  Martin Luther King, Jr. Comes of Age, Patrick Parr focuses on the formative years that King spent at Crozer Theological Seminary and Calvary Baptist Church in Chester, PA.  Parr traces the influence of King’s seminary courses and his preaching at various churches in Chester and the Greater Philadelphia area on his subsequent ministry and leadership in the Civil Rights movement.  As Parr noted during the January 18, 2021 J. Lewis Crozer Library program, much research still needs to be done.  He invited the public to aid him in this endeavor.

This webpage shares a bit of the material found in The Seminarian.  It also provides you a place to add to that research by sharing what you and your family members may know about Crozer Theological Seminary and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s time there.  Please fill in the form below if you would like to be contacted by the Library staff or Mr. Parr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a student at Crozer Theological Seminary from 1948-1951.

As a seminary student and under the tutelage of Rev. J. Pius Barbour of Calvary Baptist Church, Martin Luther King, Jr. honed his preaching skills in front of several congregations in Chester.

If you have information to share about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s time in Chester, either at Crozer Theological Seminary or at churches in the city, please fill out the form below, and we will be in touch.