The Rev Professor Mark J Cartledge has been announced as the new principal of the London School of Theology (LST). 

He will take over from Prof Graham Twelftree, who has been acting principal since the resignation of the Rev Dr Calvin Samuel at the start of this year. 

Dr Samuel stepped down as principal following an internal investigation into his conduct. 

Prof Cartledge has personal ties to the LST, having studied there in the eighties during which time he met his wife, Joan. 

Commenting on his appointment, Dr Cartledge said: "London School of Theology changed my life as a young theology student in the 1980s. I am delighted to return to my alma mater as the next Principal.

"It is an exciting and humbling responsibility to lead such an important evangelical institution in the twenty-first century." 

He is currently Professor of Practical Theology at Regent University School of Divinity, in Virginia Beach in the US, and will take up his new role at the LST on 1 January 2020.

In addition to being a theologian and scholar, Prof Cartledge is an ordained minister in the Church of England and has served in parish ministry, overseas theological education in an Anglican seminary in Nigeria, and as a university chaplain at the Universities of Liverpool and Durham.

He holds an MPhil from Oakhill Theoligical College and a PhD from the University of Wales, and has formerly taught at British universities, in Lampeter and Birmingham. 

He is also a published writer, having contributed most recently to Megachurches and Social Engagement: Public Theology in Practice (Brill, 2019).

Steve Hughes, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said: "I am delighted that following the recruitment process that included trustees, staff and students, we have appointed Mark Cartledge as the new Principal.

"We see him as the right person to lead London School of Theology on the next phase of its journey." 

Graham Twelftree, Acting Principal and Academic Dean, shared: "I am so pleased that Mark has accepted the position of Principal, not least because I have known him for a number of years, and we have worked together as colleagues. Mark is a highly regarded academic and will be a great asset to the School and its future."