Dr. Crutchfield holds a B.S. Degree in Business Administration (Accounting) from the University of Tennessee Martin and a Master of Science Degree in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville. He earned a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Memphis Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). in Christian Education and Congregational Studies from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary (GETS). 

Crutchfield’s work in the church and the academy complements each other and he considers them intertwined as an academy-church or church-academy ministry. Crutchfield likes to think of himself using a term he first heard from Dr. James Cone, “spiritual intellectual.”

Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield joined the faculty of Memphis Theological Seminary in Fall 2012. His research interests include Human Development, the Human Brain, Teaching and Learning issues, the Formation and Nurture of Christians, Contemplative Pedagogy, African American Adolescent Males, Discipleship, Critical Pedagogy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom.

As General Secretary of the Department of Christian Education and Formation of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, a position he has been elected six times to four-year terms by the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; Dr. Crutchfield has written and published numerous curricula, including the first published Vacation Bible School material for the CME Church. Other highlighted curricula developed are The Enlightened Males Manual: A Rites of Passage for African American Males and It is All About Discipleship.  

In addition, Crutchfield has published numerous articles in his denomination’s Church School curriculum as the Managing Editor and written several articles in the denomination’s official periodical, The Christian Index. He has authored many articles and books on youth, discipleship, spiritual formation, faith formation, and Christian education for the CME Church and since 2018 regularly contributed to the Department of Christian Education’s quarterly publication The Practitioner.

Crutchfield has a book chapter in Educating for Redemptive Community: Essays in Honor of Jack Seymour and Margaret Ann Crain published by Wipf and Stock. He has published in the Religious Education Journal the article “An Essay: Becoming Good Ancestors and the article “The Intersection of Religious/Christian Educator and Denominational Leader.” He has written book reviews and given scholarly presentations at Religious Education Association meetings and beyond. He has given hundreds of ecclesial presentations/workshops/seminars across the United States and beyond.

His newest literary contributions, published by Judson Press, are, Forming A People: African American Christian Education, 2020, Pressing Forward: Faith, Culture and African American Youth, 2022 and Raising Faithful Kids: This is the Stuff of Faith, ed. with Denise Janssen, Virginia Lee, Jessica Young Brown, 2024; Growing Together: Insights and Practices For Raising Faithful Kids, ed. with Denise Janssen, Virginia Lee, Jessica Young Brown, Fall 2024 (forthcoming Spring 2025).

Dr. Crutchfield is an ordained Elder and a Full Connectional clergyperson in the CME Church. He has served as a full-time pastor and a supply pastor.

Dr. Crutchfield serves as the Assistant Project Coordinator for “Faithful Parenting,” a CME Church multi-year grant. Also, he serves on the planning team for the “Bold Money Matters” and “Reimagining Children Ministry” CME grants. Crutchfield is a former board member of the Religious Education Association, Memphis Theological Seminary, and Miles College. Presently, he serves as a board member of Lane College (Chair of Academic Affairs Committee), Paine College (Secretary of the Board), Texas College (Chair of Institutional Effectiveness Committee) and Phillips School of Theology. 

He has preached, taught, and presented workshops across the United States, in the Caribbean and Africa. His work has allowed him to travel to six continents. He is a member of the Committee Uniform Series executive committee. He is a member of the Religious Education Association and the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Crutchfield has presented workshops at both Academic guilds. Because of his work, he has been recognized with numerous awards from a variety of organizations, including being recognized as one of Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary’s forty-five outstanding African American Alumni and receiving the Seminary’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in May 2017. February 2025, he was honored by the New Sardis Baptist Church in Memphis as a Memphis Living Legend. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. where he serves his graduate chapter, Theta Iota, as the chair of the Fatherhood Initiative.

Prior to devoting himself to ministry in the church and seminary, Crutchfield worked in Corporate America for two Fortune 500 companies. His areas of work included Material Planning, Procurement, Cost Analyst, and management.

Dr. Crutchfield was recently married to the Reverend Freda Hall Crutchfield. He and Reverend Crutchfield’s blended family includes five adult children and six grandchildren.