A Brother, Counselor, Advocate, Colleague, Pastor, Friend and Faithful Disciple

Rev. Carlton Dale Mutts Rutherford, LCSW, M.Div
November 10, 1951 – July 15, 2017

The Reverend Carlton Dale Mutts Rutherford was born in Ahoskie, North Carolina and reared in Scotland Neck, a small town in northeastern North Carolina. Scotland Neck was the home of the maternal side of his family, who traced their roots back to two slaves, Sylvia “Sylvester” and Ephraim Mutts, who still have marked graves in the area. He received his elementary education at Brawley High School, the same local segregated school his mother and her siblings attended. In 1971, he gave his life to Christ and joined Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, his mother’s church which was located on the same block on which they lived. He also attended Palmer Memorial Institute, a black prep school in Sedalia, North Carolina. Upon his graduation in 1970, he attended Hampton Institute (Hampton, Virginia) where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1974. Rev. Rutherford went on to further his formal education by receiving a Master of Social Work degree from East Carolina University in 1990 and a Master of Divinity degree from The Divinity School at Duke University School in 2005. While at The Divinity School, in addition to being involved in several student organizations, he was part of an immersion experience to Johannesburg, South Africa in 2004. His ministry work there was focused on those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and the homeless. He would often recall on how that experience transformed his life, intensifying his interest in global issues. This experience would also fuel his passion for ministry in the area of pastoral care.

Rev. Rutherford’s career was planted and rooted in the field of social work. He was a social worker at Central State Hospital (Petersburg, Virginia), a foster care social worker with the Richmond (Virginia) City Department of Social Services and Durham County Department of Social Services; an outpatient therapist at Triumph, LCC (Durham, North Carolina) and as a clinical social worker at the George Phillip’s Adult Sickle Cell Center, Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina). His areas of interests in social work primarily focused on children and families, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQQI, people of color and homelessness. He was a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), a certified social worker by the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW). He was also a third generation licensed funeral director by the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service.

Following his relocation to the Triangle area, Rev. Rutherford was an active citizen in the community. Organizations in which he was involved included the Durham AIDS Network, North Carolina AIDS Service Coalition, Lesbian and Gay Health Project, OUTRIGHT (LGBT Youth), UMOJA: A Community of Lesbians and Gays of African Descent and Their Friends, Association of Black Social Workers and the Social Work Advisory Board at North Carolina Central University. He also served as chair for the Community Advisory Board (CAB) for the Duke AIDS Research and Treatment (DART) Center with the Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina).

Rev. Rutherford discovered MCC in the early 90’s and joined St. John’s MCC in 1992 when the church was renting space from Community UCC in Raleigh. In 1997, he would leave St. John’s and join Rev. Wanda Floyd to assist in birthing a new church community in Durham, Imani MCC. While at Imani, he served on the Advisory Board and the Pastoral Care Team. Eventually responding to his call to professional ministry, Rev. Rutherford returned to St. John’s as a Clergy Candidate in 2006, rejoining as a member that same year. In 2007, he was ordained to professional ministry in MCC and joined the Staff of St. John’s as Pastor for Pastoral Care, a position he faithfully served in until he suffered a stroke in 2016.

Rev. Rutherford credited St. John’s MCC for being the first church allowing him to be open to the possibilities of God’s inclusive love. His faith in Jesus Christ enabled him to be a long term survivor of HIV/AIDS after being diagnosed in 1986. He also survived a battle with cancer and was cancer free since January 2000. He often shared his gratitude for the grace, mercy and favor the Spirit of God showered upon him each and every day.

A Celebration of Life for Rev. Rutherford was held Sunday, July 23, 2017 at St. John’s MCC in Raleigh, NC.

Edited by:
Rev. Brendan Boone, Former Pastor
St. John’s MCC, Raleigh, North Carolina

Rev. Wanda Floyd, Interim Pastor
MCC Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina

Founding Pastor, Imani MCC, Durham, North Carolina