by Sandy » Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:31 am
There are lots of outside influences and social factors that have brought about the changes in attitude toward African Americans being included in the SBC, as well as in other denominations and church groups. But in SBC history, it will be the conservatives in 2012 who actually put an African American in a top leadership position. It has only been during the past 25 years that African Americans have appeared on the higher levels of executive employment at the mission boards, though there have been relationships especially involving NAMB with predominantly African American churches and denominations for quite some time.
As far as it goes, the growth of predominantly African American churches affiliated with the SBC is in areas of the country outside of Dixieland more than it is taking place in the South. Houston was pretty progressive with regard to the number of African American churches involved in the SBC and subsequently, in the higher levels of local denominational life. Under conservative leadership, the number of predominantly African American churches in the SBC is booming, and the number of churches willing to cross over from the National Baptists and be dually affiliated is growing exponentially. Here in the northeast, in the Philadelphia area, and across the river in South Jersey, and in Metro New York, Southern Baptist work is led by African Americans, and is growing exponentially.
But African American Baptists are theologically conservative, and that has opened the door for many of them to affiliate with the SBC and for their pastors and church leaders to occupy trustee board seats, and now, to be elected to office. Luter is typical of African Americans in the SBC in this regard. I would expect moderates to be a little muted on this particular subject, and perhaps a little biased, because they weren't able to get the denomination to this point. And I'm not aware of any predominantly African American congregations that are affiliated with CBF.