BALTIMORE (RNS) — After an unusual election that gave voters the choice on the ballot of a name or a “no,” members of the National Baptist Convention, USA, lined up behind a new president, the Rev. Boise Kimber, senior pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut.
Kimber, who ran unopposed but needed the approval of the historically Black denomination’s delegates, received 1,774 “yes” votes, or 69% of the votes cast, on Thursday (Sept. 5), while 79 votes, or 31%, were cast as “no” votes.
The Rev. Boise Kimber, center left, president-elect of NBCUSA, addresses the end of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. annual meeting, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The Rev. Jerry Young, center right, outgoing NBCUSA president, listens to Kimber. (RNS photo/Adelle M. Banks)
“Oh, how marvelous God is,” said Kimber, after outgoing NBCUSA President Jerry Young invited him to greet those attending the final session of the annual meeting. “My brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet you in the name of him who orders our steps. What God has done no persons can put asunder.”
In the months ahead of the NBCUSA annual session, which concluded shortly after the election results were announced, officials determined Kimber had received the necessary 100 endorsements from member churches and other NBCUSA entities to qualify to run for president.
Four other men who had hoped to be on the ballot were told they did not qualify: the Rev. Tellis Chapman, a Detroit pastor; the Rev. Claybon Lea, a San Francisco-area pastor; the Rev. Alvin Love, a Chicago-area pastor; and the Rev. James B. Sampson, a Florida pastor.
Pastor Thomas Morris Sr., chairman of the NBCUSA’s Election Supervisory Commission, said in an earlier interview that many of the other candidates’ endorsements were voided because they came from churches that have been unable to afford their required annual registration with the denomination due to lack of funds, consolidation or closure.
In May, the disqualified challengers released a video in which they urged supporters to help them “fight for the soul of our convention.” They hoped sufficient “no” votes would cause the election process to restart.
In August, Sampson wrote about his continuing concerns in a Facebook post that said, in part, “There is no way that any candidate selected under these circumstances can legitimately govern this august body.”
But shortly after the election results were announced, the latest posting on Sampson’s Facebook account seemed to offer a different tone: “God have spoken, let the National Baptist Convention USA inc, Constituency say Amen. Lord Bless and keep ‘President Boise Kimber.’”
The Rev. Dwight McKissic, a Texas pastor whose church has been dually aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention, was a newly appointed NBCUSA officer along with Kimber in 2020. The day before the election, McKissic expressed his support for a “no” voting, saying in a Facebook post that cited lyrics from the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”: “A ‘No’ vote immediately fuses ‘strength for today’ and ‘bright hope for tomorrow’ into the fabric and fellowship of our great convention.”
McKissic, who declined further comment, told RNS after the election that he sent Kimber a text with his congratulations.
“You prayed and worked hard for this,” he told Kimber. “God granted it to you. May God crown your time in office with phenomenal & Kingdom success. Blessings on you, and the National Baptist Convention.”
On the day before the election, some attendees at the gathering voiced support for Kimber as a generational change.
The Revs. Dwight and Derik Jones, senior pastor and pastor, respectively, of First Baptist Church of South Richmond, Virginia, expressed concern about how the NBCUSA will draw in more members of younger generations.
“We’re hopeful that this election will kind of be the dawn of a new day for the convention in terms of it being serious about meeting the needs of the church in 2024,” said the younger pastor.
“The church, particularly the post-pandemic church, is going through so many gyrations and changes that it needs a leadership that is able to adapt and to lead the convention,” added his father, who said he planned to vote for Kimber. “Many churches are dying, and if the church is dying, the convention can’t live.”
The Rev. Jerry Young speaks to NBCUSA annual session attendees, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Baltimore. (RNS photo/Adelle M. Banks)
Both Young, the outgoing denominational president, and the Rev. Breonus Mitchell Sr., NBCUSA board chair, said the denomination’s election processes need to be changed in the future. Mitchell said on Wednesday that the current bylaws contain “so much ambiguity,” pointing to one church that had joined and paid for its registration in 2023 but was not able to have voting delegates at the session.
Young, in his final address Wednesday, acknowledged the “unusual” election but said its strangeness did not mean anyone had done wrong.
“There is absolutely no question that there are some problems with the process,” he said. “But hear me: You can’t get in the middle of the process and then decide it ought to change.”
After Thomas announced the election results on behalf of the elections commission, Young said the decision was final.
“Their report here tonight says clearly that the body has spoken,” he said, drawing some applause. “And when the body speaks, that settles the matter. Within the context of Baptist polity, there is no appellate system.”
Shortly before calling the meeting to a close, Young noted that he hopes to achieve the transfer of authority over the denomination in less than the 30-day maximum stated in the NBCUSA constitution.
He also contrasted his plans for a “smooth transition” with the last national U.S. election.
“I can promise you this: There will be no insurrection on our part,” Young said, drawing some laughter and applause. “And you can bet on this: We’re not going to storm the headquarters.”
