By Kevin McGruder
Photos: YouTube Screenshots\Wikimedia Commons
Members of the Abyssinian Baptist Church launched a podcast series, “Restoring Integrity at the Abyssinian Baptist Church.” to explain our reasons for filing a lawsuit in October 2024 in New York Supreme Court challenging the selection process that resulted in Dr. Kevin R. Johnson being appointed as Abyssinian pastor in June of 2024.
To date, there have been four videos posted that have delved into the various facts of the case and bylaws violations, as well as offered a bit of history on Abyssinian for those who may not be aware.
As one of the four plaintiffs in the case, (along with Jasmine McFarlane-White, Clarence E. Ball, III, and Rev. Dr. C. Vernon Mason), I know that we have the support of dozens of other Abyssinian members. But I also know that as the lawsuit has been making its way through the court, other members are ready to turn the page, questioning our continued commitment to challenging what we know were many irregularities in a deeply flawed search process. This podcast series gives us an opportunity to speak directly to Abyssinian members and others to explain our reasons, and ideally gain their support.
In late 2024, Abyssinian’s attorney filed a motion to have our case dismissed, claiming that we were simply four members who do not like the new pastor. Our attorney had made clear in our filing that our concern is not about the person, but instead about the selection process that did not follow many steps outlined in Abyssinian’s Bylaws. In order to rule on the motion to dismiss, Judge James Clynes has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, July 17th at 80 Centre Street, Manhattan, to hear oral arguments from each side. If you would like to support the Restoring Integrity case, you may do so by logging on here.
Kevin McGruder, M.B.A., Ph.D. is a longtime member of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, and co-author of Witness: Two Hundred Years of African-American Faith and Practice at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York (Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2014).
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