By Dr. Kevin McGruder and Gilda Squire
In October of 2022, four members of The Abyssinian Baptist Church, supported by dozens of other members, filed a law suit in New York Supreme Court challenging the selection of the Rev. Kevin R. John as pastor, noting that he had only received affirmative votes from 25% of the members, when the church Bylaws call for a successful candidate to receive affirmative votes from a majority of the members. Later in the fall of 2022 Abyssinian filed a motion to dismiss the case. As we await the decision from Judge James Clynes regarding the motion (which we believe will be denied) we would like to provide a brief summary of the activities of the members who have described our work as Restoring Integrity to the Abyssinian Baptist church, and also explain why we believe this effort is critical today.
The widely distributed livestream coverage of the March 10th memorial service for Roberta Flack has raised the visibility of The Abyssinian Baptist Church to a level not seen since the fall 2022 funeral service for our late pastor, Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III. The many high profile Black musicians and other celebrities in attendance, followed by Abyssinian’s well-crafted distribution of excerpts from the Roberta Flack service across many social media platforms in the following days, amplified the reach of the images of the beautiful Abyssinian sanctuary full of people honoring the life and artistry of Roberta Flack.
Rev. Kevin Johnson, as Abyssinian’s pastor, was understandably pleased to preside over a service of such importance to Black America. In his remarks at the end of the service, he expressed appreciation for the high regard that those in attendance clearly had for Roberta Flack. He added that another reason for their presence in such numbers was because, in the cultural life of the United States, Abyssinian is “The Black Vatican,” the spiritual place that people have the desire to visit, at least once. Rev. Johnson’s stature most likely rose for those people who were seeing him for the first time, and it is natural that in the future they will associate him with this landmark event.
While the Roberta Flack service may seem exceptional, it provided Rev. Johnson and Abyssinian members with a reminder of the central focus that Abyssinian once played in the spiritual and political life of New York City and the nation that led to its 1950s nickname, “The Church of the Masses.” On that March 10th day, Rev. Johnson was indeed the direct beneficiary of that firmly established legacy. However, a well-attended celebrity funeral does not erase or correct the many wrongdoings that have occurred over the past year concerning the pastoral election process. It also does not reverse many of the unpopular, unilateral decisions made by Rev. Johnson, including but not limited to the most recent removal of the Sunday Service archives prior to his arrival in July 2024 from the church’s web site. This is a part of Abyssinian’s vast and publicly visual history that has been removed with no discussion with or explanation to the congregation.
Regaining this position of “The Church of the Masses” is a serious challenge in this post-COVID era when the number of unchurched and nonreligious people seems to grow with every annual survey. It is highly unlikely that it can happen if Abyssinian is led into the future by a pastor, Rev. Kevin R. Johnson, who only received the vote of 25% of the congregational membership, in June of 2024. Article VII, Section 1 of the Bylaws is clear on what is required for election:
“The Pastor shall be called by the majority vote of the Members in Good Standing who are Eligible to Vote and shall be a member of good standing in the Baptist faith, of good reputation and qualified, spiritually, educationally, morally and physically to serve this Membership.”
The member-initiated lawsuit challenging the pastoral election, filed in October 2024, was described by the plaintiffs as an unavoidable effort at course correction after concerns about the many irregularities in the search process, expressed at three spring 2024 church meetings, were ignored by the church’s Deacons and the Church Clerk. While courts are reluctant to involve themselves in matters of church governance because of freedom of religion First Amendment issues, there are cases similar to Abyssinian’s, like this one in Virginia in which the court ordered a new pastoral election (please take a moment to read the article at the link).
A pastor selected by a majority of the members of Abyssinian, in a process that follows the church Bylaws, can lead Abyssinian into a future in which the sanctuary can be as full, with everyday people and real, actively engaged members, as the Roberta Flack concert was with celebrities and fans, attracted by the message of the pastor and work in the community undertaken by the members, inspired by the message and fellowship built on integrity, truth, and abundant love. It happened at Abyssinian during most of the 20th century, and it can happen again. A GoFundMe campaign has been setup to support the Restoring Integrity at Abyssinian effort.
Kevin McGruder, Ph.D. is a former assistant church clerk of The Abyssinian Baptist Church and co-author of WITNESS: Two Hundred Years of African-American Faith and Practice at the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem; Gilda Squire is a longtime member of The Abyssinian Baptist Church
