Luter’s election comes as the convention is focused heavily on multiethnic inclusion. At this year’s annual meeting in Phoenix, the Executive Committee and other convention leaders signed an Affirmation of Unity and Cooperation, pledging “to embrace our brothers and sisters of every ethnicity, race and language as equal partners in our collective ministries to engage all people groups with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

NEW ORLEANS (BP) — African American pastors in the New Orleans Baptist Association say the election of Fred Luter as the Southern Baptist Convention’s first vice president is important evidence that the SBC has departed from the racial exclusion of its past.

They say the SBC has worked diligently to embrace African Americans and other ethnic groups, especially since the convention’s 1995 public apology for its past support of slavery. Yet they regard Luter’s election as a result of his intelligence, integrity, gifts and leadership skills, not his race. Luter’s election, they add, can only enhance the SBC’s appeal to ethnic minorities.

“I think the Southern Baptist Convention is making a monumental statement. This is indeed a win-win move,” said Kenneth Foy, vice president of the African American Fellowship in New Orleans and pastor of the local church New Life Ministry.

“This might just be one of the best moves the SBC has done in years. It makes me feel a lot better about being a part of an organization that recognizes the importance and value of people of color,” Foy said. “The election has certainly reinforced my personal commitment.”

Luter’s election won’t necessarily affect the financial giving of the pastors interviewed, because they said they’re already committed to supporting the Cooperative Program and SBC missions outreach.

Samuel Davis Jr. led Faith and Glory Missionary Baptist Church to become a cooperating church with the SBC when he started the church nearly three years ago. His former pastorate was affiliated with the National Baptist Convention of America, a predominantly African American group. He switched, he said, because he views the SBC as an organization that helps churches achieve their mission regardless of ethnicity.

Davis said Luter deserved the opportunity to be considered for the high office.

“He was a voice crying in the wilderness and ultimately they heard,” Davis said. “I don’t think so much that they ‘gave’ him anything. It’s evident to me that the Southern Baptist Convention is making significant strides with regard to racial reconciliation and I’m blessed to be a part of it.”

Cornelius Tilton, pastor of Irish Channel Christian Fellowship, is part of both the SBC and the National Baptist Convention of America, the group under which he was ordained in 1979. He began cooperating with the SBC because he believed the convention, more than the majority African American convention, would be accepting of his congregation that draws a mixture of ethnicities.

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