HOUSTON — The Rev. Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was elected Tuesday as the first African-American president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
Luter’s candidacy at the convention’s annual meeting in New Orleans on Tuesday was unchallenged.
Before the vote, the Rev. David Crosby of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, who became an ally of Luter after Hurricane Katrina, nominated Luter for president.
Crosby alluded to Southern Baptist history — the convention was founded in defense of slavery and later supported segregation — and noted that it was time to signal a change.