(RNS) A New Jersey pastor has been elected the next general secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
The Rev. Walter Parrish III, senior pastor of Union Baptist Church in Montclair, N.J., was chosen for the position during the historically black denomination’s annual meeting, which concluded Aug. 8 in Louisville, Ky.
Parrish, 50, will succeed the Rev. Tyrone Pitts, who is retiring.
When he begins his post on Jan. 1, 2010, Parrish will remain as pastor of his New Jersey church, according to an announcement on his church’s Web site.
The choice of Parrish marks an unusual father-son connection in denominational leadership, noted the American Baptist News Service. The Rev. Walter Parrish II, Parrish’s father, is the executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of the South, a regional group within the American Baptist Churches USA.
The New Jersey congregation is dually aligned with the two denominations; the younger Parrish worked for the American Baptists’
Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board from 1990 to 2002.
“We congratulate both the PNBC and Dr. Parrish on this call,” said the Rev. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of ABCUSA. “Walter is well-respected within ABC life where he has served for years, and we know he will bring excellent leadership to PNBC.”
The Progressive National Baptist Convention is a 2.5 million-member denomination that was founded in 1961 and included the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. among its members.
by Adelle M. Banks
Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted August 31, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Blessing and peace on Parrish. He will need every once of energy he can get – as does anyone in denominational leadership!
posted September 1, 2009 at 12:03 am
I love the father son connection it is a beautiful story>
posted September 1, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Baptist, from now on when I hear this word Baptist I will think of the Minister, a Baptist, that I heard about on CNN, Rick Sanchez reported on this P.M. The one that stood in his pulpit saying he hated President Obama, and he wished him dead, etc. The head of the Baptist Churches should see that this mans Divinity degree be cancelled, and he should be asked to leave the Ministry. If he doesn’t more people will also think of a bad blemish on the Baptist’s Churches. The Secret Service is looking into his actions also. A new first, a minister standing before his congregation and hating before God, and finding a passage in the Bible to hold his words up. Sick!
posted September 1, 2009 at 9:52 pm
H22, you know if a beautiful story like this inspired such sour thoughts I would really sad how limited my thoughts were. He give beauty for ashes not the other way around.
posted September 1, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Good Luck to him. Not an easy job, I’m sure.
posted September 1, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Cknuck, there was no other place to bring attention to the horrible blight that this Baptist minister brought to his denomination. I think what this article has to say is very evident it was a positive occurance that took place with these two Baptist people. Please, are you not disgusted by any minister in any denomination standing up in front of God and wishing someone dead because of his hate for RoevsWade and anything else he deems Obama’s fault? His children and wife were brought into his tirade in front of his congregation, do you think these people got up and left the church? Or do they think the same? If this were my denomination I’d want the powers to be of it to do something about how he is using the Baptist Pulpit. I’m reporting what I heard on TV, CNN, today. These were not my sour thoughts. They are my shocked indignation of how our Christian Religion is being used and against the President of the United States of America.
posted September 2, 2009 at 12:56 am
H22 what in the world would make you think people need a reminder of how one person may have given an organization a black eye when they are celebrating the good in the organization. If they are putting the past behind and pressing forward why would you want to take this opportunity to pull them down? Freedom of speech and all of that and if that is the way you want to express it then that’s on you.