Meet the Southern Baptist Convention's First Black President

NEW ORLEANS (The Blaze/AP) -- At the end of the day Wednesday, the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention will pass to an African-American pastor for the first time. The Blaze had previously reported that Luter was likely to win.

The nation's largest Protestant denomination voted Tuesday to elect the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. to lead them, an important step for a denomination that was formed on the wrong side of slavery before the Civil War and had a reputation for supporting segregation and racism during much of the last century.

(Related: Southern Baptist Convention Set to Elect First Black President)

In a news conference after the vote, Luter said he doesn't think his election is some kind of token gesture.

"If we stop appointing African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics to leadership positions after this, we've failed," he said. "... I promise you I'm going to do all that I can to make sure this is not just a one-and-done deal."

Faced with declining membership, the SBC has been making efforts to appeal to a more diverse group of believers.

Some Southern Baptists also believe a proposal to adopt an optional alternative name, Great Commission Baptists, will bring in believers who have negative associations with the current name. The results of a vote on that proposal was to be announced Wednesday.

Luter was unopposed when he was elected by thousands of enthusiastic delegates Tuesday at the SBC annual meeting in his hometown of New Orleans.

He spoke about the decline in SBC membership and his own efforts to grow his church, which included intensive outreach to men, and his concern that men in his inner-city neighborhood were not taking responsibility for their children.

He began to cry as he recalled growing up with a divorced mother and no father in the house, saying he asked God, "Let me be that role model to my son that I didn't have." And he recounted how his son followed him into ministry and asked Luter to be his best man at his wedding.

Luter described what he hopes to achieve for the convention, saying he has always had the ability to get along with everyone. He plans to use that skill to bring denominational leaders together to discuss how they can leave aside their differences and work together to spread the Gospel.

Pastor David Crosby of First Baptist New Orleans nominated Luter, calling him a "fire-breathing, miracle-working pastor" who "would likely be a candidate for sainthood if he were Catholic."

Crosby said the SBC needs Luter at the head of the table as it increasingly focuses on diversifying its membership.

"Many leaders are convinced this nomination is happening now by the provenance of God," he said.

Luter wiped tears from his eyes as he accepted the position. Two female ushers from the Franklin Avenue congregation embraced, swaying and weeping with joy.

"I think I'm just too overwhelmed by it right now to speak," said another member, Malva Marsalis.

A minister from Luter's church, Darren Martin, said the SBC's past support of slavery and segregation are well known, but Luter's election was "a true sign ... that change from within has really come. ...Christ is at the center of the SBC."

The proposal to adopt an alternative name was more controversial than Luter's election. The Tuesday vote was too close to call by a show of hands so paper ballots were cast.

Those who supported the alternative name argued that "Southern Baptist" can be a turn-off to potential believers.

They said adopting "Great Commission Baptists" as an optional name would help missionaries and church planters to reach more people for Christ.

An online poll by the SBC's Lifeway Research of 2,000 Americans found that 44 percent said knowing a church was Southern Baptist would negatively affect their decision to visit or join.

Those who opposed the alternative said Southern Baptists should be proud of the denomination's name and reputation.

The "Great Commission" refers to Matthew 28:16-20, in which Jesus instructs his disciples at Galilee to go forth and make disciples of all nations.