FERGUSON — Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and the first African-American president of the Southern Baptist Convention, greets every person around him with warm encouragement. He focuses attention on all. However, the new attention on him is a surprise.
“I’m amazed at the attention this position brings,” Luter said. “The media wants to interview me, people want me to sign Bibles and many want to take photos with me. I did not expect this reaction.”
Luter is taking the attention in stride.
“I like it,” he said with a wide grin. “I’m a people person.”
Luter spoke here at First Baptist Church to the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association Annual Meeting. He also spoke to a group of pastors the next day at First Baptist Church, St. Charles, and then, in the evening, he spoke at First Baptist, Troy, to the Twin Rivers Baptist Association.
Since Luter’s election in June, he has been speaking in many churches around the country.
“I’ve been really surprised at the diversity in congregations because I’ve been speaking in Anglo churches,” he said. “But, the churches are publicizing the services led by the first African-American Southern Baptist president and it is attracting many.”
According to Luter, this is a positive change for the convention.
“This is good for us,” he said. “It gives more hope that we can reach others. We want the door open for whosoever will. We will be living and worshipping together in heaven, so we should practice now.”
Focus on the future is the highest priority to Luter.
“Everybody has a past,” he said, “and everybody has done things to regret. With my election, the
convention is looking toward the future. In 2011, when the convention resolved that anybody could be a part of the convention, it was an effort to include more ethnic groups including Hispanic, Asian and African-Americans.”
In talking with all of the congregations and the pastors’ group, Luter emphasized the need to live out the gospel.
“We need to be the light in a desperate world,” he said. “The gospel is the answer to changing the evil in the world. The gospel transforms lives and it starts in the pulpit.”