c. 1999 Religion News Service

TAMPA, Fla. _ Some of the candidates for the presidency of the National Baptist Convention, USA, readily acknowledge they have little chance of becoming the prominent black denomination’s next leader.

But their campaign pitches, delivered in a forum Tuesday (Sept. 7), throw light on the diversity of opinions about the future of one of the largest African-American church groups in the country.

Ten of the 11 candidates showed up at the forum at the Ice Palace Arena here in advance of Thursday’s election. There will be just one ballot, and the candidate receiving the most votes will win.

Some candidates called for a total revision of the presidency, which has been under a cloud before and since the Rev. Henry J. Lyons resigned and was imprisoned in March for swindling millions from corporations wanting to market products to NBCUSA members.

Others urged more unity, less of a clergy-dominated atmosphere and more focus on the needs of African-Americans within and outside the group. Still others said things aren’t so bad _ the denomination is paying its bills and is nowhere close to a split.

The Rev. Stewart C. Cureton of Mauldin, S.C., who has acted as president since Lyons’ departure and is not running for the five-year post, said of the upcoming outcome,”I don’t know who’s going to (win), but God knows.” The Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson of Mount Vernon, N.Y., and the Rev. William J. Shaw of Philadelphia, who have led the most visible campaigns, say they seek a new style for the denomination’s leadership.”We’ve got to decide that we will learn from our mistakes, that we will not put forward doing things like we have done them in the past,”said Richardson, a former NBCUSA general secretary.”We must fix the presidency first. The presidency of the National Baptist Convention is a flawed institution.” Richardson, who calls the current presidential role”imperialistic,”said he would appoint a chief fiscal officer and a chief operating officer. And he wants to end the days when board members could serve for 50 years.”We do not need a rubber-stamp, wimp board of directors,”he said, drawing loud agreement from his supporters.

Shaw stood before the forum audience _ which had been urged to use”no signs and no verbal expressions”during the session _ and introduced his prospective”Shaw administration,”five men who are presidents of Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi and Illinois state conventions affiliated with the denomination.”I believe that the power of the presidency is multiplied when it is shared,”said Shaw, former president of the Pennsylvania Baptist State Convention.

Demonstrating the need for more emphasis on a higher power, Shaw pointed to the banner for the convention, which cites the denomination’s name and the names of the president and general secretary.”I haven’t seen in all the years I’ve been coming the name of Jesus,”he said, drawing cheers and shouts.”If we gather in his name, we ought not be ashamed to gather under his name and his name ought to be bigger than our names.” The Rev. Acen Phillips of Denver called for bridge-building and urged cooperation no matter which candidate wins. He cautioned the voters it is likely one candidate will win with fewer votes than the combined total votes of the other candidates. He offered to put opposing candidates in his cabinet if he wins.”I believe that God wants us to pull the convention together,”said Phillips, the current fourth vice president.”For the first time in history, we would have all eight cylinders of this automobile working together. In the past, we’ve had a four-cylinder operation with an eight-cylinder engine.” The Rev. A. Russell Awkard of Louisville, Ky., urged the denomination to be inclusive of all its members, including pastors, laymen and laywomen.”We need the energy of the young and the wisdom of the old,”said Awkard, president of the Bluegrass State Baptist Convention.”We have to be about the business of bringing everyone to the table to unify our fellowship.” In a similar vein, deacon Cleo McConnell, a self-employed building contractor from Homer, La., urged moving beyond struggles between the clergy and the laity.

While others called for structural changes, McConnell said”true reformation”would come with the eradication of a”class system”in the denomination.”Christ has been replaced as the true head of the body of Christ by our pastors and leaders,”said McConnell, who claimed he was the first man who wasn’t a preacher or pastor to run for the post.”Most of the members have been relegated to the role of spectators and cheerleaders.” The Rev. Jasper W. Williams Jr. of Atlanta, who said the denomination needs to move beyond a”corrupt”system, was one of several who urged a greater focus on helping African-Americans.”Foreign missions is fine; helping the continent of Africa is fine,”he said.”But the Africa I know is right around the corner from most of our churches. The Africa I know is drug-infested. The Africa I know suffers from teen-age pregnancy.” The Rev. John Kelly said his Detroit church hires black youth to tutor elementary kids each summer.”This is the kind of thing that every church in every location can do,”he said.

The Rev. Earl R. Jackson of Gary, Ind., urged the building of hospitals and more schools instead of increasing the number of churches.”With the Catholics in any city of any size, there’s a Catholic church, a Catholic school and a Catholic hospital, but with us, we have a Baptist church, a Baptist church, a Baptist church and a Baptist church,”said Jackson.

Though Lyons sat 100 miles away in a prison cell, some of his colleagues among the candidates did not hesitate to remember him.”I was, is and will be a very devoted and close friend to Henry Lyons,”said the Rev. E.V. Hill of Los Angeles, whose supporters distributed a hand-written letter of endorsement from Lyons at Hill’s exhibit booth.”I do believe that he gave us the energy and the ambition and the desire to reach farther heights. … If you let me, I believe I will continue the tradition of climbing higher and higher.” The Rev. Roscoe Cooper of Richmond, Va., spoke of the debt on the denomination’s headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., that decreased from $6 million to $2.8 million.”Dr. Lyons had some problems and he did some wrong,”said Cooper, the current general secretary. But he quickly added:”We held together. We didn’t break up. We didn’t split. It was not our worst hour. In some ways it was our finest hour, and we have much to be proud of.” The one thing the candidates seemed to have in common was a hope _ even if they aren’t chosen as president _ in their faith and their denomination.

Cooper, who acknowledged his chances were slim, said he was expecting a miracle.

Kelly, of Detroit, viewed his run as a way to counter the negative image of the denomination.”Even though, as it has been stated, I have a snowball’s chance in hell, I have come because too many people have said the convention is going to hell,”said Kelly.”So if we are going to hell, I’ll be the snowball. … I have never not supported this convention.” DEA END BANKS

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