(RNS) — The Rev. Henry J. Lyons, the onetime leader of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc., who went to prison after a fraud scandal that led to his resignation as president of the historically Black denomination, has died. He was 83.
His death occurred on Monday (Oct. 27), according to a Gainesville, Florida, funeral home.
“We pause to reflect on the distinguished life and faithful service of Dr. Henry J. Lyons, whose leadership and dedication strengthened the witness of our Convention,” reads a Facebook statement from current NBCUSA President Boise Kimber and the denomination’s executive board. “His unwavering commitment to the church and community will be remembered with deep respect and gratitude.”
Lyons was born in Gainesville and studied at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
He was elected president of the denomination in 1994 and resigned in 1999 after he was convicted on state racketeering charges that included the misuse of money intended for burned churches.
State and federal officials began investigating his finances as allegations swirled around him about possible misuse of church funds and marital infidelity after his wife set fire to a pricey home he co-purchased with a woman denominational official.
RELATED: NEWS STORY: Tearful Lyons quits as head of National Baptist Convention
He resigned against the wishes of the majority of the denomination’s board at the time.
“I asked them to respectfully allow me to make the decision I felt that, as a man, I needed to make,” Lyons said in tearful remarks weeks before his sentencing. “I felt that I had to resign, I should resign and therefore, I did resign.”
He also was convicted of swindling millions from corporations wanting to market products to members of one of the nation’s largest Black denominations.
Lyons stated he was “truly repentant” and said, “I hate that I’ve hurt so many people.”
Other NBCUSA leaders said they forgave his errors and congratulated him for “outstanding leadership,” including reducing the denomination’s debt.
He served four years in prison for grant theft and fraud on the state charges and, while in a Florida correctional institution, also was ordered by a federal district judge to pay $5.2 million in restitution for bank fraud and tax evasion.
After his release, Lyons spoke of his desire for leaders of Black denominations, which had formed separate organizations since the early 1900s, to come together on matters of common ground. He hailed a historic 2005 joint meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, of the NBCUSA, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention of America and National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, seeking unity but not a merger.
Speaking with Religion News Service in 2005, Lyons recalled his work in the 1990s with Revelation Corporation, a short-lived business effort that included several Baptist denominations. In the interview, Lyons described the Nashville gathering as a “bridge-building meeting.”
In later years, Lyons continued to pastor churches.
Baptist colleagues and a journalist who covered Lyons remarked on his power as a pulpiteer.
“Dr. Lyons was a man of exceptional vision, courage, and conviction — a preacher’s preacher whose leadership helped shape generations of pastors, churches, and communities,” said the Rev. Adrian S. Taylor, moderator of the Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Association, an NBCUSA-affiliated organization based in North Central Florida, in a statement. “His life’s work reflected an unwavering commitment to faith, education, and excellence in ministry.”
David Barstow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who was part of a team that covered Lyons for the former St. Petersburg Times, told The Tampa Bay Times, “He could absolutely hold a church spellbound with the power of his preaching.”
The NBCUSA Facebook page included a video clip of Lyons preaching about finding “more than a resting place.”
“I found a savior,” he said in the video. “I found water when I’m thirsty. I found some money in my pocket. Food on my table. Somebody ought to know what I’m talking about. Praise his holy name.”
RELATED: NEWS STORY: Black Baptists, Proclaiming New Unity, Gather in Historic Meeting