Rev. Fred Luter Elected First African-American Southern Baptist President

Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 19, the first African-American to hold the post, Baptist Press reports. David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, nominated Luter and previously said the election would send "a great, hopeful, powerful message to our city, our culture, our convention and our country." Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue since 1986, became the SBC's first African-American first vice president in 2011 and in 2001 was the first African-American to preach the convention sermon. Some observers felt it was appropriate that Luter's election took place on the day many celebrate Juneteenth, the anniversary of slavery's end in the United States.