Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Convention Elects Rev. Dr. James C. Perkins as 20th President of Progressive National Baptist Convention

Delegates attending the 53rd Annual Convention of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, elected the Rev. Dr. James C. Perkins as the organization’s 20th president. Perkins is senior pastor of Greater Christ Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan.

In a statement, Perkins said, “I am honored to be elected as president of this historic organization. I look forward to serving our pastors and churches and to making our voice heard on the critical issues of our time.” He said his goals for the PNBC include returning the denomination to its roots as “a premiere prophetic Christian body that proclaims the gospel’s social justice message.”

According to the convention’s account, the PNBC began in 1961 as a movement shaped by the religious, social and political climate of that period. Its mission was to transform the traditional African American Baptist Convention as well as society. The convention’s formation is described as bound up with the Civil Rights movement and the struggle for African American freedom led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The source states that the PNBC provided a denominational home for King and many Baptist leaders in that movement.

Perkins has framed a mission statement for the convention that he says is relevant to 21st-century African American communities. The PNBC’s charge, as stated in the source, is “equipping pastors and churches to be effective in ministry and lifting our voice on behalf of the voiceless” (Proverbs 31:8-9 shows that speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves is a public duty). Perkins’s stated vision is to unite African Americans to have a positive effect on their communities. He cited efforts to protect voters’ rights, support education initiatives and prevent youth violence. “We want to create a landscape of hope that leads to an America where all citizens equally benefit from its freedoms,” he said.

A native of Williamson, West Virginia, Perkins is an officer of the PNBC and most recently served as first vice president of the group. He was ordained to gospel ministry in 1974 and has served as pastor of Greater Christ Baptist Church for thirty-two years. He received a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, in 1990, as a Samuel DeWitt Proctor Fellow. He is the author of *Building Up Zion’s Walls: Ministry for Empowering the African American Family* and *Playbook for Christian Manhood: 12 Key Plays for Black Teen Boys*, published by Judson Press of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

The source also describes Perkins’s community work. In 1992 he founded the Fellowship Nonprofit Housing Corporation as a vehicle for community economic development. In the spring of 2006, a $10 million project called Providence Place was constructed to provide single-family homes for low- and middle-income families. In 1993 he founded the Benjamin E. Mays Male Academy for boys in grades K-6, which operated for 17 years. Perkins is married to Linda Adkins Perkins. He is the father of two daughters and a grandfather.

The PNBC operates across the United States in four national regions (Eastern, Midwest, Southern and Southwest) and one international region. The convention estimates its worldwide membership at 2.5 million, with more than 1.5 million members living in the United States.

Source: Read the original report