Members Of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church Petition To Void Election Of New Pastor

'The process that I witnessed unfold effectively pushed aside other highly qualified candidates.'

Typically, church drama doesn’t reach the courts, but a group of congregants at Harlem’s influential Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City has filed a petition with a New York state court to void the election of its new pastor, Rev. Dr. Kevin Johnson.

According to NBC New York, although Johnson was elected to lead one of the nation’s most powerful churches in September, four members are alleging that the vote was not conducted according to established church bylaws.

Per the legal document, Rev. Dr. C. Vernon Mason, one of the original members of the search committee who was expelled described a flawed process.

“The process that I witnessed unfold effectively pushed aside other highly qualified candidates,” Mason said.

Another petitioner, Clarence Ball III, who has been a member of the church for 10 years, told the outlet that the search and selection process undermined the ability of members to have their voices heard.

“Abyssinian has been a beacon of intellectual and spiritual light for the broader African American community for 216 years,” Ball said. “This flawed pastoral search and election process has not only usurped the pulpit, but also members’ opportunity—and religious right—to have a pastor properly chosen with integrity and truth to lead our people through the modern challenges we are facing as community.”

LaToya Evans, the church’s spokesperson, said Abyssinian Baptist Church stands behind the results of the election and “will continue to defend our church, legacy and pastoral selection process from baseless attacks by a disgruntled few.”

According to Jasmine McFarlane-White, another petitioner, Rev. Johnson did not achieve the support from rank and file congregation members.

“You need a super majority, a majority of all the members in good standing versus a majority of people who vote,” McFarlane-White told NBC New York.

The petition asks for the court to void all salary and payments or other compensation the church has provided Johnson and to order the formation of a new pastoral search committee and force the church to present a different candidate for the congregation to vote on.

Other concerns center around the ouster of Johnson from Philadelphia’s Bright Hope Baptist Church, and negative coverage of Johnson by the Philadelphia Inquirer described him as having clashes with church members who “tried to get answers about the church’s financial affairs, including his salary.”

Guilda Squire, another church member who voted against Johnson’s appointment, said that the church just needs to start from scratch.

“How did what happened at Bright Hope Baptist Church factor into the search committee making an intentional decision to move this candidate into the top position?” Squire said.