{"id":36421,"date":"2026-07-17T04:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T22:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/appeal-renews-legal-fight-over-harlems-abyssinian-baptist-church-pastor\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T04:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T22:49:08","slug":"appeal-renews-legal-fight-over-harlems-abyssinian-baptist-church-pastor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/appeal-renews-legal-fight-over-harlems-abyssinian-baptist-church-pastor\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeal renews legal fight over Harlem&#8217;s Abyssinian Baptist Church pastor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_PXy4HjjqDlQ?ui_title_intro=Listen+now%3A&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=3.2.3\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>(RNS) \u2014 Current and former members of New York City\u2019s Abyssinian Baptist Church have filed an appeal in state Supreme Court arguing that a <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/12\/26\/court-rules-in-favor-of-new-yorks-abyssinian-baptist-church-and-its-new-pastor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2025 court ruling<\/a> was in error when it dismissed their case challenging the election of the congregation\u2019s current senior pastor.<\/p>\n<p>The four plaintiffs filed a brief July 9 with the New York Supreme Court\u2019s Appellate Division, 1st Department, requesting that the election of the Rev. Kevin R. Johnson be set aside so a new election can be held. The plaintiffs argue that the court \u201cmisread\u201d the church\u2019s bylaws when it denied their petition, according to the filing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Johnson\u2019s election as the Harlem church\u2019s new senior pastor was announced in June 2024, and he was installed in September of that year. He succeeded the <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2022\/10\/28\/calvin-butts-leader-of-harlems-historic-abyssinian-baptist-church-dies-at-73\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rev. Calvin O. Butts III<\/a>, who served as a minister at the historically Black church for 50 years and died in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>However, the plaintiffs say the church bylaws require a pastoral election by a majority of all members who are eligible to vote and are in good standing, rather than a majority of just the members who vote at a meeting. In total, 44% of registered church members voted in Johnson\u2019s election.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody disputes that the term \u2018majority\u2019 means more than half,\u201d the plaintiffs note. \u201cThe question is a majority of what.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4268931\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 750px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4268931\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4-807x538.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Baptist-Harlem4-380x253.jpg 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">The Rev. Kevin R. Johnson at Abyssinian Baptist Church, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Harlem, New York. (Photo courtesy of Abyssinian Baptist Church)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/12\/26\/court-rules-in-favor-of-new-yorks-abyssinian-baptist-church-and-its-new-pastor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>Judge rules in favor of New York\u2019s Abyssinian Baptist Church and its new pastor<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>In a statement announcing the appeal, the petitioners said their case \u201chas never been about the court or the petitioners dictating congregational choice of a pastor\u201d but rather about whether the church abided by the governance procedures stated in its bylaws.<\/p>\n<p>Abyssinian responded to the development with confidence that a new pastoral election would be determined not necessary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the church has continued to heal, grow and thrive under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson over the past two years, it\u2019s clear the congregation is pleased with their properly and duly elected pastor and have moved on from this chapter,\u201d said LaToya Evans, the church\u2019s spokesperson. \u201cWe\u2019re confident the appellate court will reach the same conclusion as the trial court and find the lawsuit to be without merit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three of the plaintiffs are church members, including Kevin McGruder, an associate professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, who told Religion News Service he watches Abyssinian\u2019s worship services virtually but attends annual meetings in person. The fourth plaintiff, the Rev. C. Vernon Mason, is now a member and minister in residence at another Harlem church.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4212859\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 750px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4212859\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1-427x285.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1-807x538.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/webRNS-Abyssinian-Lawsuit1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\">FILE \u2013 Members of Harlem\u2019s Abyssinian Baptist Church attend a court hearing in lower Manhattan, Thursday, July 17, 2025, in New York City. (RNS photo\/Fiona Andr\u00e9)<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>They note that the bylaws use language such as \u201cwho are present in a Meeting duly assembled\u201d when determining who would vote for changing the church\u2019s location, and a \u201cmajority vote at any duly called Meeting\u201d is required for the expulsion of members. But the lack of such modifiers about the election of the pastor is an intentional omission, the plaintiffs say.<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs cite a past New York Court of Appeals case related to an interpretation of a corporation\u2019s shareholders during a vote. The 2012 ruling found that a dissolution vote required passage by a \u201csupermajority\u201d of the shareholders rather than a mere two-thirds of voters present at a shareholder meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConsistent with its status as a congregational church and with its Baptist tradition, Abyssinian requires a candidate for pastor to earn the support of a majority of members in good standing who are eligible to vote,\u201d the July 9 brief reads.<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs also state that the vice chair of the pastoral search committee told the congregation on two separate occasions that the vote required a majority of the membership and stressed that standard was higher than the church\u2019s voting standard for other matters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a result, a significant portion of members could have sat out because they believed that Dr. Johnson could prevail only with enough affirmative votes for him,\u201d they argued. \u201cThe only fair outcome here is to set aside the election to ensure that the church has a full opportunity to reach a new, clear, and adequate expression of the will of the congregation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abyssinian was the subject of other litigation about the selection of its newest pastor.<\/p>\n<p>The Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman, a former assistant minister at the church and a candidate for the senior pastor position, filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in 2023 after she did not get the job. The church asked a judge to dismiss the case on the grounds of the \u201cministerial exception,\u201d under which religious institutions are given more latitude in personnel and other matters. In March 2025, a federal district judge <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/04\/02\/abyssinian-baptist-church-welcomes-dismissal-of-gender-discrimination-suit-against-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sided with the church<\/a>, and records show that a federal appeals court granted Marshall Turman\u2019s request to voluntarily dismiss her appeal months later.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson first came to Abyssinian in the 1990s, serving as an assistant pastor to Butts. In 2014, he resigned from his position as senior pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia after the congregation disapproved of his handling of the church\u2019s financial affairs and his plan to run for mayor of Philadelphia, which he eventually abandoned. He subsequently founded Dare to Imagine Church in Philadelphia, an interdenominational church affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson and Butts were preceded by other prominent Abyssinian ministers, including the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr., Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and the Rev. Samuel DeWitt Proctor. And the plaintiffs\u2019 brief cited the Rev. Raphael Warnock, now a Georgia senator and the pastor of Atlanta\u2019s Ebenezer Baptist Church, who served for a decade as a youth pastor and assistant minister under Butts\u2019 leadership at Abyssinian.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBaptist pastors are recommended by a search committee of the church\u2019s members and elected by a vote of the full congregation, unlike denominations where a presiding bishop appoints the head of the church,\u201d the senator wrote in his 2022 book \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2022\/06\/14\/raphael-warnock-says-his-senate-colleagues-sometimes-ask-rev-pray-for-me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Way Out of No Way<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Warnock preached at Abyssinian on Sunday (July 12) at the worship service that marked Johnson\u2019s second pastoral anniversary there, during his tour for his newest book \u201cThe Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/07\/18\/disputed-vote-for-harlems-historic-abyssinian-baptist-church-pastor-is-tested-in-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>Disputed vote for Harlem\u2019s Abyssinian Baptist Church pastor is tested in court<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/07\/16\/appeal-renews-legal-fight-over-harlems-abyssinian-baptist-church-pastor\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(RNS) \u2014 Current and former members of New York City\u2019s Abyssinian Baptist Church have filed an appeal in state Supreme Court arguing that a 2025 court ruling was in error when it dismissed their case challenging the election of the congregation\u2019s current senior pastor. The four plaintiffs filed a brief July 9 with the New [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}