Connecticut pastor elected president of nation's largest Black Protestant denomination

A Connecticut pastor will be the new president of the largest Black Protestant denomination in the U.S., bringing to an end a leadership election that stirred division among members.

The Rev. Boise Kimber, senior pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut. — and the only person on the ballot Thursday night in Baltimore — was elected to lead the National Baptist Convention, USA as its 19th president, according to the convention. The election was marked with controversy over the eligibility of four candidates who officials said did not qualify.

Kimber won the top post with a vote of 1,744 to 794, and replaces Mississippi pastor, the Rev. Jerry Young, who ran the Nashville, Tennessee-based NBCUSA for a decade. Kimber, who previously served as the NBCUSA board secretary, said he felt a “sigh of relief” once the election results were announced at the convention's meeting,

Kimber said that while it was a fair election, he remains concerned about uniting the convention and fostering an atmosphere where every member congregation thrives. He said he will embark on a national “listening tour” even as the convention shifts its focus to the election of the next U.S. president.