Page 1 of 2
Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 92
BY SENATOR MORRELL
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend Reverend Fred Luter Jr. of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, on being elected
vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
WHEREAS, at their annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, the Southern Baptist
Convention (SBC), the nation's largest denomination, elected its first African American vice
president, Reverend Fred Luter Jr.; and
WHEREAS, some SBC leaders have expressed hope that his election will mean a
rise to president next year when the 2012 convention is held in New Orleans, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, since its organization in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, the SBC has grown
to over sixteen million members who worship in more than forty-two thousand churches in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, the term SBC refers to both the denomination and its annual meeting,
working through twelve hundred local associations, and forty-one state conventions and
fellowships; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Luter attributes his success to God, beginning his career as
what he fondly refers to as a street preacher; and
WHEREAS, before he was called in 1986 to serve the Franklin Avenue Baptist
Church (FABC) in New Orleans, Louisiana, he spent his time preaching on different street
corners in the Lower Ninth Ward, where he grew up; and
WHEREAS, after receiving his call to the ministry three years earlier, the members
of FABC elected him pastor, even though he had no pastoral experience; and
WHEREAS, today, Reverend Luter is a well respected leader, preacher, and speaker,
making headlines in 1992, when he was elected as the first African American to the
executive board of the Louisiana Baptist Convention; and
WHEREAS, starting with only sixty-five members in 1986, Reverend Luter has led
FABC to over eight thousand members, making it the largest Southern Baptist church in the
state of Louisiana, which embodies the mission statement to "spiritually impact families,
neighborhoods, cities, and the state by exalting the Savior"; and SCR NO. 92 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 2
WHEREAS, of the two thousand and twelve SBC ballots, Reverend Luter received
one thousand five hundred and fifty-eight or seventy-seven percent of the votes to be SBC's
next vice president; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Akin, President of the Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, nominated Reverend Luter, calling him "one of
SBC's most popular and beloved preachers, and is in constant demand to speak in schools,
colleges, seminaries, and conferences all across the nation"; and
WHEREAS, in his nomination, Akin reminded delegates that Reverend Luter, in
2001, was the first African American to preach the SBC convention sermon, and also served
as an SBC second vice president; and
WHEREAS, in August 2005, Reverend Luter lost his home and the FABC to the
floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, and still, he traveled across the nation to minister to
displaced SBC members pushing one of his favorite sayings "if you save the man, the man
will save his family"; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Luter and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children, Kimberly
Ann and Fred "Chip" Luter III.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Reverend Fred Luter Jr. of Franklin Baptist Church on being elected vice
president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Reverend Fred Luter Jr.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES