J. Alfred Smith Jr.—the Right Pastor for Our Times

J. Alfred Smith Jr.—the Right Pastor for Our Times
by Bryan R. Parker

After much thought, deliberation and prayer (yes prayer), I am guided to support the Reverend J. Alfred Smith Jr. as the next Senior Pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church. I am convinced that Reverend Smith Jr. is the right man, at the right time, to lead our church spiritually and otherwise, as we seek to build upon the great legacy of Allen Temple in the community, and move our church to the next level. I understand that my recommendation, this choice and indeed this confirmation, should it take place, has been fraught with controversy. Below, I share of few of my thoughts as to why I believe we should support Pastor Smith, Jr. as our next Senior Pastor.

We just completed a week of town hall style meetings in which the congregation was able to interact with and ask questions of Pastor Smith, Jr. In response to this author’s question of whether Pastor Smith, Jr. would still be the best candidate for Allen Temple even if his name were other than “Smith”, Pastor Smith Jr. provided two telling responses. One, as will be discussed below, he set forth the positive aspects of his association with his father. Two, he said that he was not the right person to answer the question. This question, was a question for God, and for the congregation in their faithfulness to answer. He asked us to pray, as would he, reasoning that God would guide us to the correct choice. Here we are reminded, that despite being in a season of elections, the selection of a Senior Pastor is a bit different. The selection of a Senior Pastor is not a perfectly secular process. The old adage that we “walk by faith” must guide us in instances such as the current one. It is in his answer to this very pointed question that we see Pastor Smith, Jr.’s truth spiritual depth.

Pastor Smith, Jr, makes reference to the “four callings of man” from Reinhold Niebuhr. Niebuhr, the evangelical scholar, I believe in his seminal work “Moral Man and Immoral Society” writes of four callings of man. The calling that is most relevant here is the calling of man to the church. I believe Pastor Smith, Jr. has been called by God to lead our church at this time. As a testament to his faith, I also believe Pastor Smith, Jr. is ready to head this call.

How then do we answer the charge by some of nepotism. Nepotism is defined as patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family a relationship, as in business and politics. Some have asserted charges of nepotism in the potential selection of Pastor Smith, Jr., given that is father has been Senior Pastor of Allen Temple for more than 40 years. I do not believe the potential elevation of Pastor Smith, Jr. is a case of nepotism. I believe, rather, as I will set forth more fully below, that Pastor Smith, Jr.’s candidacy stands on his own merits. That said, Pastor Smith, Jr, has benefited from his relationship with his father to be sure. In this instance, this benefit is not a bad thing, and in fact, not only inures to benefit of Pastor Smith, Jr., but also to the church as a whole. To be more specific, Pastor Smith, Jr. by virtue of his relationship, and growing up in Allen Temple, understands, probably more deeply than any candidate under consideration, the traditions, mores and psyche of Allen Temple. He has also learned how to build and use relationships in the broader community for the benefit of the church. Moving forward, clearly his closeness with the Senior Smith will aid in his smooth transition, and in buttressing him on any of the aspects of the position for which he might not be quite ready. There is real merit to Allen Temple having a pastor who understands its history, traditions and relationships, and who can hit the ground running. Certainly such a situation lends itself toward increasing the odds that we reach our goals, both spiritual and secular, with greater speed and more certainty. We must still ask ourselves, what makes Pastor Smith, Jr. the man to shoulder such an awesome responsibility.

The answer to why Pastor Smith, Jr. is the right man, for right now, to lead our church has been shaped over a lifetime of service. Pastor Smith, Jr., as discussed, has grown up in Allen Temple. He has directly had a hand in shaping several of the ministries of our church including: home visits, elderly care, AIDS, credit union/repair, drugs and alcohol and prison. Over the past six years he has served as Senior Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in San Jose, Ca. As Marvin Sapp sings in the song “Never Would Have Made It”, these six years have made Pastor Smith, Jr. “stronger, wiser, better”. During his time as Senior Pastor of Antioch Baptist, he has added real depth and weight to his preaching. He has also continued his commitment to the ministries. Further, Pastor Smith, Jr. has demonstrated that he has the kind of energy and commitment to empowering the next generation of leadership that will be required to not only keep Allen Temple healthy and thriving, but to also raise it to the next level. His openness to additional forms of communication—blogs, the Internet, Facebook and other forms of digital media, show that Pastor Smith, Jr. is a pastor with the openness to new ideas and approaches. In my opinion, it is this kind of openness that will result in a greater number of new, and younger members, and that will foster a spirit of ownership and participation that our church badly needs.

How then will Pastor Smith, Jr. bring about this vision. To be fair, exactly what Pastor Smith, Jr.’s vision is for the future, remains a bit unclear as he was deliberately vague in the recent series of town meetings on the topic. Comforting, however, was the fact that Pastor Smith, Jr., if appointed, would first call for 40 days for prayer and reflection, where we would both ask God for those things we desire for our church and spend time “listening” to God guide us as to where he wants us to go. It is through such a thoughtful process argues Pastor Smith, Jr. that our vision will become clear, just as it was, at one time, for Moses and his people. He recites that not only did Moses hear the “vision”, but so did the people. I believe this approach shows Pastor Smith, Jr. is intelligent, yet humble. Pastor Smith, Jr. would have us further complement the above approach with engaging in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis for the church. I applaud the rigor of this approach. I believe before Allen Temple can experience true success, we must fist be honest with ourselves about where and what we are as a church. Then and only then, may we plot a deliberate course toward our future. Where this secular approach falls short, I have faith that Pastor Smith, Jr. will fill in the gaps through his faith, spirituality and leadership.

Despite the foregoing, there will be those who remain miffed at the process by which this selection took place. I would urge anyone with this view to please separate the candidate and the process, after all the candidate followed the process, not created it. Second, we elected a pulpit committee who has spent countless hours judging these candidates against objective criteria to set forth the best one for our consideration. The question of why only one finalist versus three is being presented to the membership of Allen Temple is one for the American Baptist College, Progressive Convention. Allen Temple is a member of this convention. The Progressive Convention clearly sets forth how this process is to be carried out. This process is based on statistical data of several churches. Our Pulpit Committee followed the process set forth faithfully. I urge people who otherwise feel that Pastor Smith, Jr. is the right candidate for our church, to separate him from any views on the process, because to do otherwise is to potentially end up with a new pastor, yet have a divided church. We know from history that a house divided will turn on and potentially destroy itself. I believe if we all line up behind Pastor Smith, Jr., should he be elected, Pastor Smith, Jr., Allen Temple and each of us stands the best chance of success for creating and enjoying a great church. Even should we fall a bit short on this account, I have faith that Pastor Smith, Jr. will unite us. As the Lord told Peter “Pastor my sheep”. The Lord meant all sheep, not just the sheep Peter liked, or those who agreed with Peter. I believe Pastor Smith will embrace and lead us all.

In uncertain times such as these, where among other things, lack of money and loss of housing and jobs are leading people to question their faith, we need a leader who can both feed our souls and help us build our communities back to prosperity. We need a 21st century leader who is energetic, committed and accessible. We must have a leader, a Senior Pastor who has the vision and desire to lead not just some, but all members of Allen Temple. That leader should be J. Alfred Smith, Jr.

To those still struggling with the decision, pray, then allow yourself to walk by faith.