Reverend Fred Luter announced to his African-American church that he will seek to become the first black man to lead the Southern Baptist Convention, a predominantly white denomination. The Huffington Post reported that several Baptist leaders call Luter a favorite for the upcoming June election and that no other candidate has announced their running yet. “If he runs, he’ll get elected overwhelmingly,” says Daniel Akin, president of the Southeastern Baptist Seminary in Wake Forest NC.

After months of urging from other Baptists around the country, the Rev. Fred Luter told his African-American congregation that he will seek to become the first black man to lead the predominantly white Southern Baptist Convention

Several Baptist leaders said Luter becomes the prohibitive favorite for the post, to be filled in a potentially historic election at the Southern Baptists’ annual meeting here in June.

SBC Today, a Baptist-focused news website, carried the announcement on Wednesday (Feb. 1). Youth pastor Fred “Chip” Luter III separately confirmed Luter’s announcement to his church on Sunday.

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