(WXYZ) — The Historic Second Baptist Church of Detroit announced Monday morning that Rev. Lawrence W. Rodgers will serve as the church's 24th senior pastor.
Rodgers comes to Detroit after leading the Westside Church of Christ in Baltimore. Church leaders say he grew the church in Baltimore and is a social justice advocate who has fought for freedom, justice and equality.
He graduated with honors from Harding University and earned a master's degree in Divinity from Howard University's School of Divinity.
“It is with great excitement that I accept the call as the 24th pastor of the historic Second Baptist Church of Detroit. A congregation which has offered a prophetic witness for the challenges of the season since 1836 and a congregation which understands the need for both spirit formation and social formation," Rodgers said in a release. "The gospel of Christ still has the power to save not only from personal transgression, but also social sin as well. In this ministry we will continue with the rich history of Second Baptist Church of Detroit by being a beacon of hope, liberation, and transformation."
The church's Deacon Board sent through a nearly two-year national search process with more than 230 applicants, and Rodgers delivered his candidate sermon on Aug. 30, 2020, with church voting taking place on Sept. 5 where he was elected by a majority of the congregation.
The church is offering live-streams on its YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Rogers will deliver his first sermon on Sunday, Dec. 20 and assume leadership from Interim Pastor, Rev. Dr. Cornelius Williams.
