The Rev. Kevin R. Johnson, recently appointed as the new senior pastor of New York City's historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, is making the traditional service of men in suits and women in dresses fit for the next generation. I'm thinking of doing it.
“Abyssinian, this has always been a traditional Baptist church,” he emphasized, “so that people who want this kind of experience with Christ can feel like, 'You know what? It's okay to wear a tie.' “We have to make it attractive,” he said. You can wear a dress and still be cool. ”
The pastor's remarks were made as part of today's church dress policy. Many congregants, especially the younger generation, tend to dress according to their mood rather than formal attire.
Johnson was elected Abyssinian's new pastor in June, filling the vacancy left by the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2022. He served as the church's senior pastor for 30 years. Meanwhile, Johnson previously served as senior pastor at Dare to Imagine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which he founded in 2014.
“I think Abyssinians are unique in the sense that they represent the best of black culture, black tradition, black faith, black advocacy and black future,” Johnson said.
He has previously taught at the church, including German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who taught Sunday school at Abyssinian, and former President Barack Obama, who attended the church while studying at Columbia University in the 1980s. He listed the names of famous people who were worshiping.
“I just sat in the back and listened to the choir play and listened to the sermon,” President Obama said in an interview about his Abyssinian experience. newsweek. “There were times when I was close to tears while listening to the chorus and sharing that sense of freedom.”
Mr. Johnson told CP that he experienced what Mr. Obama felt on Sunday in the sacred sanctuary of the megachurch.
“There's something about a traditional setting that I think is still relevant. And every time I go out to the sanctuary on a Sunday morning and see the church full, I think we're doing something… “I feel like that's the case,” he explained.
“If you look at the numbers online, you’ll see that around 5,000 people participate every week around the world. [the] contemporary [approach to worship] Trust me, I know both worlds very well. I think there's still an audience that says I can relate to those worlds. [traditional] people. “
In addition to high culture, Johnson also emphasized the importance of maintaining the unity of the church.
“My focus is on reviving the Abyssinian spirit, and there are four things we are working on. The first quarter was focused on unity. So from July to September We preached about unity over the month, but now we're focused on love,” he said, noting that in 2025 he also plans to focus on service and witnessing.
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