MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BP)–Michael Fox Thurman isn’t intimidated by Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., but the congregation’s new pastor is well aware of the awesome responsibility ahead of him.
“Dr. King was a humble man, and he would not want me to be intimidated by him,” said Thurman, a Montgomery native. “But the heights that he reached — I can only stand in the shadows. I’m awed more than anything.”
Thurman is the 26th pastor of the 119-year-old church whose claim to fame is King, its pastor from 1954-60 and leader of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and ’60s. A national holiday will be observed Jan. 20 in honor of King, who was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.
In spite of Dexter Avenue’s fame, Thurman is determined to move the church into the 21st century, building on its past to launch into the future.
“It is a tremendous challenge to bear such a tradition, but it’s an exciting opportunity to contribute not only to an historical institution but to also lead that institution into the next century,” he said. “It carries such an awesome responsibility.”
Since 1992, Thurman has been associate director of the black church extension division of the Home Mission Board, working with Southern Baptist churches and predominantly black Baptist churches.
Dexter Avenue will be Thurman’s third pastorate. Working as a HMB missionary from 1989?92, Thurman was the founding pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Ames, Iowa, the city’s first predominantly African American church. Previously he was pastor of Village DeLest Baptist Church in New Orleans while earning his master’s degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Thurman was called to Dexter Avenue Nov. 19 and has been preaching every Sunday since Dec. 15. Currently, he is working in Atlanta during the week and at Dexter on the weekends. He and his wife, Patricia, and two children will move to Montgomery in March.
“I am following a long line of very capable, prominent and powerful leaders of this church who brought many gifts and talents,” Thurman said. “Somehow, someway, God chose to bring me here, so I will use the gifts and talents God gave me.”
While Thurman considers his new post a humbling experience, he deems it an honor to stand in the pulpit once belonging to a man Thurman credits with much of his ability to be successful in America today.
Thirty-five-year old Thurman was just an infant during King’s prime in his fight for racial justice in America, but King’s influence is still a powerful and motivating force for Thurman.
“A lot of what I do now came about because of King’s efforts. Every time I use public transportation, I think of him. Every time I drink from a water fountain, I think of him. Every time I vote, I think of him,” Thurman said, noting the civil rights movement initially was a church movement, with black churches then providing the stabilizing
force during the struggle. “Dexter Avenue falls into a plethora of icons — the murders in Mississippi, the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, King’s triumphs and the freedom rides. But Dexter Avenue became the bedrock of the movement,” Thurman said.
Racial equality in the last 40 years has made “phenomenal” strides, but the struggle for justice is ever?present, he said. “We eliminated segregation, but we did not bring about integration. The race issue will be with us forever. It is only in Christ that the battles over race and stereotypes can be broken down.”
Thurman plans to lead the 225-member church into becoming an active, lively congregation, making the church known not only for its museum but for its contemporary contribution to its community.
“There is a lot of dynamic life at that church, and I want the city, nation and world to see the vibrant congregation we are.”
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