organization of black Baptist churches is running for the position
again, a decade after he was sent to prison for stealing millions
of dollars from the group. The Rev. Henry J. Lyons was forced out
as leader of the National Baptist Convention USA in 1999 after an
investigation revealed he abused his power in the convention to
steal about $4 million. He used the money to buy luxury homes and
jewelry, and to support his mistresses.
Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa, Fla., and lost a bid to
become president of the convention’s Florida chapter in
2007.
candidate, the Rev. Julius R. Scruggs, pastor of First Missionary
Baptist Church, in Huntsville, Ala., who also serves as vice
president at large for the convention. The election takes place in
September.
Northwestern University, who’s written extensively about the
convention, says Lyons faces an uphill battle and he doesn’t expect
him to win.
leaders in the group across the county who feel it’s fine to
forgive, but why have a leader with this sort of baggage?” Morris
said. “The organization was very embarrassed by the charges against
him. He certainly left it in bad shape.”
Darin Freeman, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Charleston,
W.Va., praised Lyons for reducing the
convention’s debt by two-thirds in four years and skillfully
handling divisions between churches of different
sizes.
like they were equal with megachurches,” Freeman said. “A local
pastor of 300 is equal to a pastor of 30 or a pastor of 3,000. All
of us have a say.”
the The Associated Press to reach him by phone. But he told The
Tennessean newspaper in Nashville that while he damaged the
convention’s reputation, he’s a changed man who deserves a second
chance as president.
ever go away. There’s nothing I can do about it,” he
said.
Shaw can’t seek a third five-year term under convention
rules.
set fire to a $700,000 waterfront home he co-owned with a mistress,
and the resulting investigation revealed he’d stolen money from the
organization. The Lyonses have since divorced.
grand theft in 1999. He resigned as president of the National
Baptist Convention and pleaded guilty to federal charges of tax
evasion, fraud and making false statements.
participation in convention activities if elected, declined to say
much about Lyons’ candidacy.
future and being as positive as possible and really don’t want to
go back to that era and talk about those negatives,” he
said.
contributed to this story from West Virginia.
