By g.r. mattox

On the last day of April 2006, the Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Johnson Jr. was installed as the fourth pastor of Harlem’s historic Canaan Baptist Church. The installation ceremony capped a week of celebratory services in his honor. Dr. Johnson succeeds ministerial legend Reverend Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, author, ethnomusicologist and onetime Chief of Staff to Dr. Martin Luther King, who served as pastor of Canaan for half of the church’s existence — 37 years.

Thomas Johnson has some large shoes to fill, but he is embracing the challenge with confidence that comes out of a profound trust in the Lord ."I really believe, and continue to believe, that coming to Canaan was a part of my overall destiny," he said of arriving there after pastoring Bethel Baptist Church in Danville, VA for 19 years. "Everything that has happened to me, both personally and for the last 30 years in ministry, was preparing me for a season at Canaan."

Although he was sad to leave Bethel, and his congregation was sorry to see him go, Johnson always had a feeling that his beloved former church would not be the place from which he would retire. "I always sensed that there was something else out there," he offered in explanation of his decision to accept Canaan’s call. "And I couldn’t identify it until, out of nowhere, I came into contact with members of Canaan. It was very clear that there was work yet to do in another venue."

A man whose passions have always been the teaching of Jesus as they relate to people holistically―the spiritual, physical, emotional, psychological and mental health of a congregation and a community―he felt that the work being done at Canaan was an excellent fit for him. "Historically, that is pretty consistent with what Canaan has meant to the community it serves in Harlem,” he said.

Johnson comes to Canaan at a time when the neighborhood of Central Harlem is in the midst of a renaissance. There is a new paradigm for leadership in all areas, but especially in the church. He plans to take the Canaan forward by building on the masterful work that it has already accomplished.

"I want to sustain and strengthen the legacy of the church as a voice for social justice as an ambassador to the world on issues of human and civil rights―the teachings of Jesus relating to the social gospel that Canaan is so well-known for," he explained. "I want to sustain its reputation as a center for vibrant Afrocentric worship and one that continues to open its doors to people all around the world to be a part of that experience.

"It is my goal to make certain that as Canaan has been a viable part of the community for the past 74 years,” Dr. Johnson continued, “it remains as an institution that shapes and directs the community culturally and economically.

This mission includes addressing one of the most pressing problems of the community — economic empowerment. When a family does not have the resources it needs to educate its children and better themselves, when a community struggles to raise its standard of living and provide educational opportunities for its children and health care for the elderly and the general quality of life for families, Johnson observes, “spiritual malnourishment follows.

"Canaan has a reputation for addressing the economic health of its community," he said, "and I would hope that I could be a part of leading the congregation to continue that agenda in an even more aggressive way. My goal is to lead the congregation in developing a 21st Century paradigm to that end.”

Other goals include continuing to address the problems of the young, including public education, and strengthening public health care, especially for the elderly.

Before being approached by Canaan, he knew little about the church, but a lot about his predecessor. "I knew Dr. Walker pretty much the way the rest of the world knew him: his work and reputation as a civil rights leader and as a scholar of music in the African American religious tradition, which is also a special interest of my own," he said. His first meeting with the Senior Pastor Emeritus was after he received the call from Canaan and made a courtesy visit to Dr. Walker’s home prior to leaving Virginia. At this face-to-face, he received some insights into Dr. Walker’s career at Canaan and received some encouraging words about the advent his own work there.

Dr. Walker has retired and is living in Virginia. He is recovering from a stroke, and said that he regretted not being able to attend Johnson’s installation service. "I am very excited," he said of the elevation of his successor. "This is a real choice that the congregation has made. Everybody that knows of him has given him high marks in the ministry. I wish him well and I stand ready to be of any help that I can."

Because of his new congregation, Johnson’s transition to the New York area has been smooth. "My wife loves New York," he emphasized. His wife of 30 years is the former Donna Bradley. They have two children and one grandchild. "I love being in New York and having the opportunity to work and meet some wonderful people here. The members of Canaan have made certain that our stay in the New York area is comfortable and we have access to all the resources we need.

"Without the church’s help, I wouldn’t have lasted a week in trying to figure this thing out," he said of the challenge of navigating New York. "Coming to New York not only to live but to serve one of the leading congregations in the nation would be intimidating, to say the least, without some help."