The Unitarian-Universalist Association, a liberal religious body with an predominately white membership, has for the first time chosen a black minister as its president.
Rev. William Sinkford, 55, was elected Saturday night at the group's General Assembly, which has been meeting in Cleveland since June 21. He succeeds Rev. John Buehrens, who served two four-year terms.
In the election, Unitarian-Universalists were certain to make history, as the only other candidate was a woman, Rev. Diane Miller, for an office that has been held only by men. Sinkford received 2,218 votes to Miller's 1,043.
The association, formed 40 years ago from the merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America, is theologically diverse and bound by no creed. With 225,000 members in 1,051 self-governing congregations, it is considered among the nation's most liberal religious bodies. For example, it permits ordination of gay men and lesbians and allows the blessing of same-sex unions.
Recently, the association announced, as a result of a trend toward more women entering the Unitarian clergy, it had more women than men serving as ministers.
In declaring his candidacy in February, Sinkford, who was raised in Cincinnati and now lives in Cambridge, Mass., wrote that he became a Unitarian-Universalist at age 14, "when as a young black man, I walked into First Unitarian, Cincinnati, and found a religious community where I could be fully myself." He later served as president of the denomination's youth organization but left in the 1970s after he thought the Unitarians had "retreated from engagement with racial justice."
Sinkford returned two decades ago, he wrote, seeking "a religious home" for his two children. Ordained in 1995, he since served as director of a department in the association's headquarters in Boston.
Sinkford said Sunday that he considered one of his primary tasks as president was "helping Unitarian-Universalists to claim a larger public voice" on the value of liberal religious views and an appreciation for religious pluralism.
The group has six core principles on "responsible search for truth and meaning."