Calling him “the greatest young preacher in our country today,” Reverend James Meeks announced Sunday that Pastor Charlie Dates of the Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago would succeed him as head of the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. , which has 10,000 members, when he steps out of the role in January 2023.

Meeks, now 65 and having served three terms as a state senator, told his congregation he would preach his final sermon on Jan. 8, 2023, just five days before the church’s 38th birthday. Meeks and his wife, Jamell, founded the church in 1985. The congregation has grown into one of the largest black churches in the city.

“It’s time for Salem to move on. It’s time for Salem to have younger leadership. It’s time for us to bring in new families. It’s time for us to bring in young people. We need new vision. We need new ideas. We need new opportunities,” Meeks told his jubilant congregation. “And God has blessed us with our own son who accepted from the 15th January 2023 to be the next pastor of Salem Baptist Church of Chicago.”

Dates, 41, is a graduate of the now closed Salem Christian Academy in Salem. Meeks remembers meeting Dates when Dates was in 5th grade. Dates also served on the Salem ministry team for a time before leaving in 2011 to serve as leader of the Progressive Baptist Church.

In 2020, Dates, married with two children, was among a number of black Christian church leaders to sever ties with the Southern Baptist Convention following a statement from the Council of Seminary Presidents of the denomination denouncing racism and critical race theory.

In a video of the announcement, Meeks said that after he and his wife fasted and prayed for the ministry’s succession, they felt confident in the choice of dates.

“Charlie is called, and I believe all ministry begins with a call,” Meeks said. “Not only is he called up, but he’s skilled or educated. He’s trained to fight the giants we’re dealing with today. It’s going to take an academic mind and a saved heart.”

Meeks’ retirement comes at a time when many longtime church leaders are stepping down from leadership as they face declining attendance and other ministerial upheavals laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. .

Earlier this month, Saddleback Church co-founders Rick Warren and his wife, Kay, named Andy Wood of Echo.Church in the San Francisco Bay Area along with his wife, Stacie, as successors, From September onwards. Warren announced his intention to retire last year after more than 40 years of ministry and began the search for the “next generation pastor.”

Meeks and his wife say they don’t want to stand in the way of the next generation.

“We now believe the time is right for us to step down, for us to give in to new, younger leadership,” Meeks said. “We want to see our church be vibrant. We want to see our church grow. We want to see younger families coming into our church and the last thing we want is to stand in the way of that.”

In accepting the role, Dates said he viewed Salem Baptist Church of Chicago as a global church. He shared a vision of renewal.

“I feel that God…is doing a work of his Spirit that connects Salem to the churches that need revitalization. Our city and our nation needs the best and brightest black church and it is now time for churches to be strong,” he said.

“The work of the Kingdom must never end with one generation. It must multiply with each generation, and at this time the church in Chicago needs new, dynamic leaders trained in the fire of the Gospel. And I believe that we can develop a platform, a pipeline to invite those who think that burden of calling to grow and free them to do so,” he added. “We can multiply that in evangelism, in discipleship, educating our children to reduce violence, closing liquor stores and opening up new opportunities to help save families and it is the church that is the church.”