Gardner C. Taylor facts for kids

Gardner Calvin Taylor (born June 18, 1918 – died April 5, 2015) was a famous American Baptist preacher. People admired him for how well he spoke and how deeply he understood Christian faith. He was often called "the dean of American preaching." This means he was considered one of the best preachers in the country. He learned a lot from his teacher, Reverend Dr. BG Crawley.

Early Life and Education

Gardner Calvin Taylor was born in 1918 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His parents were Reverend Washington M. and Selina Taylor. His grandparents had been slaves who gained their freedom.

He grew up in the southern United States during a time when Black and white people were kept separate by law. This was known as segregation. Taylor studied at the Oberlin College School of Theology. He graduated in 1940. After college, he began his life's work as a preacher and a leader in the fight for civil rights.

A Life of Preaching

Even before he finished college, Taylor started working as a pastor. From 1938 to 1941, he led the Bethany Baptist Church in Elyria, Ohio. He then moved to New Orleans. There, he was the pastor of Beulah Baptist Church until 1943.

Next, he led the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Baton Rouge until 1947. This was his father's old church. In 1947, Taylor became the head of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ. This church was in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. It was the second largest Baptist church in America. Under his leadership, the church grew to have as many as 10,000 members.

A wise teacher named Reverend Dr. BG Crawley mentored Taylor when he was a young minister. Dr. Crawley was also known as "The Walking Encyclopedia." He taught many well-known preachers, including Taylor.

Working for Civil Rights

Gardner Taylor was a close friend and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr.. He played a very important part in the religious leadership of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. This movement worked to end unfair treatment and segregation for Black Americans.

In 1958, Robert F. Wagner Jr., who was the Mayor of New York City, asked Taylor to join the New York City Board of Education. He was only the second Black person to be on this board. For three years, he worked to end segregation in city schools. He also argued that private schools should not get federal money if public schools needed funds.

In 1961, Taylor helped start the Progressive National Baptist Convention with Martin Luther King Jr.. This group gave strong support to Dr. King's civil rights work. Taylor served as its president from 1967 to 1969.

Later Years and Honors

Taylor was the pastor of Concord Baptist Church for 42 years. He retired in 1990. More than 2,000 of his sermons have been saved. You can find recordings of many of them in collections like The Words of Gardner Taylor: 50 Years of Timeless Treasures.

He received 15 special degrees from universities. He gave talks and sermons at colleges and churches all over the United States. He also spoke in many other countries, including South Africa, England, and Japan. In January 1993, he preached a special sermon for President-elect Bill Clinton before Clinton became president.

On August 9, 2000, President Clinton gave Taylor the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States.

Gardner Taylor passed away on April 5, 2015. He was 96 years old. He died after attending Easter services at a church in Durham, North Carolina, where he lived after retiring.