Milton Boyd, pioneer in African-American church development, dies

JACKSONVILLE—Milton W. Boyd, 66, died Sunday, Feb. 11, from the reoccurrence of a terminal illness.

Boyd served as the first director of the Florida Baptist Convention’s African-American Church Development Department, a position he assumed in 1997, until his retirement March 31, 2006. In this role he was responsible for training over 42,000 Florida Baptists in church development.

“Rev. Boyd was acknowledged by his peers as a leader in church development training,” said Maxie Miller, interim director of the African American Ministries Division. “Often in his church development workshops, he voiced his love for the Florida Baptist Convention, and the fact that God placed him at the convention to do what he loved best—developing churches.”

“Milton was my friend, a special person whose love for God, his work and people remains an example many around the Southern Baptist Convention,” Miller concluded.

In many ways, Boyd was a pioneer in Southern Baptist Convention life during the past three decades as African Americans forged a new path within the denomination. He led numerous Sunday school and church-development clinics in Louisiana, Georgia, California, Alabama, Alaska, Wyoming and North Carolina.

Prior to coming to the Convention, Boyd served as pastor of New Birth Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., and Central and Westside Baptist churches in Montgomery, Ala.

During these pastorates, Boyd assisted Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association as consultant in Black Church Relations and Sunday school Improvement support team; and the Montgomery Baptist Association as director of Black Church Relations.

Boyd also served for 26 years in the U.S. Air Force. He is survived by his wife Paula, six children and 21 grandchildren.