Renowned Detroit pastor gave ‘heart, mind and soul to God’s work’

While Rev. Dr. Charles G. Adams is known for being one of the most popular and influential pastors in Detroit, to his son, Charles Christian Adams, he was just “dad.”

Growing up, Friday nights were family time, with Adams taking his son, daughter, Tara Adams Washington, and wife, Agnes, out to the movies. 

But even a trip to the movies could lead to a sermon, Charles C. Adams said. 

“We’d always be discussing the deeper meaning,” he said. “We’ll analyze it, pull it apart. ‘What was it trying to say?’ Everything was a sermon.” 

Charles G. Adams, known as the “Harvard Whooper” for his alma mater and passionate sermons, died Nov. 29 following a long illness, his son said. He was 86. 

Adams served as pastor at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church for 50 years, growing the church’s membership from hundreds to nearly 10,000 members. He soon became one of the most recognizable pastors in the city and eventually, across the country. In 2019, he passed his role down to his son. 

“I felt like it was a very challenging task because the standards were very high,” Charles C. Adams said of stepping in. “What helped me was that, one, I was sincere. And two, I have served under him since 2002 as his assistant.” 

Beyond the sanctuary, Adams was a believer in social justice and serving his community. He was president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP during the 1980s and he formed the Hartford Economic Development Foundation, purchasing commercial real estate along Seven Mile. Fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC opened, as well as a Home Depot store. In 2017, Hartford, along with the Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, opened the senior citizen community Hartford Village. 

Hartford will host a two-day “celebration of life” event for Adams, said his son. The church will have a viewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 14, followed by a tribute and concert by the Brazeal Dennard Chorale. On Dec. 15, the “Celebration of Life” will begin at 9 a.m. with a processional and the funeral at 10 a.m. 

Adams was a “preacher’s preacher” who could easily adapt from the church to the White House, Rev. David Peoples, the president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) told BridgeDetroit. The organization consists of an association of churches dedicated to civil rights and social justice. Adams was Peoples’ friend and mentor for more than 40 years. 

“He knew how to sit with kings and queens and presidents from around the world and still never lost his common touch, to share with just normal, everyday people,” Peoples said. “He always had, regardless of what levels he achieved, a sense of his people. He had a sense of his heritage, he had a sense of who he was…that’s a powerful witness.” 

Charles C. Adams, 57, said even though his father was a busy man, he always made time for family. 

“He was a wonderful father,” he said. “And when I got older, I really appreciated his generosity. He always made sure that we had every opportunity that he could afford to give and that’s really what stood out. And he would guide us with his wisdom.” 

A life of service 

Adams was born in Detroit in 1936 and graduated from Cass Technical High School. He moved to Tennessee and attended the historically Black college Fisk University. After two years, he transferred to the University of Michigan, graduating with honors. 

Having an interest in religious studies, Adams continued his education at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, graduating in 1964. In an article for the college in 2017, Adams said Harvard was a place where students shared his passion for justice and he freed himself from literalistic interpretations of Christian scripture. 

“I loved it,” he said in the article. “I found that there were flaws in my faith, but there was greatness in the midst of those flaws, and in the midst of the unanswered questions. The power is in the ambiguity.”

HDS Interim Dean David Holland noted Friday in a news release that Adams lived a full life in service of others.

“Reverend Adams was a renowned religious leader, community advocate, and honored graduate of Harvard Divinity School—as well as a deeply loving family man and dedicated friend to many,” he said. “He was also an exemplary and beloved member of the HDS faculty. Most assuredly, the projects he began will go on because of the lives he touched and the legacy he leaves.”

During the 1960s, Adams spent time as a graduate assistant at Morehouse College in Atlanta, working with Martin Luther King, Jr., said longtime Hartford member Kim Trent. 

“All of that was really foundational to the kind of leadership that he offered because he always was someone who was very intentional about lifting up the need for us to not walk away from the fight for social justice,” she said. 

In 1962, Adams began his career in ministry when he became the third pastor at Concord Baptist Church of Boston. During Sunday’s church service, current pastor Conley Hughes paid tribute to Adams. He said Adams had no fears of death, telling Hughes that when it was his time to pass, he looked forward to being with God. 

“He gained global respect and admiration as a great Christian leader and a peerless preacher of the word of God,” Hughes said. 

In 1969, Adams returned to Detroit to become pastor at Hartford. As membership grew, the church moved in 1977 from Hartford Street in the Midwest neighborhood to 18700 James Couzens. 

As an intellectual, the vocabulary Adams used in sermons was expansive, Trent said. 

One of Adams’ most iconic speeches was a prayer he delivered at the funeral of Rosa Parks in 2005. Trent loved seeing the smile on Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was standing behind Adams and, by the end of the speech, was jumping up and down in excitement. 

“It’s just so joyful to watch how his peers just were in awe of him,” Trent said. “I always learned something when he preached.”

Adams was also known for saying “Thank you, Jesus” in several languages at the end of sermons, including at Rosa Parks’ homegoing service. He first did this during the NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner in 1984 when Adams accepted his presidency, according to City Council member Coleman Young II. In a statement, Young recalled Adams saying “thank you” in 20 languages that night, earning a standing ovation. He said Adams,  the late U.S. 6th Circuit Judge Damon Keith and his father, the late Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, were friends and he considered them the “three kings.” 

“Rev. Dr. Charles Adams gave his heart, mind and soul to God’s work for his people and his church,” Young said. 

“You felt him when he said ‘I just want to thank you,’” added Peoples. “You felt it.” 

Ebony Magazine named Adams one of the greatest Black preachers in the country twice–in 1984 and 1994. 

An advocate for social justice 

In addition to his passion for serving God, Adams used his platform to raise awareness about social issues. In the 1970s, there was a sign outside Hartford about apartheid and the conditions of Black people in South Africa, Trent said. 

In 1989, Adams delivered an address to the United Nations on apartheid.

“He was so ahead of his time with that kind of stuff,” Trent said. “He definitely saw that it was imperative for him, as a Christian leader, to not shy away from speaking out against injustice.”

Current Detroit NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony said Adams was always on the side of justice, truth and equity of opportunity.

“Whether at a Sunday morning worship service, a community funeral, a political rally, or a public meeting, Charles Adams, when he gave the people the charge, had you standing on your feet, many times after just five minutes of his oration,” Anthony said in a statement. “The length and breadth of his ministry extends well beyond Hartford Memorial Baptist Church.” 

In 1990, Adams became president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, and was the first person to serve a four-year term, said Charles C. Adams. 

Peoples said Adams was one of the most innovative presidents the organization ever had, making sure PNBC was on a world stage. One of the initiatives he organized was a two-week economic summit at Harvard, giving members a chance to take classes and receive certificates for economic development. 

During his tenure, Adams made sure women were able to hold leadership positions within the organization, which was unprecedented, Charles C. Adams said. 

“He encouraged women in leadership, in ministry, which is a huge theological shift that some conventions haven’t done today,” he said. 

Peoples said under Adams PNBC saw some of the highest participation in its history. He recalled a convention session Adams led that had 10,000 audience members. And the pastor never cheated when it came to delivering a sermon, Peoples said. 

“He was going to preach the same way if it was 5,000 people there or if it was five people there,” he said.

Adams returned to his education roots in 2007 when he became Harvard Divinity School’s first William and Lucille Nickerson Professor of the Practice of Ethics and Ministry. He taught at the college until 2012. 

After retiring as pastor of Hartford in 2019, Adams remained an integral part of the church as pastor emeritus. Charles C. Adams said it was challenging taking over as pastor, but studying under his father made the transition easier. 

“I was sure footed because of his training and my hands-on experience as a minister,” Charles C. Adams said. 

Adams said one of the things he will miss most about his father are the conversations.

“We talked about a variety of things, but most of it was ministry related,” he said. “I really felt blessed to have his trust. He would share things with me related to ministry, because he loved me, but he trusted my opinion and he trusted my confidence. He knew he could talk to me about anything.”

In addition to his son, wife and daughter, Adams is survived by his sister Edith Adams Clifton.