Prominent pastor, nationwide leader dies at home in Monroe

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - A Monroe pastor with a nationwide following is being mourned following his death in Monroe on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

The Reverend Dr. C. Welton Gaddy came to Monroe in 1992 as the first pastor of Northminister Church, then went on to head the nationwide Interfaith Alliance. He authored more than 20 books and had a weekly syndicated radio show called “State of Belief” that discussed the role of religion in America.

Gaddy served as an advisor on religious matters to both the White House and the World Economic Forum and was a frequent guest on television news programs.

“Welton was the fiercest, wisest, most unrelentingly decent champion of the first amendment and its protections of true freedom of religion,” Tweeted Rachel Maddow, a news program host with MSNBC.

Maddow isn’t the only one with heartfelt words to say.

“I cherish the time I got to spend producing @StateofBelief with Welton,” Tweeted Isaac-Davy Aronson, a producer on MSNBC. “His warmth and empathy and intellect shone through everything he did. His presence on this earth was enough to make you more hopeful about humanity. I’ll miss him.”

A memorial service will be held at Northminster Church in Monroe on July 7, 2023 at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to Northminster Church or the Interfaith Alliance.

Welton was big and authoritative and profoundly gentle -- he had a beautiful, booming voice that could stop a whole roller derby team in its tracks. But he only ever used it for good.https://t.co/0f4ZTePKKb
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) June 8, 2023