The Rev. Dr. Benjamin K. Watts, senior pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in New London and one of the most prominent Baptist pastors in the state, has been named interim director of the Black Ministries Program.

Watts, who stepped down from the Seminary’s Board of Trustees to take the position, succeeds Judy Fentress-Williams, who is leaving the Seminary to join the faculty at Virginia Theological Seminary. His appointment is for one year.

Watts was enthusiastic about the program in a recent interview, saying that it is “the country’s most profound program for the training of persons who may not have had the academic preparation for ministry.”

Unlike Hartford Seminary’s degree programs, the Black Ministries Program is open to people who do not have a Bachelor’s degree. “There are very few programs across the country to serve persons without a B.A.,” Watts said.

BMP, he said, is a great service, particularly to the African-American community, because it offers and opportunity for those who are called to God through inspiration, at any time of their life.

Watts came to Connecticut to study at Yale Divinity School, from which he earned a Master of Divinity. Previously he received an Associate’s degree from Selma University in Selma, Alabama, and a Bachelor’s from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in Normal, Alabama.

He is quite familiar with the Seminary, both as a student and as a professor. In 1995, he received a Doctor of Ministry from Hartford Seminary. He teaches “Preaching in the Black Context” in BMP and has taught a number of courses for the degree programs, including “Major Religious Figures: Howard Thurman” and “Evangelism and Outreach in the 21^st Century.”

The Black Ministries program is 20 years old. It currently has about 60 students enrolled in its two-year program of study.

Watts said the program is successful because it gives its students the basic tools to competently serve God. “People are hungry to matriculate because of the Seminary’s reputation and degree programs,” he said. “It serves as a feeder into the degree programs.”

Already he is thinking about enhancements. One might be a program designed exclusively for pastors who might not feel comfortable studying in the same environment a their associate ministers.

Another might be a revision in the curriculum to offer some new courses that are helpful to those not in pulpit ministry. These courses might focus on youth ministry or lay ministry. Sunday school teachers, for instance, might seek training in lay ministry, Watts said.

Watts has a very busy schedule. Pastor of a church with 1,200 members, he is vice president-at-large of the Connecticut Missionary Baptist State Convention and serves on the board of directors of Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, the Shiloh-Development Corporation and the United Way. He is a mediator in court disputes as well.

So why would he take on this additional responsibility?

Says Watts, because “I love people.” “I love participating in the preparation of people for ministry. This is a preparatory program for persons who desire to be used by God and to give God their best.” He expects to be at the Seminary at least once a week.

Watts plans to recruit students from across Connecticut, working with state Missionary Baptist Convention and with leaders of other denominations, whom he knows.

Over the years, some people have said that the program is “too liberal” in its interpretation of the Bible and they prefer a more conservative approach to biblical study. Watts would say to them that “one of Hartford Seminary’s strengths is the fact that it is liberal. It gives persons the opportunity to exercise their gifts in the manner they are most comfortable with.”

He also said that “persons need to be exposed to other traditions, which is part of the learning experience, so they are not stuck in their myopic view.”

While praising the Seminary’s diversity, he said this also could be a weakness. “The Seminary must remain intentional to its mission, and not become pulled in too many directions so we can’t be good at what we do best,” he said.

His hobbies include meditation, reading and walking in the woods. But he also likes to ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle. How often does he get to do that? “Not often enough.”

He is a fan of New York sports teams, including the Knicks and Nets basketball teams and the Yankees and Mets baseball teams. His daughter is a Red Sox fan, but he is confident he can convert her allegiance.