Joan Brown Campbell

Joan Brown Campbell, an ecumenical leader who became the first woman to head the National Council of Churches, died March 29, 2025 of complications of dementia in Chagrin Falls, Ohio at the age of 93.

As pastor of Euclid Baptist Church in Cleveland in the 1960s, Campbell invited the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to speak there, a move that sparked a fierce backlash from the congregation. The incident helped set Campbell to action: She worked to become an ordained Christian minister and to bring together people of various denominations. In 1991, she became the first woman to lead the National Council of Churches. She also headed the U.S. office of the World Council of Churches, among other positions. Over the years, her efforts led her to working with world leaders, such as serving as a mediator between Cuban leader Fidel Castro and U.S. President Bill Clinton during the Elián González custody dispute.

Pastor Charles A. Montgomery said of her on Facebook, "From meetings with Pope John Paul II to mediation talks with Fidel Castro she was indeed a force of nature in all facets of life! Many summers I took a pilgrimage to sit in her presence and gain counsel as I continue my own journey in leading others toward Beloved Community. So as I mourn with many I am reminded of the saying that many die twice, when they physically expire and when friends and history forget about us. Rev. Joan, though, will pass away only once."

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