Bishop Aretha E. Morton, Delaware's first female pastor of a Baptist church, dies at 85

Anitra Johnson, Delaware News Journal
·3 min read
Bishop Aretha Morton speaks at a ceremony honoring her outside the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church in Wilmington on Sunday afternoon.
Bishop Aretha Morton speaks at a ceremony honoring her outside the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church in Wilmington on Sunday afternoon.

Bishop Aretha E. Morton, Delaware’s first female pastor of a Baptist church and Wilmington’s first female and African-American to be named chaplain of the Wilmington Fire Department, died Saturday at the age of 85.

Appointed State Bishop of Delaware in 2006 and a founding member of the Interdenominational Ministers Action Council and the Hope Commission, the Wilmington native was a well-regarded member of her community and sought out for her "spiritual guidance, wisdom and counsel," according to her family.

Morton was Delaware Tech's 2017 Black History Month honoree, and a recipient of numerous awards including the Peter Spencer Legacy Award in 2022 and the Churches Take A Corner (CTAC) Community Award in 2022.

The Rev. Donald Morton gets a kiss from his mother, Bishop Aretha Morton, at a ceremony honoring her outside the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church in Wilmington on Sunday afternoon.
The Rev. Donald Morton gets a kiss from his mother, Bishop Aretha Morton, at a ceremony honoring her outside the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church in Wilmington on Sunday afternoon.

Her family revealed that the bishop − also a mother of two children and a grandmother of seven with 13 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild − was widely regarded as a “humble and nurturing spirit” who many affectionately called “Mother.”

With more than 4,000 Facebook followers, the post announcing her passing already had 300 comments as of midday Sunday and an outpouring of condolences. The family did not share how she died.

Ministerial career and community recognition

As the Delaware State Bishop for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International's College of Bishops and the longest-serving pastor of the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral in Wilmington, Morton was a woman of many accomplishments and highly respected both locally and statewide. Until her death, she also served on the College of Bishops as the Delaware State Bishop for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International.

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Morton documented her life in the ministry in a 2009 autobiography, "Heap See But Few Know."

Bishop Aretha Morton and her son Reverend Donald Morton at the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral
Bishop Aretha Morton and her son Reverend Donald Morton at the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral

Born on January 19, 1938, Morton began her pioneering career 40 years ago when she became a pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church, making her the first woman to pastor a Baptist church in the state of Delaware.

Ten years later, she made history again when she became the first woman and first African-American to be named chaplain of the Wilmington Fire Department. Rising to the rank of Deputy Chief, Morton became the highest-ranking female within the department.

The Baptist church at which Bishop Morton became the first female pastor is located at 5th and Washington Streets. In 2016, Wilmington renamed a block-long portion of Washington Street, between 5th and 6th Streets, in her honor.

Bishop Aretha Morton speaks at a ceremony honoring her outside the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church in Wilmington on July 23, 2006.
Bishop Aretha Morton speaks at a ceremony honoring her outside the Tabernacle Full Gospel Baptist Church in Wilmington on July 23, 2006.

At the time, Morton described her work as the chaplain for the Wilmington Fire Department as her proudest experience with helping the community.

“I was able to comfort – and a lot of the people I happen to know – so it was a proud time to be able to bring them to some type of closure,” Morton said then. “Thank you all for being a part of my journey.”

According to a Facebook post on her page, information regarding memorial and funeral services will be announced at a later time.

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Reporter Anitra Johnson's work focuses on individuals and organizations working to change, improve, and give back to communities. Contact her at ajohnson@delawareonline.com or 302-379-5786 with tips and story ideas. Follow her on her Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington's Bishop Aretha Morton, woman of many firsts, dies at 85