The Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, was told Friday that he would not be the new president of the NAACP.

Dr. Haynes was one of three finalists submitted by a search committee for the civil-rights organization's national board of directors, which is meeting in Baltimore.

Tonya Neal, the church's director of communications, said the NAACP had decided to choose another candidate. The new president is expected to be named today.

Dr. Haynes had confirmed to his Red Bird-area congregation in March – after his name surfaced in news accounts – that he was a finalist for the job.

Dr. Haynes, 47, is celebrating his 25th year as senior pastor at Friendship-West, one of the largest churches in Dallas, with more than 8,000 members. The church is known for its works to advance social justice and to help the poor and disenfranchised.

The NAACP's last president, retired Verizon executive Bruce Gordon, quit in March 2007 after less than two years on the job. Brought in partly to help boost fundraising, he clashed frequently with board members over the group's mission and tactics. In 1994, executive director Benjamin Chavis (now known as Benjamin Chavis Muhammad) was fired after admitting that he used NAACP funds to settle a sexual harassment complaint.

Dr. Haynes was asked in March why he would want to lead the troubled organization.

"Because of the storied history of the NAACP," he said. "And my own awareness of what it has accomplished. This country has come as far as it has come because of the Martin Luther Kings and the NAACP."