Butts joined the
Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, traditionally New York City's largest and preeminent black church, as a youth minister in 1972. For decades its senior pastor, he also delivered a weekly sermon by radio on a local station,
98.7 FM (KISS-FM). Butts founded the Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) in 1989, which he later chaired. The corporation is an arm of the church that undertook community projects, including the first high school constructed in Harlem in half a century, as well as several of the first national retail chain stores in the area. The ADC also oversaw the construction of one of Harlem's first new full-service supermarkets, a department store, and a shopping center. It went on to own more than 1,100 rental units, which were leased almost exclusively for low-income residents. In 1995, Governor
George Pataki appointed Butts to two of New York state's economic development boards – the
Empire State Development Corporation and the New York State Science and Technology Foundation – both of which controlled loans and grants to businesses. In 2003, Butts ordained
Conrad Tillard, who became a preacher at the Abyssinian Baptist Church. From 1999 to 2020, Butts was the president of the
State University of New York at Old Westbury. In turn, Butts received honorary degrees from a number of colleges, including the
City College of New York,
Claflin College,
Dillard University,
Hartwick College,
Muhlenberg College,
Trinity College,
Fordham University, and
Tuskegee University. ==Personal life and death==