“The sky is not falling”
Black church in relative healthy state
Despite poor prognostications, the state of the Black church in the United States is not as bad as many assume.
These were determined by researcher, Dr. Brianna Parker, who participated in the Barna Group study on the State of the Black Church.
Dr. Parker said the conditions in the white church, which is experiencing overall decline, were often generalized, and projected onto the wider Christian community in the United States. This is not the case overall, especially for Black Christian churches.
She announced these findings during the 2022 Lott Carey Spring Missions Conference in Atlanta on March 24. In a presentation titled, “The sky is not falling,” Dr. Parker declared that despite its many challenges, “the Black church is not dying, it’s not in hospice care, nor is it on life support.”
While many churches need to be more transparent in their finances and administration, reports of impropriety among Black churches and pastors are comparatively few. The negative stereotypes come mainly from media, especially movies and television shows, but such stereotypes are not supported by the data.
One example is the comparative high regard and respect that young Black people have for Black churches and pastors. Black teens and youth do not have many negative personal experiences in the Black church. “Emerging generations believe in the Black pastors as leaders,” Dr. Parker said, indicating this was a surprising discovery based on prior assumptions. However, these younger cohorts often think differently about religion and spirituality than their older peers.
Dr. Parker, founder and CEO of Black Millennial Café, said the Covid-19 pandemic is another example of the relevance of the church, including for Black Americans. “The pandemic reminds people they need a pastor.”
But churches must rethink the virtual space that has become a reality for many Christians because of the pandemic. Going forward, she said congregations need to “provide a house church model for their virtual community.”
More than 250 pastors, church leaders and delegates are attending the Lott Carey Spring Missions Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, from March 24-25.
A hybrid event, virtual and in-person, the conference is for strategic planning, program updates, missions training, worship, and inspiration.
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