“The sky is not falling” Black church in relative healthy state

“The sky is not falling” Black church in relative healthy state

by | Mar 28, 2022 | Uncategorized

“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.

Lott Carey Priorities and New Emphases for 2022

Lott Carey Priorities and New Emphases for 2022

by | Mar 28, 2022 | Uncategorized

Lott Carey Priorities and New Emphases for 2022

Lott Carey President Rev. Dr. Gina M. Stewart and Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rev. Emmett Dunn announced priorities and new emphases for the global mission organization for the year 2022.

The president challenged Lott Carey partners to raise a special mission fund of US$1 million by the 125th Lott Carey Annual Session in New Orleans, from August 15-19.

Dr. Stewart, who made the appeal during the 2022 Spring Missions Conference in Atlanta, is confident it can be done “if 100 churches give $10,000 each or 200 churches give $5,000 each.”

She is encouraging churches to invest in increasing capacity and building the infrastructure of Lott Carey to enable its partners to effectively meet the needs of the people they serve.

The first woman to lead a major African American Baptist group emphasized that Lott Carey is doing good work and wants to see it gain greater visibility, including among younger, emerging generations.

Rev. Dunn announced a new initiative approved by the Lott Carey board of directors to launch an individual members program. This will broaden and deepen participation to individuals who desire to support global mission, not just congregations, the traditional funders and supporters of Lott Carey.

The executive secretary-treasurer told the gathering in Atlanta that Lott Carey is in the process of launching Thriving Congregations to further equip pastors, lay leaders, and congregations.

Focus will be on churches’ response to changing social and cultural contexts, clarifying values, and on mission. It seeks to cultivate Christian practices that strengthen the vitality, faithfulness, and effectiveness of local churches.

Thriving Congregations succeeds the recently concluded Thriving in Ministry (TIM), which trained, developed, and nurtured pastoral leaders. Rev. Dunn commended the graduates of TIM, which ended after three years during the Spring Missions Conference.

Both Thriving in Ministry and Thriving Congregations are funded by grants from the Lily Endowment.

More than 250 pastors, church leaders and delegates attended the Lott Carey Spring Missions Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, from March 24-25.

A hybrid event, virtual and in-person, the conference was for strategic planning, program updates, missions training, worship, and inspiration.