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In Economic Crisis: Black Church Memberships Increase While Offerings Decrease
by Hazel Trice Edney
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
 

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The doors of the historic Black Church, a fortress of healing from social pain, have opened even wider during the economic crisis.

But, as church membership increases across the nation, offerings are decreasing, causing even houses of faith to make difficult decisions, pastors say.

“I think the story that has not been told is that the churches across the country have been hard hit,” says Dallas’ Bishop T. D. Jakes in an interview with the NNPA News Service. “The church has no more resources than from the parishioners from which it comes. And so, when the parishioners are in straits, churches are in straits too. And so it puts us in a bit of a precarious situation.”

Jakes says he has had to take drastic, but practical measures to cut costs at his more than 30,000-member Potter’s House.

“Membership has gone up. Income has gone down. We’ve laid off about 40 people from our staff. We’ve had to make some hard choices. We’ve had to curtail some of the services that we’ve normally had to provide to the community because our resources are hard hit. I’m getting calls from pastors all over the country who are downsizing, cutting back on services, cutting back on office hours because they are being adversely affected by this also.”

Last months’ Black unemployment rate leaped 1.7 percent from the month before, now at 15 percent overall. That is nearly double that of the 8 percent White unemployment rate and the national average, which is 8.9 percent. For Black men, the unemployment rate is 17.2 percent, more than double that of White men, at 8.5 percent.

From the civil rights movement to the current economic downturn, African-Americans have typically turned to the Black church when community is in crisis.

One would speculate that smaller churches may be fairing easier with less overhead. But in coast to coast interviews, most pastors are telling the same story - even congregations with less than 1,000 members.

“We have probably experienced about a 30 percent decline - a significant, noticeable decline in the giving,” says Pastor Levonzia Stevens Sr., senior pastor of the 700-member Hope Aglow Empowerment Center in Woodbridge, Va. “The people are trying to do what’s right in God’s eye sight. Unfortunately sometimes the pressures of normal bills cause individuals to make decisions that cut back on their giving. It’s been more noticeable over the last year.”

To prevent staff layoffs, Hope Aglow has been forced to dip into its reserve funds.

“Of course, as your reserves are depleted, that puts you in a very precarious situation,” Stevens says. “But, your hopes are that the giving will take place soon.”

Economic forecasters say unemployment could reach double digits for everyone before it gets better. The pain is indiscriminate.

“I don’t think anyone is not affected by the economy right now from Wall Street to Main Street,” says the Rev. Dr. Tecoy Porter, senior pastor of the 1000-member Genesis Church in Sacramento, Calif. “California just got out of the budget crisis so our members are furloughed twice a month and things like that.”

Because of a 20 percent drop in offerings, Porter says he has had to lay off some staff members and restructure his church organization. That includes cutting two Sunday services down to only one.

Fortunately, because of the Black community’s history of struggle, Black institutions have a special knack for endurance.

“We’ve been here before. We’re not strangers to any type of depression or oppression or things like that. And so there’s a resiliency of Black churches that cannot be overlooked,” says Porter. “I am a preacher’s kid, a third generation pastor, so I am a product of the Black church and so I believe it is the strongest institution that we have for African-Americans in our community because it has survived so much.”

The messages through the years have been consistent.

“We preach hope. We say we can make it. We’ve been here. Don’t panic. This too shall past,” Porter says.

Meanwhile, some pastors say their churches are supplementing messages of faith and hope with practical teachings on finances, job-searching, entrepreneurship and business ownership.

Porter has written a book, “Releasing Your Inner Treasure, 8 Kingdom Keys to Unlocking the Wealth Within You”, based on his personal experiences with financial management. Now in his 10th year of pastoring, he retired from managing his information technology firm when he was only 29 years old.

“If you manage your money right, then everything else will be right” he says. “I’m so surprised at how we just don’t want to talk about money and deal with those issues. So, that spurred me to write the book and really preach about how He has empowered us economically and financially and to use those practical scriptures to build us up.”

In addition to scriptures, tangible know-how to correct and add balance to some of what has been taught in churches over the years will be key, says Bishop Noel Jones, pastor of the 17,000-member City of Refuge in Los Angeles, which he says is down only 6-10 percent on income.

Jones says unbalanced teachings in the church are partially to blame for the crisis.

“We have endured 25 years of health, wealth and prosperity preaching and the prophet should have told us that we were going to be in this kind of situation and circumstance since they have such prophetic words,” Jones says. “What happens is the church has capitalized the gospel and we have preached Americanism for gospel and ultimately we ended up crashing because there is no credulity and authenticity in the whole presentation.”

He continues, “The only people who were making any real money were those who were expostulating the theology that left the psychology that debilitated the minds of those who were involved. The debilitation is that everybody expected to bring an offering in church and just get rich though nobody participated and partnered with God. Because at the end of the day nobody receives a check in an envelope postmarked from heaven.

It’s your participation that makes it happen…The ministry and the preachers have taken so much money from the church and lived lavish lifestyles. We need to put something back. We need to equip our people. As James puts it, very explicitly, ‘Faith without works is dead’. We co-create, we perpetuate God’s creation by functioning responsibly.”

Jones said many Christians have basically lived on credit and owned nothing.

“So, what everybody was talking about as God’s blessing was people living on credit. And the Bible says that the borrower is subject to the lender. So, Christian America simply joined the capitalistic bandwagon - and in the name of God - articulated a theology that has no credulity.”

Not all churches are feeling the economic pinch. Bishop, I.V. Hilliard, pastor of the 28,000-member New Light Christian Center Church in Houston says he has been impacted more by hurricanes than by the economy.

“Our giving has held pretty much steady,” he said. “Here in Houston last year, we had two hurricanes. One hurricane shut the city down for about a month to six weeks. That hurt us more than anything. But, throughout it all, our members have remained pretty steady in our giving.”

When high fuel prices hit last year, some tough decisions had to be made, Hilliard said. “We did not lay anybody off. We just chose to go into our reserves and tighten our belts so to speak.”

When people do ask for help, “They’re asking for the same thing they’ve been asking for in the past – just at a greater rate,” Hilliard says. He says he has made a commitment to his members: “Nobody will go hungry and nobody will go without clothing.”

The following are some of the church programs to help those who are hurting financially:

• Jones is doing business incubation - a marketplace at which his congregation gathers every Sunday. There are 80-100 booths in which people present goods and services to the church and to the community. He says he finances some of the stronger business ideas and teaches management and budget skills to the owners, thereby recycling the money within the parameter of the church. He also holds “Urban Seminars” around the country, teaching fundraising/grant writing, financial reporting and compliance for organizations; prudent investing, corporate structuring and growth management.
• In addition to encouraging people to go back to school or start their own businesses, and to save wherever they can, Stevens says his church provides a soup pantry and some assistance with bill payments.

• Hilliard says he is encouraging people within his congregation to help each other. “The strong must bare the infirmity of the weak.” As for the churches under his covering, “We have seminars to help them understand what their roles are and what they can do in this kind of economy.” He says he also teaches the pastors how to keep their members positive by thwarting the influx of negativism. “We create an atmosphere of hope and faith as we learn from God’s Word.”

• Jakes suggests that churches partner with larger outreach services like Church World Services, World Vision or the Red Cross, which specialize in dealing with people in crisis. Through such partnerships, the Potter’s house has established a program through which families can buy $100 worth of groceries for $30 if they order it every week.

Church leaders should also remember to be advocates for the poor as the local, state and national government make tough decisions and to be a galvanizing force to encourage families to stick together through tough times, Jakes says.

The pastors agree that the financial troubles won’t last always.

“In the Bible, in every story where you find a famine in the land, by the end of the chapter, you find a blessing, overflowing abundant blessing,” says Stevens.

“We don’t serve a ‘get you’ God. God is not coming after you because you want a better house or a better car. Everybody got greedy. God doesn’t hate us for that. So, we have to get over the guilt factor and look at what we can do to be better stewards of our resources. The rebound is coming. We ought to see that and know that. …Work while we wait, prepare. We are our best stimulus plan. We are our best recovery package.”

By Ruthe McDonald

BellaOnline's African American Culture Editor

It is no secret that over the years, marriage has taken it’s share of hits. The national rate for divorce stands at 60%. Fewer people are getting married, opting to cohabitate. The rate of single parent homes maintain a steady rise. And it is not just single mothers, but over 2 million single fathers have joined the ranks of raising their children by themselves.

In the Black community, the Black church has always been a staple for encouragement, safety, and direction. It has long been the center for all things that tied the Black community together, and kept us abreast of what we needed to know, while fostering sound relationships amongst each other and families, as a whole.

Have you been to church lately? Have you seen the reports:“Well Known Pastor Seeks Divorce; Pastor’s Wife Files For Divorce Citing Irreconcilable Differences”. How is it a surprise of the alarming rate of Christian divorces, when so many Christian leaders have opted to call it quits in their own marriages. What kind of message does this send to the members of the church body that look to their leaders for direction? What does it say when a couple, in marital strife, seeks counsel and their Pastor files for divorce six months later?

What Is Going On?

Many might concur that the Black church has become lax in it’s teaching on marriage, divorce, and even single hood. There was a time in many church’s history, that pre-marital counseling was mandatory before a couple wed. Many churches have either strayed from its path, or have limited the counseling sessions due to time restraints, or size of membership.

Yet, there are many churches that still hold fast to it’s counseling of engaged couples, and try steering these couples on the path of a healthy and happy marriage, by telling the couples the truth about marriage: That it is not always going to be a smooth road, but that a healthy and happy marriage is possible when both are willing to work at it.

But what happens when the leaders of the church do not follow the same counseling advice that they gave their parishioners? It is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, when the one you may go to for marital advice, is not adhering to their own advice given.

Are Leaders Responsible?

It is a matter of opinion for most, whether or not they can hold their spiritual leaders accountable for their [leaders] personal actions. After all, Pastors are not exempt from life trials and human frailty. Yet, it is incumbent upon leaders to take the lead, and act responsibly, and honestly dialogue with their flock when it comes to such matters that can have a major impact on the church body at large.

It is quite disturbing to see the rise in divorce in any case. But the surprising rise in separation, marital strife and divorce, in the Black church amongst its leaders is alarming. What kind of message is this saying to the church body at large? No one is exempt from troubles and certain strife. However, what is being taught when a Pastor and his wife or husband, cannot reconcile, and work through their differences? What can this person offer to that couple who may be in the throws of deciding between sticking it out, or calling it quits. It is devastating to see the excessive and steady rise of divorce, and the decrease of marriage within the church body.

Open and Honest Dialogue

Open and honest dialogue is necessary if we are going to help fledgling marriages, and decrease the rate of divorce. For years, although we went to church, and held the church in great esteem, the only message on marriage most people heard about was to admonish wives to be submissive to their husbands, and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. It is the same with our dialogue with our children, and telling them what not to do, and not to have sex before marriage, just because God said so, but never offering honest and open dialogue about what sex is really about, and what they should do about the feelings they are having.

We cannot expect to put Band-Aids on gaping wounds, and expect them to heal. And we cannot continue to turn blind-eyes towards the effect and influence that leaders hold over their church body. We have to be able to talk open and honestly about the troubles we are facing, and how, with God’s help, we can address the issues that we are facing.

It should be okay to talk about sex at church. It should be okay to talk about the bedroom at church (within context of course!) It should be okay to discuss, in the church, what God intended marriage to be like. And that sometimes, you will go through some tough times that will make you want to run, give up, or even kill someone! It’s Okay! People need to understand that no one is perfect; especially not our leaders. Couples need to understand and hear the truth. Single people need to know what they are getting into. They need to know that the big, beautiful, and pricey wedding and reception is not what makes a marriage, but the working together, and open communication that comes after (especially when you have the bills to pay for that wedding!)

There needs to be truth in what is being said behind the pulpit. We cannot pretend that life is all good, and the next month, our members read in the newspaper their Pastor is getting a divorce. There needs to be accountability, and objectivity. We must be willing to speak about the hard things, and look at the ugly side of life that sometimes knocks at our doors. We can no longer pretend that the Church has not been effected by the world and its issues. The truth of the matter is, we have been going through a battle, and many have already loss. It is time to give the ammunition needed to be the effective body, and beacon of hope, and source of strength that the Black church once was. So that we can reclaim marriages, and families. Making them healthy, strong, and viable.

By NEELA BANERJEE

tug of war is under way inside black churches over who speaks for African-Americans and what role to play in politics, spurred by conservative black clergy members who are looking to align themselves more closely with President Bush.

The struggle, mainly among black Protestants, is taking place in pulpits, church conventions, on op-ed pages and on the airwaves, and the president himself began his second term with a meeting in the White House with black clergy members and civic leaders who supported his re-election.

Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr., the pastor of the Hope Christian Church in College Park, Md., is part of a new breed of leaders who have warmed to the Republican stand on social values. He paraphrases Newt Gingrich as he stumps the country to promote a "Black Contract With America on Moral Values," whose top priorities include opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion.

"Historically when societies have gone off kilter, there has been rampant same-sex marriage," Mr. Jackson said in an interview. "What tends to happen is that people tend to devalue the institution of marriage as a whole. People start rearing kids without two parents, and the black community already has this incredibly alarming and, if I may say, this shameful number of babies being born without fathers."

He said he hoped to collect a million signatures of support this year.

Efforts like Mr. Jackson's have brought a sharp reaction from other black ministers, who bridle at putting their energies into fighting same-sex marriage.

"Oppression is oppression is oppression," said the Rev. Kelvin Calloway, pastor of the Second A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles. "Just because we're not the ones who are being oppressed now, do we not stand with those oppressed now? That is the biblical mandate. That's what Jesus is all about."

At the heart of the debate, church leaders say, is whether to stay focused primarily on issues like job creation, education, affirmative action, prison reform and health care, which have drawn blacks closer to the Democratic Party, or whether to put more emphasis on issues of personal morality, like opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, which would place them deeper in the Republican camp.

"I think there is a movement among African-American evangelicals who are extremely concerned about issues of family and abortion, and our leadership has to do something about that," said the Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II of Philadelphia, who was one of the ministers who met with President Bush in January.

Most black ministers have long been aligned with the Democrats, and Senators John Kerry and John Edwards spent Sundays in black churches in the last weeks of the campaign to get out the black vote.

But the White House has been reaching out to sympathetic black clergy members - through its stand on social issues, its effort to give religious groups more of a role in providing federally financed social services and ideas like Mr. Bush's proposed initiative to counter gang violence, a concern of some black ministers who support him, like the Rev. Eugene F. Rivers of Dorchester, Mass.

Although only 11 percent of black voters cast ballots for Mr. Bush, according to surveys of voters leaving the polls, conservatives point out that it was still an increase from the 8 percent in 2000, and Republicans seek to expand those numbers.

Some black ministers say the Republicans will not make headway. Asked if issues like same-sex marriage will galvanize African-Americans, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, "Well, they didn't make the Top 10 with Moses, and Jesus didn't make mention of them." Still, looking to bolster their own political power, the leaders of four black Baptist conventions representing 15 million parishioners met in January to fashion their first united stand in almost a century on social and economic issues and to bury past differences.

At the end of their four-day session, the ministers called for an end to the war in Iraq and withdrawal of American troops. They declared their opposition to the confirmation of Alberto R. Gonzales as attorney general. They stated their opposition to making the president's tax cuts permanent, and warned that reductions in spending on children's health care programs would be "immoral."

They say they are trying to counter the growing influence of white evangelicals in national politics. "They have a strong voice now in national politics, and it would seem they are the only voice," the Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw, president of the National Baptist Convention USA, said of white evangelicals. "And the challenge to us is to be a voice that is soundly biblically based and that doesn't provide a blanket sanction to government policy as others have done. This is a dangerous time when white evangelicals dictate government policy."

But they also raise questions about the conservatives in their own ranks, accusing them of being seduced by Mr. Bush's "faith-based initiatives" program to funnel federal monies to church-run social service programs and asking how much sway they really have.

"Where did this come from?" said the Rev. Madison Shockley, pastor of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, Calif., who with Mr. Calloway wrote an opinion article in The Los Angeles Times in response to the "Black Contract With America." "It came from Bush and the Christian right, and the carrot is faith-based money."

Some conservative black ministers say, however, that they finally feel as if they have a political home. The Rev. O'Neal Dozier, pastor of the Worldwide Christian Church Center in Pompano Beach, Fla., said that for years he had struggled to organize a local ecumenical group of ministers concerned about issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. Now, attendance at these meetings has risen considerably, and Mr. Dozier expects 200 ministers, black and white, at the next gathering in April.

"I don't think the old guard is that strong now. We're in south Florida and south Florida is heavily Democratic, yet the pastors I see are beginning to change, and as a result of them changing, it is going to change their flock," said Mr. Dozier, who also attended the January meeting with Mr. Bush. "Every social change has to start from the pulpit."

White evangelicals are also participating in the discussion. Ministers like the Rev. Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, an organization of 43,000 churches, are organizing black ministers in major cities around issues of sexuality. "We're looking for African-American clergy members who have local authority, and we're getting them to hold a summit on marriage, just one issue," Mr. Sheldon said.

Even longtime friends are being pulled in opposite directions. Dr. Shaw and Mr. Lusk, for instance, have much in common.

Dr. Shaw leads the country's largest black denomination, the National Baptist Convention USA, of which Mr. Lusk and his congregation are members. The churches where each has preached for decades are 20 minutes apart in Philadelphia, and each man preaches politics.

At his White Rock Baptist Church, Dr. Shaw has spoken out against a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. He says he does not believe that the Bible permits such unions, but he pointedly rejects a government ban on them.

"My position on same-sex marriage is not that it is the sole determinant on moral issues," Dr. Shaw said. "Marriage is threatened more by adultery, and we don't have a constitutional ban on that. Alcohol is a threat to the stability of family, and we don't have a constitutional ban on that."

From his own pulpit, Mr. Lusk moves in the opposite direction. In services before Valentine's Day at his Greater Exodus Baptist Church, Mr. Lusk invited worshipers to a Sweethearts Dinner. But he cautioned them from attending with sweethearts of the same sex. "We're living in perilous times," Mr. Lusk said. "We're living in a time when the preachers we looked to are confused, when they're getting their sociology mixed up with their theology."

Mr. Lusk says that the differing priorities of politically liberal and conservative clergy members do not have to fracture the black community. He sees himself, he said, as a bridge between the National Baptist Convention and the White House.

"You don't square these things," Mr. Lusk said about the agendas of liberal and conservative black evangelicals. "You just agree to disagree without being disagreeable."

"The Klan in Memphis when I was a boy denied me the right to think what I wanted," he added. "We shouldn't get to a time in our lives when our own people deny us the same right to think. I think Dr. Shaw and other leaders understand that."