According to a 2014 survey conducted by Pew Research Center, approximately 83% of African-Americans believe in God, with the overwhelming majority claiming some denomination of the Christian faith. Furthermore, 75% of Black-Americans say that religion is very important in their lives, while another 47% stated that they attend a religious service at least once per week (http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/racial-and-ethnic-composition/).
That’s a whole lot of belief and dedication, but the black community has continued to suffer through some of the toughest hardships that America has to offer – many of these hardships (such as high unemployment, poverty, and crime rates) stem from poor economic health. What makes this downward trend so alarming is the fact that the “Prosperity Gospel” has become a common form of evangelism in churches today. So, why has there been such a lack in significant long-lasting economic results coming from the black church?
The “Prosperity Gospel” is the religious belief that financial wealth is what God wants for his followers, and that it can be achieved through faith, positive speech and/or donations (typically to the church itself in the form of tithes). Reports show that, as of 2012, a whopping total of $420 billion had been collected by Black churches since the beginning of the “Prosperity Movement” in 1980. To be more specific, that is $13.1 billion per year and $251,923 million per week. In fact, Reverend Creflo Dollar‘s World Changers Church International reportedly made $69 million by itself in 2006. First you may wonder, “Where in the world are people getting this money from?” But, the better question is, “What does the Black community have to show for it?”
There is a HUGE flaw in the idea of “Prosperity Gospel” that just cannot be ignored. It is the simple fact that faith, positive speech, and donations are the supposed keys to prosperity while the individuals preaching this message have unlocked another key factor – ACTION. While all of the leaders of the “Prosperity Movement” may have had faith, all of them also worked undeniably hard. The same Creflo Dollar that raised $69 million in one year for his church also started his church in a cafeteria with 8 people in 1986. That is miraculous! Actually, it’s so miraculous that it would be hard to argue that he didn’t have divine interference. But, let’s not forget that the pastors must be dedicated students of religious text and world history. Let’s not forget that in order for these churches to be successful they have to master marketing, sales, public speaking, accounting, customer service, and so much more. Let’s also not forget that a person in charge of such a big organization has to have perseverance, dedication, and durability to make it through the expected and unexpected ups and downs.
Churches are run like businesses. Pastors behave like entrepreneurs. So, how are church members supposed to miraculously get rich from solely making donations and having faith? Faith can do a lot, but if you were to “faithfully” stand in the middle of a busy interstate blindfolded and expecting God to miraculously save you or allow you to survive an impact, you would probably die very disappointed. However, if you untied the blindfold and ran for safety WHILE having faith that God would support you and allow you to survive an impact, you would have a much better chance at living to give a testimony.
As many people know, religious organizations in the black community have been accused of misusing church funds for decades with accusations becoming more common in recent years. Private jets, sports cars, pristine megachurches, and expensive outfits that are deemed unnecessary typically become evidence in such allegations. For many organizations, these claims appear to have some validity, however churches are not required to make their finances public making it impossible to truly know what they spend their money on. Clearly, with corruption and misappropriation of funds seemingly occurring within these churches, the lack of progression within the African-American community is less of a surprise. However, because it cannot technically be proven, and not all churches are guilty of this behavior, let’s give African-American churches the benefit of the doubt by ignoring these blemishes for a moment. Instead, let’s take a look at the things most churches decide to spend their money on to empower their communities.
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”.
African-American churches could definitely use this ancient proverb to their benefit. After taking care of expenses such as maintenance and utilities, churches typically begin to spend a large portion of their funding on community outreach. These activities and events can include church retreats, food drives, clothing drives, picnics/barbecues, book clubs, conferences, musical events, internal sporting events, and so on. But, are these activities really changing lives? Now, by no means are these activities and events inappropriate or unappreciated. They definitely have their place in the community, but what exactly are they doing to uplift it. By using money given to them by already poor churchgoers to fund leisurely events, African-American churches are enabling their congregation to stay in economic turmoil.
Even more charitable events such as food and clothing drives, as helpful as they are, only offer temporary relief. If these churches were to use their funds to implement programs that teach their members about entrepreneurship, business ownership, business marketing, economics, world trade, personal finance, politics, international business, and real estate – our communities would never be the same.
They would then be teaching people how to fish for themselves. Now, let’s go a step even further. Churches could use the money they make to start their own actual businesses! This would mean that the church wouldn’t have to rely on donations from the congregation to remain afloat. Furthermore, churches would be able hire African-Americans in the community who may be struggling to find work or make ends meet. So, not only would people have a place to work, but they would also be gaining the experience and skills they may need in order to go as far as they desire.
I am not saying that there are NO churches in the African American community doing positive things. There are outstanding individuals doing great works. However, the majority of these churches have not been doing their part to ensure their surrounding neighborhoods are flourishing. It seems many are far more concerned with the community serving them, not the other way around.
Up until now, these organizations have been using their tremendous influence to bring temporary relief and ongoing hope to people who expect to see tangible lasting rewards someday. People who take action in addition to their spiritual requirements are the ones more likely to be rewarded; many preachers within the African-American community have shown that they are aware of this through their own journeys to success. By sharing more of what they already know, introducing new programs to the community and enabling individuals to prosper – African-American churches can be the game changer that Black America needs.
I enjoyed reading the article. I would like to mentioned how
important it is to understand prosperity as mentioned in the bible in 3John 1:2 which states ” Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thou soul prospereth. As your
soul(spirit man) prospers your outside including health, wealth, etc will follow, therefore, it is to our advantage as individuals to develop our own personal relationship(not just have religion) with God by spending quality time getting to know him, understand who we are in him(identity) realize the gifts, talents, abilities, etc he has given us and use them to help develop our purpose and share that with the world. Church is a place to go and fellowship with other believers and allow our spirits to be feed by the word of God even more. There is something truly amazing about knowing your own identity in Christ.
Well said. It was honest, transparent, and needed to be said. Alot of people need to read this. Its a hard pill to swallow but we really have to start doing better when it comes to entrepreneurship!
This article is much needed so the churchgoers could at least see what the church is doing and what they could do to uplift the black church out of turmoil and into a success for the good of the congregations and black community.
This is a must read article. I would add there is even more churches can do to enhance the neighborhoods in which they flourish. 1) Unify: By working together churches can leverage their resources to accomplish even more for the community, and 2) Synergy: By developing a strategic plan for the community and accomplishing that plan by each church having a specific part of the plan to implement and work toward completing.
All of these ideas will remain ideas if no one puts action to them. It’s the Doers who receive the benefits.
Church is considered a business and in many aspect it should be to protect the organization as a whole you hire good competent people to help run that business aspect of the organization. However there has to be visionary type individuals who understands God word and who knows how to the impact the membership base. Finally you must have a community outreach team who learns about the community it is in and what it can do to improve and strengthen the community. This will create a brand and start to tear down the stereotype that churches are all about the money and servicing it’s self and not the community.
Maybe the title should read “Why some Black churches…..” I know that some help the homeless on a yearly basis with showers, haircuts, food, food bags to take with them, etc, as well as providing transportation to and from their events. They have motivational speakers coming to speak on the very topics mentioned in this article. Single parents have received cars for transporting their sick children to the doctors. They have benevolent funds to assist with mortgage, rent, utilities. A church can only do so much, and then it would be the persons’ responsibility to continue to help themselves. There is so much more to this article and I cannot try to address the other avenues of it at this time. If everyone loved God, and themselves, then maybe they can love thy neighbor.
It amazes me how some writers can unfairly place all Black Churches in the same bag. There are many churches that I know that preach most, if not all of what the writer of this article is sharing. The problem is that these churches are not highlighted. We seem to notice what we want to notice because it’s easy to be critical. The paramount message of any church should be that Christ was crucified for our sins; buried in a tomb; rose on the third day and is coming back again. I do believe that we should take what we call a wholistic approach to ministry which will compel us to teach and preach on any issue that is concerning our community. I have been in the church all of my life and the reality is that most Black Churches are struggling to maintain the mere necessities of the ministry. I have watch pastors make far less than other professionals. Any person who is a part of a local church and are engaged in the inner workings of ministry, would understand the struggle of the Black church is not in the fact that the church has failed the Black community but the Black community has failed the black church. How many bills of members has the church paid? How many scholarships has the church given? How many marriages and families have been restored by the church? How many sick people have been visited and prayed for? How many pastors have gone to court on behalf of one of their members? When it comes to the black economy, please understand, that’s not a Black church problem; that’s a Black culture problem. We tend to put more pressure on the Black church to do what we don’t expect from the White church. Most of them don’t have business either. Most of them teach tithes and offerings. This article was not a bad article but it would have been better is the writer would have sat and talked with some pastor and church members who are really engaged in the church. I could say more but I have said enough for now.
The church was never meant to be Ann organization but since it’s foundation has always been and will always be a living organism vivified by it’s ever risen founder and Savior Jesus Christ! Don King said it best ” Only in America ” can you take a precious pristine life changing message and turn it into a methodology for promotion of self and pursuit of fame. That’s what the world chases after! But our GOD Said WE MUST Take Up OUR Cross AND DENY OURSELVES and only then are we able to be His disciple!# There’s nobody like JESUS! The Christian Faith is COUNTERCULTURAL! There should be a clear lune of demarcation between Light and darkness! !! The Titanic was made to be in the Ocean but not the Ocean in the Titanic! Like wise the Church is to be in the World and not the World ( System ) in the Church! !!!!
Awesome! I’ve been saying this since I was young, but of course no one wanted to hear what I was saying!