Trends of the Past 25 Years in the African American Church – Part Two
MARTHA SIMMONS is the President and Publisher of The African American Pulpit and the creator of The African American Lectionary.
Large portions of this blog were printed in the Spring 2007 issue of The African American Pulpit. The response to it then suggested that it resonated with so many. Accordingly, I am republishing it in condensed form, with updates in some areas.
This Part Two features twelve additional trends in the African American Church. As in the last blog, I begin with a trend which was not mentioned in the Spring 2007 issue.
12. A Decrease in the Power of Denominations - Denominations are weaker than ever. Whether predominately black or white or other ethnic make-ups, the last fifty years has shown a continual decline in the power of most denominations in the lives of Americans. In some instances the decline has led to the creation of new denominations. In other instances it has led to preachers in denominations having more notoriety than their entire denomination. In still others it has led to a decrease in attendance by the rank-and-file during denominational gatherings and fewer preachers signing up to become members of certain denominations. Perhaps most telling, in the past decade when national issues have arisen, with few exceptions, individuals, not denominational leaders, have been sought out to address the issues.
In the case of the African American Christian faith community, many of our historically African American denominations are still less than two hundred years old, which is young by many ecclesiastical standards. However, we now live in a time when everything, shockingly including the Church, is rapidly changing. If history is a predictor, there will always be denominations. However, their form and purposes will change and the power nationally and locally that they once wielded in America will continue to dissipate if denominations do not change in other ways. Some will require changes in their administrative structures which no longer meet the needs of the people they exist to serve and are instead maintained to secure and maintain power for a select few who are mainly male. Some will require changes in their levels of support of the education and training of their clergy. Clergy who have not obtained denominational support during any point of their ministerial maturation are less likely to feel obligated or supportive of denominations. Some will be required to change their voting structures, increase their level of relevant activism, and increase their media presence.
13. Less Formal Pulpit Attire - More than ever clergy are not donning robes when they preach. Suits and tailor-made pulpit outfits have become common, especially among preachers under 50 years of age. However, preachers are continuing to wear robes during the serving of the sacraments, for funerals, and similar occasions. Much of the discussion concerning this trend has focused on the costliness of the current pulpit attire (outfits can cost up to $5,000), the stylishness or lack thereof of various looks, and the use of tailors. This trend was likely created or at least influenced by the general cultural trend toward less formal church attire by younger parishioners. Time will tell what will be the liturgical, theological, and cultural implications of this trend.
14. Me-centric Preaching versus Christocentric Preaching - Much has been said and written in the last 15 years concerning preaching that espouses persons to get “their” breakthrough, accept “their” season, and walk into “their” destiny. Much of this is simply the return of rugged American individualism differently cloaked. It is popular to offer persons messages that are more therapeutic as opposed to those that call for justice and holy living one practice at a time. Television now offers a consistent diet of preaching that is designed to make people seek better financial conditions and feel better about themselves. This type of preaching has become so popular that many who do not have television broadcasts are also caught up by it. They don’t want to be out-of-step or appear non-relevant.
There has always been a corpus of sermons used by African American preachers (The Eagle Stirreth Its Nest; Dry Bones in the Valley; The Train Sermons—The Hell Bound Train, Death’s Black Train, The Midnight Train, etc.). Today, the corpus includes the Joseph sermons, also known as Elevation sermons. These sermons address mistreatment of and ultimate victory for individuals. Themes such as Breakthrough, Overcoming, and Prosperity are used. In the same vein, there are the Destiny sermons. This group of sermons points listeners to an intended end that is always positive.
Two tendencies must be guarded against here. First, preachers must guard against messages that promise or suggest outcomes that are not theologically in step with the Word of God and the life of Christ nor culturally in step with the harsh realities of this age. Second, those who rail against individualistic me-centric preaching must be clear that one reason that this preaching is popular is because it recognizes that many in today’s world are facing innumerable hurts and are earnestly seeking healing and direction. When African American pastors primarily present a gospel of “we are all filthy rags,” they too have stepped out of touch with those who sincerely need words of healing and self-esteem enhancement. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Christ clearly brought healing and enhanced the lives of the downtrodden. The issue, as with any other aspect of faith, is balance that always keeps Christ at the center of our faith in a way that is relevant to those to whom we preach.
15. More National Retreats and Conferences - The number of conferences and retreats now being held by African American churches has exploded in the last 25 years. Many of these conferences are not just local but aggressively advertise for national participation. Three of the largest conferences have garnered more than 25,000 in attendance for the last three years, with one gaining more than 40,000 attendees for the past three years. These conferences now provide alternatives to, or are attended in addition to, denominational gatherings. As one would guess, the weakened economy has decreased this number in 2008 and 2009. Also notable are the number of conferences and retreats now being held by women. Such conferences have provided significant opportunities and exposure for women who rarely receive equal billing with men during national gatherings unless the occasion is primarily designed for women. This trend of national retreats and conferences shows no sign of slowing down, especially if the number of mega churches continues to expand at even a moderate rate and the economy improves. Also, the desire for additional income is spurring some preachers to use conferences to gain extra money by holding conferences under the umbrella of ministry corporations that are separate from their churches. Finally, and not unimportantly, some preachers are gaining significant national publicity through these events.
16. New Approaches to Selecting a Successor - There is nothing new about outgoing pastors having a hand in determining who will succeed them. In many cases, pastors have placed their biological children—usually a son and rarely a daughter—in position to succeed them at a particular church. What is new is the number of pastors, primarily those who have taken over the helms of or started churches in the past 25 years, who are naming their successors in their church constitutions! In addition, we are seeing an increase in the number of pastors who are bringing in non-biologically-related successors before they leave and allowing the process of transition to unfold in that fashion. This trend has yet to impact whether many pastors will decide to retire before age 65. African American pastors have historically remained as pastors of churches beyond age 65. However, given that all U.S. citizens are living longer, we may witness even more pastors who stay on the job beyond age 70 or continue to give input after retirement on the functioning of their former congregations. This could create opportunities for older and younger pastors to learn from one another as churches transition. However, it could also increase friction in those instances when retiring pastors will not gracefully exit if their assistance is no longer desired.
17. Plagiarism in the Pulpit - With two national stories of plagiarism by African American clergy in the last two years and with the increased use of the Internet by pastors, the subject of plagiarism is again being seriously discussed. The Internet has made plagiarism even easier for those who are willing to steal from others. Knowing that the chances of being detected are slight and that the chances of being held legally accountable are even slighter, plagiarism is now rampant. Recently, preachers who can afford to hire lawyers have begun to take steps to safeguard their intellectual property. (Claudette A. Copeland addresses plagiarism in the pulpit on page 21 of the Spring 2007 issue.)
18. Praise Teams, Psalmists, and Hymns - While churches are not eliminating their choirs, many are adding praise teams (usually consisting of 6–9 singers) for each worship service and bringing in guest singers (referred to as psalmists) for revivals, special occasions, and in some cases even for regular Sunday morning worship. These psalmists are paid singers, and in some cases so are praise team members. Scholars are just beginning to study whether the emergence of praise teams and psalmists is lessening congregational singing. However, preliminary evidence suggests that this is the case and that this move away from congregational singing is also lessening the use of traditional hymns, anthems, and spirituals.
19. Preachers and Self-Publishing - As part of their marketing efforts—and thanks to technology that allows persons to self-publish more affordably—more and more preachers are publishing books. We are not yet seeing an increase in the number of books related to denominational doctrines or practical resources that concern the major day-to-day issues that challenge preachers (church administration, raising money, and working with parishioners in pain and those who have complex needs), but eventually this trend may lead to a greatly expanded list of materials that will serve the African American church. While there are those who have jumped on the publishing bandwagon as a way of gaining more personal exposure, this trend is still a welcomed one because of the lack of material by African American pastors who write for the church and not just for the academy.
20. Prosperity Preaching - This has become the buzz-term for preaching that is said to focus heavily on money and personal success and less on social justice and crisis issues (rape, poverty, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, etc.). While there have always been prosperity preachers, technology has increased the visibility of these preachers. Consequently, there are many heated debates in the African American Christian community about the current impact of prosperity preaching. Some preachers claim that a message of economic empowerment is desired and needed by African Americans—this is what they believe prosperity preaching offers. Most are calling for a balance—sermons are needed that economically and emotionally empower persons and encourage the notion of communal prosperity and social justice. How this balance is to be obtained is being widely discussed in the pulpit, the pew, and the academy.
21. The Rise of the African American “Bentley 20” - Like never before, we have seen an increase in wealthy African American pastors. There have always been pastors who were wealthy. What is new is the increase in the number of pastors who now count themselves among America’s millionaires! Some time ago when wealthy white pastors began to gain notice, one of the indices of their wealth was the acquisition of a Bentley or Rolls Royce. The title Bentley 20 emerged to identify a select group of mainly white preachers who were millionaires. African American pastors are now being numbered among this elite group.
Today’s wealthy African American preachers do not generate income solely from pastoral salaries. Their wealth typically comes from three sources: (1) hefty honorariums for preaching at special services, revivals, and conferences (the highest we have on record is $10,000 for one sermon during a church service and the cost to re-fuel the preacher’s private jet); (2) ministry spin-off products, such as books, CDs, and DVDs; and (3) spin-off ministries including businesses, real estate, overseas ministries, and international product sales. Some of these spin-off ministries are connected to churches; others are the personal business ventures of preachers. It should be noted, however, that while an African American version of the Bentley 20 does exist, most African American pastors are not millionaires, and many are grossly underpaid and overworked.
22. The Rise in the Use of Titles - More than at any time in the history of the African American church, clergy are using additional titles other than just Reverend or Pastor, including but not limited to Bishop, Apostle, and Doctor. Some of this is driven by the number of clergy who are legitimately gaining their Doctor of Ministry degree. However, since that number is still quite small, other factors are clearly contributing to this trend. The rise in the use of titles has accompanied the rise of nondenominational, mega, and giga-churches. Given that these churches are often not accountable to any hierarchy other than one that an individual pastor may have created, they are free to ascribe to themselves any titles that they wish. (In his essay on page 36 of the Spring 2007 issue, Frank Thomas explored this trend and offered three likely reasons for its occurrence.)
23. Specialized Staffing and Multi-Staffed Ministries - As African Americans have made economic gains, the number of specialized ministries in churches has increased. More and more churches are now offering counseling, social services (or at least referrals to social work agencies), senior programs and activities, and Christian education and children and youth ministries run by paid staff. Many of those paid staff are specially trained for respective areas of ministry. This trend has been slow in taking hold given the models of church organization and administration that primarily focused on paying pastors, musicians, and clerical staff. This often meant that pastors held multiple roles, many of which they did not have the training to provide but did the best that they could. Well known are the warnings to new young pastors that they will have to serve as the church janitor, marriage counselor, lawyer, and community advocate.
Today, more church members are demanding a certain level of training from their pastors and from those who teach, administer church budgets, and lead youth and children’s programs and health programs. Those pastors who are still attempting to be “jacks of all trades” are being called into question. Hopefully, this trend toward specialized staffing and multi-staff ministry will take hold and encourage more laypeople to properly compensate those ministers who have specialized training and are not senior pastors and encourage more churches to collaborate with other churches and social service agencies that can provide help that persons need but for which some church budgets cannot pay.
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