Is the black church failing it's members?

You explain to me. What is it supposed to be?

 

Personally I would leave that to black folks to decide and change as they see fit. Not really up to me, and such meddling is rarely appreciated...

 

They why respond at all in the first place on this thread. Such nonsense. Anyway thank you for participating.

 

I've had some friends tell me that are black that the church doesn't shame sins. They talk loud and all that but when folks do bad they just overlook it.

 

That is the same for most if not all churches. Catholic churches are notorious for this. What's new.

 

So that's why I'm asking. It seems times have caught up with them.

 

I am not sure they are necessarily doing anything wrong. It is not that they can't go to the same church, they just choose not to.

 

Because people generally like to associate with those like themselves socially and with similar backgrounds?

 

Rayyyyycist.

 

Free choice. I go to an integrated church, but some people prefer to go to church with people of their same race/ethnicity. It's a matter of comfort.

 

Its Its churches that mostly black folks go to, prolly in black areas. I doubt theres many that would object to white folks attending.

 

What could be better.

 

What could be better? what??

 

One of my friends told me today that mostly women attend the churches now. That they've pushed men away.So it doesn't promote the family unitlike it used to.

 

To make the church experience better.

 

Not sure, I go to a church that has many different races and colors and it hasn't changed in years. IMO, to answer your question, Church is not the problem in communities. Lack of Church and lack of proper upbringing is the problem. Families are too often Fatherless and it affects how the kids grow up and how their eventual lives turn out which has a direct effect of the communities they live in.

True story: Knew a single pregnant Mother that had 4 kids from 4 different Fathers and was dating a man who was not the Father of the child she was carrying. She had a job but was soon to be fired because they gave her a company CC and she ran it up through the roof and couldn't pay it back. In addition to all the missed work time, she faked an epileptic seizure and tried to sue the company.

It's nonsense like this that kills communities and it kills companies. Decades of stupid people and their offspring are destroying communities, not the Church.

 

Wow? That's super crazy.

 

like the white church, members are dwindling I suppose - maybe some are choosing more diverse church's - who knows

 

Excellent response... he should have asked the friend to elaborate. Generally speaking, worship styles are different in black churches. Black services include call and response, distinctive rhetorical cadences when preaching and gospel music performed in the style bequeathed by the late great Thomas Dorsey. Modern dances or gospel hip hop are performed by young people, infrequently. For the latter, just think of Stomp by Kirk Franklin.

If you grew up in the black church, with these types of cultural experiences, you might miss them if you attended a church that didn't incorporate these traditions. Conversely, if you are accustomed to other styles of worship, they might be your preference. That's one reason for the segregation. Another reason is that segregated neighborhoods still exist and people tend to worship near their homes, rather than travelling long distances.

Styles of worship do vary between congregations and denominations. My church never did that nifty Holy Ghost two step that some black churches do.

 

Maybe.So even in the white church there is something to the dwindling. Like a lot of folks have posted, it seems there is a lot of hypocrosy now. And that the leaders seemed to have gotten away from Gods message and have replaced it with their own. We can't do anything without Gods influence.

 

And that isn't always necessary to do all the dancing to get the message.

 

The overall response seems to be that the churches don't seem to include God into the lifestyle anymore. Somehow they got away from him and did their own thing.

 

That's not what I said at all. You asked if the churches were different. I said, generally the styles of worship are different. Whether or not God is included has to do with doctrine that's taught and the sincerity of the worshipper.

 

Who are you to judge how someone else connects with the message or with their Creator? Second, the types of dances that I was discussing involve two areas: youth outreach (many black and white churches have a variety of special events for teens and other youth) and spontaneous dance when people feel moved by the Holy Spirit. I can't say that I've ever experienced that but some people believe in speaking in tongues and having a Holy Ghost experience. It seems to be largely a Pentacostal church practice.

 

When did they start leaving God out of the equation?