By Deacon B –
From its emergence in the late 18th century to its present-day relevance, the Black church has and will always serve as a safe haven for Black people; a place to worship God together, and a place where we are motivated to rebuild our communities. In the 21st century, however, with Britain becoming increasingly secular, many people question whether the church still has a dominant position in the community. More specifically, what is the role of the Black church now?
The Black church’s “passivity” over racial injustice and police brutality has raised questions about its role over the past few decades. Moreover, people have accounted for these issues as their reason for losing faith in the Black church, along with the church’s lack of activism around socio-political issues and in applying pressure on the government and police over their at times unjust treatment of the Black community.
Today, the Black church still has a role in the community. History seems to be on a loop with the disproportionate number of young Black teens placed in Pupil Referral Units (PRU) reminiscent of the educationally subnormal (ESN) classification, which stratified the academic attainment of Black children in the 1960s and 1970s.
Police and state racism are rife, with the injustices of Child Q, the Rwandan immigration scheme, plus the hangover of Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020 still upon our minds. Is the Black church helping to solve some of these issues in our community, or are they just helping themselves? I wonder what we, as a church, really stand for. Are we more concerned about fancy clothes and cars than helping those in need? Are we filled with an abundance of spirit, or are we just filled with a bunch of words? I am not attacking the Black church, but it is a moment of revelation. Are we making the best use of our churches to better our community? That is the question that matters most.
Pastors’ Role in Church:
With violence rampant in our community, and high levels of homelessness and unemployment, what role does the Black spiritual leader offer to alleviate these issues? I believe it is the civic duty of leaders, especially our spiritual leaders, to lead the charge within the Black community to change it positively. Pastors are leaders 24/7.
What a Pastor says and does makes a difference within the church and beyond the pulpit. So often in our community, we hear what is supposed to be done, what we should or should not do, but do not see a comprehensive guide to lead us in the right direction. Is it solely the role of the Black church to make a difference?
No, but it is the duty of those who lead us to work towards tangible solutions and encourage others to do and live better. As someone who regularly attends church, I make it my business to inform my Pastor of what is going on within the community (if he does not already know), and how he can be of service. If we are not meeting our pastors and discussing the issues, how can we hold them accountable?
How can we expect them to serve us if they don’t know how we should be served? It is up to those who lead and attend church to come together and work for what is best for the community. In 2014, the first Black Church political manifesto was drawn up in the UK, urging Black and ethnic-minority Christians to engage in social and political action. Some of those prominently involved were: Archbishop John Sentamu, at the time the second most senior ranking Minister in the Church of England; Rev Ermal Kirby, the highest ranking Minister within the Methodist church; Pastor Agu Irukwu, former leader of Britain’s fastest growing Black denomination, the Redeemed Christian Church of God; Rev Les Isaac, founder of Street Pastors UK, a church-based response to gun, knife and gang culture prevalent in inner cities; and Bishop John Francis, a Pentecostal minister who made history by becoming the first Black church leader to host a British prime minister.
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The Black Church Political Manifesto:
The manifesto says that political engagement is not optional but integral to the Christian faith: “We see it as a mandatory part of our Christian faith as responsible citizens by following biblical teaching.” Some commentators have described Black churches as a “sleeping giant” in the UK. The manifesto dismisses that, however, arguing that Black churches have been intimately involved in building communities and that now church leaders want “legislative safeguards” that allow us to adhere to Christian values so that we can serve our communities with integrity and in obedience to God.
“We hope to signal our maturing presence and a renewed commitment to mobilize African and Caribbean Churches and the wider black community for social and political action. By encouraging our Churches to actively engage in the sociocultural, political, and economic institutions locally and nationally, we hope to strengthen communities, promote active citizenship, and the common good.”
At the heart of the manifesto’s recommendations is a call for Black churches to work more closely with the police to improve the service’s historically poor relationship with Black communities. Churches should encourage members of their congregations to join the police service and set up uniformed youth services such as the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade, the manifesto recommends. It condemns the disproportionately high number of people from Black and ethnic minority communities in prison as a scandal.
On average, there are five times more black prisoners than white in UK prisons. It also calls for a “national dialogue on this disproportionate representation of black people in jail”. Churches are being placed to get involved with resettlement programs for released offenders. The manifesto urges Black churches to support single parents but to continue to promote the importance of marriage in an era of declining marriage and increasing divorce rates. The church should also work with fostering and adoption agencies to support foster parents and children. It also highlights the poor academic record of Black children in the education system: by the age of 22 to 24, 44% of Black young people are not in education, employment, or training, it says. Gang culture is an increasing problem in communities, and one where Black churches are placed to help through outreach programs targeting vulnerable youths, the manifesto says.
It urges members of the Black community to become involved as school governors and teachers. So often in our community, we hear what should be done and what we should or should not do, but we need a comprehensive guide to lead us in the right direction. Is it solely the role of the Black church to make a difference? No, but it is the duty of those who lead to work towards tangible solutions and encourage others to do and live better.
What Can Be done?
It is up to those who attend church and those who lead the church to come together and work for what is best for the community, how to move forward, and how to sustain it. The days of complaining should be over; it is time to stop talking and start walking. Our community is on the line. I request that those of you who attend church address your leaders and ask them what we can all do to better our society. What is our role? As Dr Martin Luther King Jr once said: “the church cannot be silent while humanity faces the threat of nuclear annihilation. If the church is true to its mission it must call for an end to the arms race.” Likewise, we cannot continue to attend church and leave; we need to attend church with a purpose, an anointing and an agenda.