The Wages of Worship, Religious Education, and Human Capital Development in the Black Church: Voices From Rural African American Primary Caregiving Grandmothers

Abstract

Grandmothers are often referred to as the spiritual learners and leaders within families and often pass their religious teachings on to their children and grandchildren. This qualitative study investigated learning and human capital development among rural African American grandmothers ( n = 10) caring for their grandchildren. The findings revealed the participants’ perception of the Black Church, an agency for learning. The findings further revealed the benefits of religious education in learning communities and how the skills the participants acquired through such engagements contributed to their human capital development, thereby indicating the wages of worship. Finally, findings indicated how the participants utilized religious teachings to support the development of the children in their care.