Black Church Research Articles

On that demon time: Black time geographies of reimagining, recovering, and resisting

This article introduces “Demon Time” as a theoretical concept for examining Black time geographies. Building off the theorization of demonic space, I theorize that demon time is an alternative Black temporality. I use the soundscapes of the Black church, the Black barber/beauty shop, and the strip club to think through demonic temporality as a mode of reimagination, a reimagining of Black subjectivities, a mode of recovery, an iterative process of recovery from anti-blackness, and a mode of resisting, a continual resistance of normative logics and western ideologies. These Black soundscapes produce Black timescapes which are anchored to time-spaces of Black cultural production. Thus, demon time offers us a way to reorient how we understand Blackness in moments of economic, social, and ecological crisis, while also allowing us to think about the incommensurability of Black temporalities across Black regions in the US.

Come As You Are?: Democratizing Healthcare Through Black Church-Telehealth Initiatives

Drawing from the phrase “come as you are,” which is frequently used in Black Churches to encourage and welcome people to church spaces for spiritual restoration and healing irrespective of their various social and economic dispositions, this Article aims to describe how telehealth partnerships with community organizations, such as Black Churches, can help democratize healthcare.
 In this project, I develop two models for Black Church-Telehealth Initiatives—a Telehealth Clinic on the Church’s campus and a Designated Telehealth Space with the requisite technology to facilitate telehealth encounters—to argue that Black Church-Telehealth Initiatives can help address certain social determinants of health, such as medical mistrust and the digital divide. The Telehealth Clinic would be a licensed medical facility where patients are assisted by medical personnel with seeing a remote physician via the appropriate technology (e.g., computer, video conference software, internet access, and medical devices to obtain certain biometric data). The Designated Telehealth Space, on the other hand, would be a room equipped with non-medical technology that is open to community members without access to the requisite technology for telehealth encounters.
 Black Churches are already important locations for promoting healthcare and can help further democratize healthcare via telehealth, if certain legal hurdles can be resolved. By exploring federal and state law and policy, I examine the legal barriers to telehealth expansion in general, and legal hurdles specific to these initiatives. This Article argues that federalism principles and widespread variation amongst state laws on physician licensure may make it more difficult to democratize healthcare via telehealth. Moreover, depending on the extent of the religious affiliation, Black Church-Telehealth Initiatives may fit into broader trends toward an increased alignment of healthcare institutions with religious organizations and their doctrines. Finally, legal and policy reforms are needed to address certain federal and state limitations on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, which may deter healthcare providers from collaborating with Black Churches to establish this Article’s initiatives. This makes the need for regulatory reform urgent. Indeed, as healthcare organizations partner with community organizations to expand access to telehealth, creative legal solutions will be required to subject those community organizations to important health laws and policies—including medical privacy and confidentiality laws—without stifling innovation and collaboration.

The Stress of Advancement: A Nurse Practitioner's Exploration in Providing Culturally Competent Obesity Prevention Counseling in Black Women.

Black women are diagnosed, disabled, and die from obesity and associated chronic diseases at higher rates than any other sex or race. Advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) can potentially improve culturally relevant health education and counseling by using health literacy communication tools. Explore individualized barriers and APRNs' role in providing obesity prevention education and counseling by assessing the efficacy of the Teach-Back Method (TBM) to understand health habits and attitudes. Black women aged 18-45, previously diagnosed as overweight or obese, and identified with perceived barriers were recruited from a predominantly Black church in Atlanta. They engaged in weekly, 1-hour educational sessions via Zoom, addressing four common barriers identified in the literature. Sessions ended with a 5-10 minute Teach-Back session. Pre- and post-intervention Readiness to Change Questionnaire (RCQ) were completed. Descriptive statistics and quantitative data from surveys and pre- and post-RCQ were analyzed. Twenty women completed the intervention. Paired sample t-test revealed no statistical significance or correlation between pre- and post-RCQ scores after using TBM in educational sessions. However, Pearson's correlation showed positive associations between elevated body mass index levels as one advances their education and annual income, with a p-value of 0.05. Increased rates of obesity are experienced despite higher educational attainment or pay. Stress and high-coping mechanisms contributed to disordered eating, decreased physical activity engagement, and decreased motivation toward habit change. Clinicians should be held accountable for delivering culturally sensitive care using the TBM, addressing social determinants of health, performing routine stress assessments, and checking their implicit biases.

Christianity as a Spiritual Sidepiece: How Young Black People with Diverse Sexual Identities Navigate Religion

AbstractResearch about the experiences of young black members of the LGBTQIA community often centers HIV‐related themes. Fewer studies consider more emotive aspects of their lives such as their attitudes and behavior around religion and/or spirituality. This study is a response to this dynamic. Informed by the Structure versus Agency discourse, this qualitative analysis examines dimensions of the religious and spiritual lives of 76 young black members of the LGBTQIA community aged 18–30 years old. Given the continued influence of the Black Church in the black community as well as concerns about the relevance of religion in general, findings here may illumine how a cadre of young black people understand and respond to religion today. Results illustrate the tendency to espouse spirituality over religion; syncretism; and, continued use of Christian practices such as prayer, while compartmentalizing and secularizing this faith tradition. This study introduces the concept of the “spiritual sidepiece” as an exemplar that sheds light on how some young black sexual minorities today are re‐imagining religion, Christianity, the Black Church, and spirituality in their lives.

It Takes a Village: A Conceptual Model for Black American Community Partnerships

School counselors underutilize three community entities within the Black American community: the Black Church, salons and barbershops, and Black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs). School counselors can use cultural wealth and multitiered systems of support (MTSS) as frameworks for making these connections to further cultivate Black American student achievement. This conceptual article provides information to aid school counselors in assisting students through data and SMART goals; bolstering student success; and closing the achievement, attainment, and opportunity gaps.

Systemic effects of the COVID pandemic on rural black American men's interpersonal relationships: A phenomenological examination.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a socionatural disaster that unprecedentedly disrupted the daily lives of individuals, families, and communities. Prior research indicates that Black American men living in rural contexts, particularly in Southern parts of the United States of America, were disproportionately affected by the psychological and economic effects of the pandemic. Despite these disparities, few studies have examined the pandemic's impact on rural Black American men's social networks. This study aimed to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural Black American men's interpersonal relationships. Informed by the principles of critical ethnography and guided by van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology, seventeen men were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using an iterative thematic reduction process consistent with van Manen's approach. Four themes were generated: Familial Reorganization, Adaptive Fatherhood, Rona Romance, and Essential Community. Participants recounted how the pandemic motivated them to improve their relationships with family members and children but contributed additional stress to their romantic relationships. Participants further recounted how their friendships were the least impacted as they were willing to make exceptions to their normal protective protocols to socialize with close friends. Participants also noted feeling disconnected from their wider community because they could not attend church even though their religious beliefs remained unchanged. Findings highlight the need for scholars, clinicians, and policymakers to consider men's relational health when developing and implementing pandemic recovery efforts, as it can significantly influence their ability to recuperate mentally and physically. Future research should be dedicated to (1) investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on fathers, as prior research has nearly exclusively focused on mothers' experiences and (2) delineating protective effects of rural Black American men's involvement in the Black Church from their individual spiritualities to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of contextual crisis on their long-term health and wellbeing.

:Networking the Black Church: Digital Black Christians and Hip Hop

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The African-American liberation perspectives of Dale P. Andrews in conversation with other practical theologies

This study endeavors a comprehensive conversation between the African-American liberation perspectives of Dale P. Andrews and other contemporary practical theologies and liberationist perspectives. A pertinent question here arises: Will Andrews’ approach to ethnic-specific liberation properly dialogue with other practical theologies in correlation? In response, the researched argument intends to evidence that his methodology does, in fact, resonate well with notable scholars from the guild, even those from other cultural backgrounds and diverse geographical locations. In that stride, consider that Westernization and its concomitant individualism has adversely affected ethnic cultures and their collectivist natures, also resulting in power imbalances between America’s elite classes and the poor and disenfranchised. African-Americans, specifically, are often marginalized and oppressed, which goes against the biblical narrative and imperative for the church to properly “love thy neighbor” (Mark 12:31) and to seek liberation for those who are poor and destitute (Ps. 9:18; Prov. 14:31). Towards potential resolution, Andrews emphasized robust ecclesiological practices, stressing the importance of a flourishing Black American church, with the additional hope that such Spirit-inspired thriving would pour over into society as a whole. The selected theologians brought into the researched dialogue are intentional in identifying and working toward solutions regarding reconciled race relations and socio-spiritual liberation. Moreover, the increasingly multicultural church of America would do well to allow itself to be openly influenced by Majority World spiritualities, most specifically the songfulness and communal/cultural aspects of African religion.

FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO INCREASE ALZHEIMER’S CLINICAL RESEARCH PARTICIPATION IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY

Abstract Issues: Despite the fact that African Americans are twice more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to non-Hispanic whites, they are under-represented in AD clinical research. Lower representation exists in the AHEAD Study as well, which is an AD prevention clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Lecanemab in 1400 study participants. We sought to raise awareness about AD and increase clinical research participation of African Americans in the AHEAD Study, through a community-based education and recruitment program (CERP). Description: Our diverse team from Eastern Virginia Medical School and Hampton University, a Historically Black College University (HBCU), established a Community Advisory Board and Ministerial Alliance with representation from faith-based, long-standing civic and fraternal organizations within the Greater Hampton Roads Black community. The alliance guided us to identify prioritization areas for addressing sociocultural barriers and increasing clinical research awareness and participation in traditional African American events, key historic community sites, and non-traditional community centers (i.e., YMCA, independent-living, assisted-living centers, Annual Juneteenth Celebration, Black fraternity, and sorority events.) Community health workers, embedded within the community, of the same cultural background and ethnicity, drove our CERP. Lessons Learned: As of July 2023, we offered our program at 45 community events, including community health fairs, civics events, and Purple Sunday luncheons and talks at Black churches in urban and localities in Hampton Roads, in partnership with fraternal and civic community organizations. Out of over 1700 participants, 177 community members have been prescreened for the AHEAD Study.

Church Leaders Share and Implement Solution-Focused Health Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Alabama.

Bridging the healthcare access gap and addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among rural-dwelling Black American adults residing in the Deep South require involvement of faith-based leaders in the community. This study explored perceived barriers and resources to meeting community needs, including vaccination, during the COVID-19 pandemic as reported by 17 Black American church leaders in the rural West Alabama Black Belt geographic region in May 2022. The main themes that emerged included (1) attending to community impact of COVID-19 illness and death; (2) maximizing health literacy and diminishing vaccine hesitancy through engaging in preventive health practices and sharing public health information; (3) addressing challenges created or exacerbated by COVID-19, including reduction in in-person attendance (particularly among adolescents and young adults), limited access to and literacy with technology, and political perceptions influencing engagement in preventive health behaviors; (4) maximizing technological solutions to increase attendance in the church; and (5) engaging in solution-focused and innovative initiatives to meet the identified needs in the congregation and community. Church leaders in West Alabama rural areas facing economic, health, and technological disparities identified "silver linings" as well as challenges created or exacerbated during the pandemic. As the need for COVID-19 vaccination and booster vaccination continues, Black American church leaders play pivotal roles in meeting rural community needs.

Perceived Religious Influence on Health Is Associated with Beneficial Health Behaviors in Members of Predominantly Black Churches.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and Black populations are disproportionately affected. Black populations also have high rates of religiosity, which may be an important health motivator, but mechanisms are unclear. We examined the relationship between perceived religious influence on health and cardiovascular health behaviors, risk factors, and confidence participating in medical care in Black church congregants. We surveyed 302 members of 13 churches with predominantly Black congregations in New Orleans, Louisiana. Participants reported if religious beliefs had an influence on their health and if they avoided harmful behaviors because of religion. Fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, smoking status, confidence asking questions to health care providers, understanding treatment plans and self-reported hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes were assessed. Logistic regression was used adjusting for age, sex, and education. Survey respondents were 77% female with a median age of 66 years, and 72%, 56%, and 37% reported hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes, respectively. Perceived religious influence on health was positively associated with fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and confidence asking questions to health care providers. Avoiding harmful behaviors because of religion was positively associated with physical activity. There was no association between perceived religious influence on health and smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes. Perceived religious influence on health was associated with beneficial cardiovascular health behaviors and confidence participating in medical care. These findings can inform the design and delivery of interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease among Black religious communities.

For God and Country: The Political Activism of Religious Congregations in the United States

Conservative Christian movements have attracted the attention of political observers, but just how widespread are they? This paper draws on the National Congregations Study to answer this question. It finds that while conservative Christians are known for their political activism, Catholic and Black congregations are the most politically active. They distribute voter guides, register people to vote, form groups to discuss politics, lobby or march, and invite political candidates and elected officials as visiting speakers. Black churches are also the most likely to publicly support or oppose a political candidate, and Catholic churches are the most likely to declare themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. It turns out, however, that independent “evangelical” congregations did become more politically active in 2018, and while they represent only a small slice of American congregations, they may be able to exert an influence on U.S. political outcomes.

Barriers and Facilitators to Improving Cardiovascular Health in Churches with Predominantly Black Congregations.

Black communities bear a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Barriers and facilitators for improving cardiovascular health (CVH) in churches with predominantly black congregations were explored through a qualitative needs assessment. Four focus groups with church members (n=21), 1 with wellness coordinators (n=5), and 1 with primary care providers (n=4) and 7 individual interviews with church leaders were completed in New Orleans and Bogalusa, Louisiana. Virtual, semistructured interviews and focus groups were held between October 2021 and April 2022. The Theorical Domains Framework (TDF) guided a framework analysis of transcribed data based on inductive and deductive coding to identify themes related to determinants of CVH. The following four domains according to the TDF were identified as the most relevant for improving CVH: knowledge, professional role, environmental context, and emotions. Within these domains, barriers expressed by church leadership and members were a lack of knowledge of CVD, provider distrust, and little time and resources for lifestyle changes; facilitators included existing church wellness programs and social support, community resources, and willingness to improve patient-provider relationships. Primary care providers recognized a lack of effective communication and busy schedules as obstacles and the need to strengthen communication through increased patient autonomy and trust. Potential strategies to improve CVH informed by the Expert Recommendation for Implementing Change compilation of implementation strategies include education and training, task shifting, dissemination of information, culturally tailored counselling, and linkage to existing resources. These findings can inform the implementation of interventions for improving cardiovascular health and reducing disparities in black church communities.

Engaging Predominantly Black Churches in an Intervention to Improve Cardiovascular Health and Reduce Racial Inequities.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States and disproportionately impacts Black adults. Effective implementation of interventions to improve cardiovascular health in the Black community is needed to reduce health inequities. The Church-Based Health Intervention to Eliminate Health Inequalities in Cardiovascular Health (CHERISH) study is implementing interventions recommended by the 2019 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline on the primary prevention of CVD in Black communities to improve cardiovascular health and reduce health disparities. The recently completed 3-year planning phase of CHERISH has focused on engaging with the predominantly Black church community in New Orleans with the goals of informing study protocol development and recruiting churches for study participation. Community engagement approaches include convening a community advisory board (CAB), conducting qualitative and quantitative needs assessments, and hosting and attending church events. These activities have resulted in an engaged CAB that has contributed meaningfully to planning activities and the study protocol. The needs assessment found that while there are substantial barriers to cardiovascular health, such as knowledge, access to healthy foods, and safe spaces for physical activity, people are willing to make lifestyle changes and think that the proposed intervention components are feasible. Community engagement activities have resulted in the recruitment of 50 geographically and denominationally diverse predominantly Black churches willing to participate in the study (exceeding our goal of 42). Overall, a multicomponent approach to extensive community engagement has produced effective church enrollment for study participation and meaningful input on study design and implementation.

1861. Prevalence of COVID-19 within Predominantly Black Church Congregations in Ontario, Canada

Abstract Background Seroprevalence data provide useful information on COVID-19 burden among various communities by detecting infection in both symptomatic and asymptomatic persons. One challenge is the extent to which potential participants agree to blood testing. To address this, we conducted a community-based survey to assess infection rates within church congregations to understand COVID-19 prevalence in a closed group setting in contrast to a conventional open community setting. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted within church congregations consisting of mainly Black members from 09/2022 to 05/2023 in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed the survey in person or online. Demographic data and COVID-19-related information, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or rapid antigen positivity and vaccination status, were collected. Survey data were compared with seroprevalence data collected in a related study. Results The survey was completed by 434 persons from 5 different congregations. Male to female ratio 1:2.6. Most participants, 319 (73.5%) completed the survey on paper, in person. The remaining surveys were completed online. Among persons who provided information on age, 50 (12%) survey respondents were 18-30 years of age, 90 (21%) were 31-45, 163 (38%) were 46-60, and 121 (29%) were above 60 years of age. Across all congregations, 46.1% (200/434; 95% CI 41.3-50.9%) reported that they thought they had COVID-19, compared with 39.4% (171/434; 95% CI 34.7-44.1%) who reported testing positive for COVID-19. Among all participants, 9% (40/434) did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine while 88.7% (385/434) completed their primary vaccine series. Seroprevalence data collected by our team revealed a seropositivity rate of up to 80% for the area where most participants reside or work. Among a subset of persons providing both seroprevalence and survey data, there was concordance in approximately 62% (8/13) of seropositive cases. Conclusion The data suggest infection rates reported by a relatively highly vaccinated group of predominantly Black congregants were below that of the general community. Further analyses will examine reasons for these findings. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

The Saint Louis bridges program: A mental health network of more than one hundred churches and the mental health community

This article describes the history and development of a faith-based mental health network of over one hundred Black churches in North St Louis City and County. The Bridges to Care and Recovery (BCR) program is a joint effort of the Black faith community, three community hospitals, local universities, a school of medicine and funding from the city /state departments of mental health. The mission of BCR is to improve the fragmented mental health services to the Black community and to address the stigma of mental illness. This innovative program provides a blueprint for other metropolitan areas to emulate. The present paper is a detailed description of the key elements and services of the Bridges program.

The Political Mobilization of African American Churches: Forms, Models, Mechanisms

African American churches are famous for their political involvement and advocacy efforts on behalf of their own ethnic group. However, while some of them have been heavily involved in various forms of political activity, others have avoided it, focusing mainly on matters of the spirit. In this article, I will present the origins and various forms of Black churches’ political engagement, but foremost I will analyze the debate concerning the mechanisms of their political mobilization, trying to answer the question regarding the key factors, which according to researchers, influence churches’ activism. Different research perspectives will be considered, and special attention will be paid to the comprehensive model by Eric L. McDaniel.

Black Appalachia's Oldest Old: Untold Stories of Experienced Racism and Coping With Religious Practices/Beliefs.

Racism and religion are recognized as prevailing Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). To explore ways in which racism and religion looms in the daily lives of African Americans, we analyzed the experiences of African Americans born during the Jim Crow years and living in the Southern Appalachian Region of the United States. Twenty-seven African Americans participated in this qualitative descriptive study that utilized criterion sampling, open-ended semistructured interviews, and content analysis to identify a typology of categories related to experienced racism and ways in which religion was used in response to those experiences. Participants were an average age of 82.22 years (SD = 5.07); primarily women (n = 19, 70.4%); married (n = 11, 40.7%); junior high school (n = 6, 22.2%), high school or general educational diploma (n = 7, 25.9%), completed college or professional school (n = 6, 22.2%); were retired (n = 27, 100.0%); and affiliated with Baptist churches (n = 18, 66.7%). Experiences with racism included inequities in healthcare and education, and racially motivated physical violence. Religious practices/beliefs included forgiveness, humility, and humanity. Racism experienced by African American participants was likely countered by religious practices/beliefs inspired through intergenerational teachings with affiliations to the Black Church. These experiences of the oldest old ) African Americans living in communities of the Southern Appalachia, United States, illustrate the pervasive nature of racism. The religious beliefs that are frequently transmitted intergenerationally through the Black Church are relevant to understand present-day encounters with racism among African Americans and possibly other communities of color.

The Black Church and Co-Occuring Pandemics.

Black people represent less than 13% of the population in the United States, but over 15% of COVID-19 deaths, with a mortality rate two times higher than White people. The Black Church system has historically been in a unique position to serve Black communities, particularly during times of crisis. The deep-rooted connection of the Black Church system within Black communities was largely shaped by slavery and segregation. However, there have been questions about the relevance of the Black Church system today. The objective of this commentary is to describe the intersectionality of ministry and health that has been illuminated in a profound way during this pandemic. Those in leadership had to evaluate and disseminate COVID-19 information to congregants, recognizing mistrust of the medical and public health systems still permeates throughout Black communities. Moreover, the death of George Floyd sparked international outcry, which launched church leaders to respond to a second pandemic: systemic racism. Understanding ways the Black Church responded to COVID-19, and systemic racism, is significantly important to public health and medical communities as it addresses the relevance of this system and ways to appropriately support during another public health crisis.

The Role Religious Involvement Plays on the Literacy of African American Students: A Systematic Review

This review explored empirical studies from 2012 to 2022 to understand the influence of religious involvement on educational outcomes of African American students. Thirteen studies were analyzed first using a database to identify how the data related to three guiding tenets from Critical Race Theory. Then, a constant comparative analysis was used to identify themes found related to each tenet. Findings showed that this body of research underscores the importance of the Black Church’s community, relationships and trust, challenges to academic disparities, informal learning, faith-based learning, provision of access to programming, and spirituality as a support mechanism for academic success.