Black-American experiences

[kneedeep]

I wonder if there are any Black-american posters here? As a black female I've seen some members treated with a lower status. I won't says its out right racism, I just think in a predominantly white congregation they don't get as much attention. The black families who are active members (teaching, leading worship, deacons) get more attention then those who arent. Don't get me started on controversial political beliefs. Also do your cOC experiences differ in a predominatley vs a more mixed congregation (or predominately black)? How so?

I briefly worshipped at a predominately black congregation during my college years and it was a good experience. They took really good care of me during this time. This was during a time when I was spiraling downwards spiritually. I moved back to my home state to finish up college and went to mixed "mega" CoC and I actually enjoyed it. I say mega by coC standards as there were 500+ members there.

[bnot]

I'm black, and growing up my family has been members of predominantly black and white congregations. I spent the longest time at a predominantly white congregation (20+ years), and I do not feel anyone was treated with a lower status because of race. In incidents that happened behind closed doors, I learned that an former elder and a preacher (both white) treated a black male badly, but they also treated a white male and his wife badly. They never tried to bully me or pull a fast one. We were able to get rid of these guys, but the interaction between races overall in that church was good. That preacher sent everyone to hell on most Sunday's through his sermon, so he displayed equal opportunity with his behavior.
In my experience, when you refer to 'active members (teaching, leading worship, deacons)' getting more attention, they do because the church depends on them heavily to do one of those jobs. I was one of 2 song leaders, and then I was the only one. The main differences I experienced from one type of congregation to the other was the singing.

[kneedeep]

Glad the church ended up getting rid of him and that you've had a positive experience overall. Its been a hit or miss for me, depending on the church I attended at the time.

While attending church in AZ, I’ve witnessed preferential treatment in social gathering or helping some members in need. I remember a few members that had chronic ailments and would hardly get announced for prayers. They’ve went to elders repeatedly for requests. Not sure why they weren’t announced as often. One can only guess. However, when it came some of the white members the church would rally around them to help out with their needs. In social gatherings, a group of us(black & Mexican) were left out most of the time. I remember a deacon would invite young adults over to his house frequently but we weren’t always invited. Even some in those young adult classes socialized more outside of church. When our group would plan a gathering we invited everyone. Just some subtle things I’ve noticed. Yes, I agree that the active participants will naturally get more attention. Thankfully, where I attend now there is a closer relationship between the races.

Also another difference I noticed is that predominately white congregations would focus more theology, doctrinal issues, and biblical history. In contrast, other congregations focused more on the spiritual/emotional topics in the bible. Oh and the singing is definitely very different! lol

Are you still apart of the CoC?

[Moogy]

Years ago, my aunt was in a white church that merged with a black church of about the same size. I visited when I would go to see my aunt. The white members just could not figure out how to sing when they had a black song leader!

[bnot]

Glad the church ended up getting rid of him and that you've had a positive experience overall. Its been a hit or miss for me, depending on the church I attended at the time.

While attending church in AZ, I’ve witnessed preferential treatment in social gathering or helping some members in need. I remember a few members that had chronic ailments and would hardly get announced for prayers. They’ve went to elders repeatedly for requests. Not sure why they weren’t announced as often. One can only guess. However, when it came some of the white members the church would rally around them to help out with their needs. In social gatherings, a group of us(black & Mexican) were left out most of the time. I remember a deacon would invite young adults over to his house frequently but we weren’t always invited. Even some in those young adult classes socialized more outside of church. When our group would plan a gathering we invited everyone. Just some subtle things I’ve noticed. Yes, I agree that the active participants will naturally get more attention. Thankfully, where I attend now there is a closer relationship between the races.

Also another difference I noticed is that predominately white congregations would focus more theology, doctrinal issues, and biblical history. In contrast, other congregations focused more on the spiritual/emotional topics in the bible. Oh and the singing is definitely very different! lol

Are you still apart of the CoC?

I left in 2014 and now attend a "denomination". Being free from coc rules and regulations has been refreshing

[Struggler]

I went to 9 different C of C congregations in my life. We moved several times because my father was a minister. Racial prejudice was a sin in our family, although we had a few relations who didn't like anyone who wasn't white. Most people treated everyone from church equally. But there were always a few prejudiced types.

At one church, the head elder went on a racial rant while teaching a class until one of the congregants interrupted and asked, "Uh, what verse is that? I can 't seem to find it." That shut him up.

At another, the two "liberal" elders were quite prejudiced. Until our family came, you'd never have seen a black guy teach a class, preside at the communion or lead the singing. It was a factor in why my father was fired.

I was in charge of getting speakers for a summer series one year and an older biddy asked why I didn't invite that "(n-word) man to come preach. They really get into it." I was appalled by that language and said so. I also told her the gentleman had a name.

I know other churches had bigger issues, but my parents never saw black, white or whatever, so racial issues at church were somewhat less serious in my own experience.

[delilah]

I'm white, and I've no direct experience with integrated churches because the ones I went to growing up were 98% white. But when I was a little kid in the South my family would take me to black CofC meetings and OMG I loved it! After the staid, deliberately non-emotional white CofC experience, it was so exciting to see exuberant preaching, hand-clapping and physical movement while singing, and call-and-response during the sermon. This is all from my memory from about ages 6-10, so purely subjective perspective here.

[kneedeep]

I'm white, and I've no direct experience with integrated churches because the ones I went to growing up were 98% white. But when I was a little kid in the South my family would take me to black CofC meetings and OMG I loved it! After the staid, deliberately non-emotional white CofC experience, it was so exciting to see exuberant preaching, hand-clapping and physical movement while singing, and call-and-response during the sermon. This is all from my memory from about ages 6-10, so purely subjective perspective here.

You are right about it! They are much more lively. I've ended up in a predominately white congregation because at point I started to appreciate their conservative style. Now I'm booored with it.

[ena]

I'm white, and I've no direct experience with integrated churches because the ones I went to growing up were 98% white. But when I was a little kid in the South my family would take me to black CofC meetings and OMG I loved it! After the staid, deliberately non-emotional white CofC experience, it was so exciting to see exuberant preaching, hand-clapping and physical movement while singing, and call-and-response during the sermon. This is all from my memory from about ages 6-10, so purely subjective perspective here.

I have been in churches like that but never CoC. I'm white but going to the CoC was like going to a funeral. Seems like there needs to be a time for joy and thankfulness.

[BabesNotHot]

I’m Black and have been to a variety of kinds of coC throughout my life. I grew up in a White/multi-cultural church in south Georgia for about 5 years and I loved it when I was there. I had a lot of good friends there, most of them were White and I still talk to them and visit them to this day. There was a decent amount of other Black peoples that were there but I don’t remember any of us having problems with racism or being treated differently while we were there. I have visited some White churches where they didn’t do or say anything bad to us, but we didn’t feel welcomed there, there was an aura that made us uncomfortable.

The differences between White churches and Black churches mostly have to deal with traditions that are passed down to them, and a lot of these traditions are seen in other denominations as well. Every white church I’ve been to sing songs the same way. There can be no clapping, a lot less outward emotion and the song leader is really only there to start the congregation off on the right track and direct the music. In Black churches, it’s totally different. There’s clapping in every song, a lot more outward emotion, (i.e. Swaying back and forth/dancing, standing up when the song hits your feelings a certain way) and they sing a lot of spirituals. This is typical stuff you see in all kinds of Black churches.

The format is also very different. I loved going to White churches because they always finished fast. The preacher would only preach for 30 mins at the max, but usually around 20 mins. And service would only be about an hour overall. I’ve been to some Black churches where service would be 2.5 hours long. Although the songs sound great, we could sing one song for ten minutes like it’s nothing. And it was a good day if the preacher only preached for an hour.

Honestly I liked both kinds of churches, if I could mismatch them and take the good parts from both that would have been great. The only thing is that I always felt like Black churches didn’t have many people my age nearly as much as the White churches so that always made it kind of hard when I was there. But that’s probably going to be more of a problem for White churches more so often as well.