Black Clergy. We Need to Talk

Okay. Here goes. But first, let me issue a disclaimer. Please excuse the title of this blog. I am not telling you to get the eff outta here. And I won't tell you that. But I have some genuine concerns that I feel that need to be addressed.

I am disenchanted with what has been going on in our communities. I feel like in order to serve the Lord, one must take their followers into consideration. Now I am not a follower, but many people who are close to me are, and I feel like I really need to talk to all of you about something that I would like your assistance with.

I'm coming to you not as a "non believer" or sorts. 

I am not here to talk bad about you, and I am not here to talk some Athiest mess to you.

But I need a huge favor. I need real answers to the question I'm about to ask.

Where do your funds go?

I'm asking because our communities need that money in order to thrive. 

I would like to see them distributed back into the communities you serve.

I would like to see fully serviced Black hospitals with Black board of directors, and employees. I would like to see them completely under Black leadership, free from the White gaze because none of them have our best interests in mind. There are a lot of poor Black people who serve you. In a lot of instances, there are senior citizens who chose between buying food, paying bills, and getting the medication they need vs giving to the churches, and I feel that if we had hospitals that catered to those on Medicaid, and fixed income, it would help benefit all of your patrons. There are many people in your congregations with different professions. It would be very helpful if they were able to volunteer some of their time to work in these hospitals, so your patrons could get the care they need within the congregations, as well as those who do not worship who also live in the communities you serve. 

In fact, people may not need to volunteer to do this. They could get paid through the church if you build it up enough. 

I would like to see Black psychologists, counselors,etc use their time to help people get the counseling they need and or the necessary medications for them to continue living the best life they could. This way, more of your patrons could stand more of a chance at living a fulfilling, healthy life than before.

I would like to see you take the money you get from your patrons, and I would like to see it invested in purchasing homes in the communities you serve. 

I would like to see you purchasing properties and fixing up dilapidated homes so they could be rented or owned by people in the community. I would like to see you using your network of worshippers to get contracts to help fix these homes and make them liveable. It would also help for people to be able to come to the church for help with starting businesses with the rent money from retail properties purchased by the church.

I would like to see you employ the community and offer jobs and job experience to the youth by offering these services.  

I understand that not all Black churches have the money to do this. But I do understand that mega churches have the funds to make it happen. If people see the results you are putting in your community, then you can reach people better. They feel like they stand a chance out here. If they feel like they stand a chance out here, then you will attract more people. People will believe in what you speak. They will see what God can do for not just them, but for their communities. People are downtrodden right now. They always have been, and always will be if they don't see actual change in their surroundings. If you keep a people feeling down, and fill them with "hope" then what else do they have? They still have nothing because that hope hasn't manifested into something tangible. 

I'd also like to see cameras surrounding your buildings. This way, if someone does try to burn down your place of worship, then you will have footage. Our churches should not be burning down when we have the technology to keep that from happening.

I feel like if you build it, they will come. Many people don't see the build. So they don't go. They feel dejected, and rejected because if they don't go, they get treated as "lesser than". This creates a division within the people in the community, and contributes to weakening the church.

I would also like to see funding for Black owned and operated schools, where the state doesn't have control of the curriculum.  There are so many dilapidated school buildings in the neighborhoods you serve that it isn't funny. As a result,  many kids are being bussed far away from the homes where their parents pay taxes to, which causes you to lose funds in the long run as well. This prevents parents from being able to pay tithing, which also weakens the potential power of the church. 

If we get it started, we could be fully self sufficient with the help of Jesus.

All of these things can happen if you invest in your community. You don't have to do it en masse, but it starts with one house, one building, one property, one person. I know you have that power. If you can get poor people to scrape together their last dimes to give to the church in order to pay the members of the congregation, then you have enough to fundraise for just one house. Put a member of the congregation in that house and charge affordable rent. That rent goes toward an account just for properties. This could be done repeatedly for anything your community needs. Just create different accounts for different things, like "schools", "hospitals" etc. Pretty soon, you'll be able to help start businesses. Those businesses will be able to employ many people in the community. 

At that point, we may be able to start up our own private utility services, and we may even able to rebuild infrastructure (Flint Michigan and Detroit).

I am not asking for your prayers. I'm asking for some transparency. I'm asking as a concerned person who can see what is possible. You don't have to lose members. But if this happens, you can gain quite a few. Because right now, it looks like praying alone isn't helping. It looks like its hurting us spiritually, mentally,physically and economically. 

If you read this, then I thank you. If you respond, then I would be very grateful for it. Comments on this piece are nice, but I'm at a point where I need to see things happen. And right now... it doesn't look like it is happening. I believe all Black churches could make it happen. We just need to see the physical proof with our eyes, and not our hearts and minds.

Thank you for your time.