Role of the church in secular concerns of its congregants Essay Example for Free

Role of the church in secular concerns of its congregants Essay As notable and important as the role of the Black church in inspiring community service by its congregants is the service provided by the church for its congregants’ secular concerns. Church programs can often encompass all areas of a congregant’s secular life. Social interaction and personal relationships are fostered among the congregation; social services such as youth ministry and care for adolescents, literacy programs, economic development programs and physical and mental health programs are provided; traditional pastoral services such as grief counseling and marriage counseling are also benefits of the membership in the Black church. Many of these services have been the subject of study and inquiry in recent years, and a review of extant literature can provide insight into the role of the modern Black church. PHYSICAL HEALTH PROGRAMS Health and preventative care programs are some of the most important secular program offered by Black churches to their congregations. The health picture of African-Americans is grim: higher rates of diabetes and heart disease, lower birth rates and life expectancies, higher infant mortality, and higher rates of psychological problems are all exacerbated by lower levels of health insurance coverage and racial discrimination in health care (NEEDS CITE). Church-based health programs are a vital resource for the underserved population of the church community. The Los Angeles Mammography Promotion in Churches Program, a Los Angeles area health initiative sponsored by the RAND Corporation, which targeted an underserved population (older Black women) for health screening care including mammograms, ran from 1996 to 1998, with 18 Black churches participating. The aims of the study were twofold: one, to determine the feasibility of churches as focal points for community health programs; and two, to test the effectiveness of church-based programs aimed at increasing preventative health care access to underserved populations. The authors considered that â€Å"the church can be an important conduit through which to inform racial/ethnic minorities about preventative care, and that the Black church, because of its ethic of service to others, is particularly well-suited for health promotion (Markens , 2005, 805). The authors of the study, Markens, Fox, Teub and Gilbert (2002), surveyed the pastors of 16 of the churches upon completion of the program to determine the effectiveness of the program and its implementation. The survey illuminated not only the effectiveness and importance of church-based health care programs for the Black community, but many of the problems with implementation and participation in these programs. The authors note that â€Å"given its historical and ongoing roles within the Black community, the church is an ideal setting in which to offer health promotion activities for African-Americans (2002, 805). † In order to obtain answers about the church leader’s perspective on the effectiveness of the program, the authors of the study interviewed sixteen of eighteen pastors of the church where the program was implemented; two of the pastors were excluded due to their short tenure with their churches, which meant that they had not been substantially involved in the program. The authors found that most of the pastors were generally enthusiastic and positive about the program and their church’s participation in it; however, there were also a number of criticisms of the study. The authors noted that what drew many of the pastors to participate in the study was their holistic approach to ministry. One participant, Reverend Henry, said: I try to have a holistic ministry, one that not only deals with the soul but the body as well†¦ there are many facets to us that make up whole people, and each one needs to be dealt with and the church can be a focal point in dealing with the needs of the whole person†¦ I feel very strongly that the physical wellbeing of the person is as important as their spiritual wellbeing. (Markens , 2002, 807). Some participants in the study went even further than Reverend Henry, expressing a dislike of the idea of the separation of spiritual and secular concerns and explicitly linking spiritual and physical health. Reverend Ellington, another participant, remarks: †¦there are a lot of people because of a spiritual mentality, they believe that the Lord will do everything and they†¦ really don’t have to be overzealous about doing anything†¦ so you have to keep telling them that the doctor is there because God put him here. So then you’re supposed to utilize that source. And so that’s my kind of emphasis, that I keep people interested in their whole body. (Markens , 2002, 807). More pragmatically, many participants recognized that physical health was important to the congregation because it could affect spiritual goals. Reverend Henry noted â€Å"if you don’t keep people alive, you’re not going to have a congregation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  All the respondents to the study took the health of their congregation seriously, and considered it to be a matter of pastoral concern, disputing the idea that it was a secular matter (Markens , 2002, 808). One participant in the study, Reverend Hill, echoed a common sentiment when he remarked â€Å"the only reason for a church to be in existence is to better the community†¦ otherwise, it’s not a church† (Markens , 2002, 807). The eagerness and appreciation of community projects was a common attitude among the survey respondents. In a number of churches, the Los Angeles Mammography Promotion in Churches Program served as a gatekeeper for other church-based community health programs, often instigated or arranged by church members and pastors who observed the success of the mammography program. Programs such as diabetes and blood pressure screenings, health fairs and even the establishment of permanent Health Committees and Bible aerobics (a combination of a low-impact aerobics program with Bible study) were put into place in the participating churches, widening the congregation’s access to preventative health screening and care (Markens , 2002, 807). Not all of the responses to Marken’s study were positive. There were a number of barriers to care and the success of the program cited in the pastoral survey. The most common thread was lack of time on the part of the pastor to oversee the program; the responses speak to a larger problem within the church, that of high-stress leadership positions within the church. Reverend Hill stated: †¦ pastoring is one of the most stressful positions in America†¦ Mainly because you’re constantly on the go and consistently on call†¦ in the electronic age, you have a beeper on either side, you have a cell phone in your hand. You gotta check your email every day. And every time the phone rings you’re concerned†¦ you’re looking at a stressful society. (Markens , 2002, 808). At the same time, the presence of the pastor is extremely important – â€Å"in the Black church, people want to hear the voice of the leader†¦ some things just cannot be delegated ((Markens , 2002, 808). † There were other problems with the study that did not depend on the amount of time the pastor could devote to overseeing it. The smaller churches in the study didn’t have a lot of resources to draw on for financial support, which complicated administration of the program (many of the pastors worked second jobs in addition to overseeing the administration of the church. ) As the authors note, â€Å"Ironically, then, the Black church’s history of involvement in community and secular activities that makes them ideal sites for health interventions can at the same time possibly affect a pastor’s willingness to participate in new health programs (808). † Finally, the very lack of formal programs and secular support for the congregation’s health care affected the involvement of the congregation in the health intervention program. The combination of a lack of accustomed medical care, particularly preventative care and screening available to more affluent members of society, and a history of exploitation and abuse among the group resulted in an unwillingness to participate in a research study, regardless of how worthy it was (Markens , 2002, 809). The power of the Black church, although considerable, is not always enough to overcome the external pressure of the dominant culture. Another project that undertook a community health initiative within a Black church was Project DIRECT (Diabetes Interventions Reaching and Educating Communities Together). Project DIRECT, a federally funded research project sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Reid , 569). Project DIRECT was founded in 1994 in southeast Raleigh, North Carolina,, with the intended purpose of providing community care, education, screening and prevention resources in order to reduce the high rate of type II diabetes experienced within the African-American community in the region. This research project also examined the influence of another African-American institution, the historically Black university North Carolina Central University (NCCU), located in Raleigh, as a resource for community health programs. Reid state, â€Å"Historically, African American people have turned to the church for information about services of value and importance to them (571). † The authors note that the study was designed to take into account the fact that churches often have limited resources and are often overwhelmed with requests to participate in community health studies; careful organization of the study was required to avoid negatively impacting the pastor and outreach ability. The demographic profile of the church was considered more important for targeting church participation than the denomination of the church; however, there was no easy way to determine the demographic profile of any given church. In order to determine this, NCCU students participating in the study attended services at the church (with the pastor’s prior knowledge), and introduced themselves as Project DIRECT staffers during the fellowship time, discussing the project with those who showed an interest in it. The researcher observation allowed the Project to create a congregational health assessment tool (CHAT) used to determine the needs of the demographic served by the particular church, followed by a congregational health action plan (CHAP), customized to the church’s demographic. Church leaders were then engaged in providing their congregation with the appropriate contacts for education and management of type II diabetes within their congregation. The authors note that the outcome was positive: several churches reorganized or supplemented their health and social ministries on the findings of the CHAT and CHAP, and pastor response was positive. The interaction between the NCCU students and the church leaders and congregation was also noted as a positive outcome by the researchers: the Project DIRECT experience precipitated the founding of an interdepartmental master’s program in Community Health at NCCU, using the lessons learned to create a professional community health coordinator skill set within the community.