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AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCH PLANTING

Church planting in the African-American tradition is one of the fastest-growing areas of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was in 1989 that the Convention officially voted to intentionally start churches in the predominantly African-American communities of North America. Many people have championed this effort and new churches are on the horizon. Our goal is to see that no African-American community is without an opportunity of having a church.  

How Do You Start a Church in Predominately African-American Communities?

Jesus' command in Matthew 28:18-20 to witness to and disciple all people without exception, is a mandate to Southern Baptists to start churches. Southern Baptists would be disobedient to their Lord if they excluded anyone. However, many new and older communities in racial transition have no Southern Baptist church. Distinct groups of people make up these new communities, and they need churches designed to meet their needs. All Christians must mobilize their efforts for an effective witness.  The more than 7.7 million non-Christian, African-Americans in the United States indicate this great need.

STEPS FOR PLANTING A CONGREGATION IN AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

Step 1: Gather Information About the Following:

• Demographics of population, income, education, unchurched population, single-family housing, and so forth
• Prominent social and civic organizations
• Predominant community-ministry needs
• Active community leaders
• Current church attendance habits, new-church interest, home Bible study interest, and so on

Step 2: PROVIDE RESOURCES

Providing resources to implement the church planting strategy is the next step. Determine who will provide financial and personnel resources.
Church planting resources should include:

• Pastoral salary package
• Meeting facilities (rental or property acquisitions)
• Cultivation needs (costs for newspaper announcements, telemarketing, brochures, and other promotional needs)
• Community outreach needs (resources for literacy missions, food or clothing distribution, tutoring, and other resources)

Step 3: EVALUATE

• Goal-setting in new work is important, and evaluation is a natural by-product.
• The new-work plan changes, updates, and developments are inevitable.
• Church planting is not an exact science; therefore, evaluation during each step as necessary.

Some questions to be raised are:

• What are we doing?
• Why are we doing it?
• How well are we doing?
• What action should we add?
• How can we do it better?

Where Do We Plant a Church in an African-American Community?

LOCATION TO MEET

• The church is not a building. It is the people of God who gather for worship, fellowship, service, witness, and discipleship.
• The building's location and attractive appearance can help make the church more appealing to the people it seeks to serve.
• Churches involved in church planting must at some time determine the most appropriate meeting place for the new congregation.
• Land must be secured and buildings erected or other arrangements must be made.

TYPES OF SITES

Facilities Shared with Another Congregation

In this type of situation, worship may be held at different times, or at the same time, but in different parts of the building. This arrangement works better when differences exist in worship styles, languages, or other cultural/social considerations.

Vacant Church Building

• Some new congregations secure buildings once used by other denominations. Financial considerations may raise the questions:
• Can financing be secured for a building purchase?
• Is financing needed to repair an older building?
• Is financing necessary for extensive remodeling of a building with a non-Baptist design, such a divided chancel, icons, or artifacts that represent non-Baptist theology, and absence of a baptistery?

Upgraded Storefront
Renovated supermarkets and mini-malls can also become church facilities. They provide not only open space for worship, but also convertible space for office, storage, educational, and recreational use.

Multihousing Communities
Some new congregations provide support services for multihousing communities. Included are a variety of activities to help meet residents' spiritual, social, educational, and cultural needs. In return, housing administrators may offer community room space or an apartment for religious use and, possibly, a residence for the minister. This arrangement is mutually beneficial since it provides space for church activities and helps establish a wholesome environment in the community.

Mobile Home Chapels
Many new congregations use mobile homes for their facilities. Some Baptist associations and state conventions have mobile units that serve a new congregation until it can build a permanent building. The mobile units are then moved to another site for another new congregation.