Historically, the black church has played a pivotal role in setting the foundation for its African American members in politics. For instance, in 1957, Frazier argues how the black church, since the civil rights era, has offered opportunities for its members to cultivate leadership skills through the different positions in church. As a result, the church has been credited with the label of " a nation builder " for the black community. This is based on filling the void left by other institutions and organizations in civic skills development, such as speaking, writing, and working in group settings. However, even though the church has made great strides in fostering leadership skills, it has failed to acknowledge sexism in the church. Black women have been believed to be the backbone of the church and comprise about 60 to 70 percent of the church members. In addition, Helen Gray, who is a Baptist scholar in her own account, visited many black churches and noticed that most of the pews were filled with women. Given this majority, denominations regulate women to roles that were exclusively designed for them, without giving them the chance to become bishops, pastors, or elders. The black church has failed in the aspect of appeasing its female members needs with the equal chance of acquiring a male members position, such as bishop or pastor. This paper will examine how the black church has succeeded in the aspect of civic skill development for its members and failed in giving its African American female members the opportunity to acquire a male dominated position.
The black church has given African Americans who are in jobs of " low status ", an opportunity to develop civic skills necessary for one to be politically active. Research has been done to show that black churches have more influence on their African American members in building civic skills then the white churches have on their white members. (McDaniel, 2013). In addition, when it comes to assessing the amount of practice of civics skills within the church, African American levels are above Anglo Saxons levels. For instance, Verba, Scholzman, and Brady (2007) argue African Americans in " low status " jobs do not get the chance to practice civic skills at work, such as organizing meetings or giving presentations. These particular civic skills, along with others, are important. The black church succeeds in providing civic development and activities in the form of in-church positions for its African American members. The black church leadership positions that foster the development of civic skills for its African Americans members are the deacons, trustees, and chairs of women/men’s day committee. These church positions give African Americans members of the church, who did not practice civic skills due to their “low status” job, a canvass to practice due to responsibilities of the positions. In addition McDaniel (2013) discuss how blacks church leadership position was a response to institutional racism, discrimination toward African Americans that made it hard to compete with the Anglo-white Americans for open leadership positions in either the private or public sector employment market. Each church leadership positions cultivate African Americans member’s civic skills through responsibilities of all the positions which ranges from managing the church budget, organizing committee meeting, writing reports, and giving speeches, etc. Also in looking in areas of activities of black church in getting its member to be civically engaged the best church that show this is Orange Chapel. The Orange Chapel located east Austin is one of the sample black churchesanalyses in McDaniel work (2008) and found to be most civically engaged out of the sample. The Orange church has succeed in meeting the needs African American member with helping increase their civically engagement by working with the city and outside organization on local community project. These civic activities range from “build a park, pave walks, and tear down uninhabited houses” (McDaniel, 2013, p. 44). Furthermore the black church has meet the needs of its African American members by providing them opportunity to cultivate their civic skills, so they confidence in engaging in political activites.
There has been limited pastorates positionfemale and the black church, know for addressing social problem like African Americans inequality during the civil rights movement,has failed to address this issue which concern its own female members. Although some may say that the African Methodist Episcopal(AME) church, the first independent black denomination in United States, was the first to ordain women into ministry in 1948 six years ahead of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) church which was 1954(Delores,1998,p. 124); yet thereis still wide gap between male ordained into ministry and female ordained into ministry. Female are largely regulated by denomination, AME and CME, to serves presiding elders, or pastors assistance (Dlores, 1998, p. 125). The female that do get ordained minister are commonly in smaller churches with low membership and very little resources to engage in civic activities. Also they have female that managed to get ordained in ministry have to deal with a high level of scrutiny in trying to dodge attack by some who believe in traditional hierarchy in minister which has male preachingthe religious doctrine to the congregation and not female. Serving as pastors assistance meant one had the second-highest-ranking position which duties of the job was monitoring the church within the geographically region and have to answer to and report any information to male bishops of that region the church is in. The position duty is not only sexist in having female answer to male bishops, but it place women on hierarchy ladder in the church that is step lower than their male counterparts in the church. Conversely they AME church has been willing to allow for some change in gender ordained ministry byelevating Vashti Murphy McKenzie to the bishopric in 2000, which is the highest position within Methodism and has the most authority out of all the position. McKenzie had prior experience in ministry experience being pastor of a major pulpit AME church in Baltimore, Payne Memorial Church. She was successful in preaching and administrative duties which led to increase in church membership. However given the progressive decision in elevating McKenzie into bishopby the AME church, it was slow processresponding pushes by woman and few male supporters in wanting a female bishop for over a decade. Furthermore the black church must ensure that needs African American woman members, who make up the majority of the church,are met in making progressive move which will close the inequality of female compare to male when comes to attaining pastorates and bishops position, or else attendance to church of its female will drop.
The Black church has been strong religious institution when it comes to meeting its African Americans members needs in the area of civic skills development. This Important to African Americans members who are not given the chances to practice their civic skills at their respective place of employment due to it being “low status” in term job duties not requiring the use of any civic skills. However the AME church has failed in meeting the needs of its African American female members that are the backbone of church, due to high membership, to ordain more female into ministry. Even though AME church has been little more progressive then the CME church when it comes ordaining female into ministry, the process still has been slow. If the AME churches want need be to be more recognizing of the huge gap between male and female in ministry and start trying to close it, or else they will lose their female members which without them the church will be empty.