
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 26, 1994                   TAG: 9403250068
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DAVID BRIGGS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PASTORS SAY FISHERS OF MEN USE WRONG BAIT IN BLACK CHURCH

In the heyday of the civil rights struggle, black churchmen stood side by side at the forefront of social change. In the decades since, there has been a steady exodus of males from the pews of black churches, institutions where women have long been the mainstays of membership rolls but men have historically held prominent roles.

What is alienating many black men today, according to a new study, is both the church's perceived withdrawal from social movements, and its continued emphasis on non-violence and turning the other cheek, character traits that run counter to the rules of survival on inner-city streets. "There's a perception that the church is really irrelevant to our lives," said Robert M. Franklin, director of black church studies at Emory University's\ Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.

Over two years, Franklin has intensively studied two congregations, surveyed some 600 clergy and talked with young black men in barbershops and other gathering places. Among the encouraging results, Franklin said, many historically black denominations are aware of the problem of a lack of men on Sundays and are doing "moderately well" in seeking solutions.

In his survey of clergy, 61 percent reported they have special ministries for men, including all-male services, one-on-one mentorship programs pairing adults and youth, African-centered rite of passage ceremonies for adolescents.

At New Hope Baptist Church in Buffalo, N.Y., an all-male chorus and a food pantry that is organized by several men are among the ministries designed to give black men a greater church role. "That's a real serious question because the agenda of men - as Franklin has indicated - has not always been that of the church," said the Rev. Paul Thompson, church pastor.

The Rev. T. Garrott Benjamin Jr. of the Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis calls it "fishing with the wrong bait." He said women are not only dominant in the black churches, but church programs and worship styles are oriented toward women. Sewing circles and teas are not going to bring men to church, he said.

"It's a very, very tough time for black men and black boys," Benjamin said." The church keeps fishing with the bait it likes, not the bait men like."

Programs he has started in his church include the Respect Academy, a mentoring program for youth. When they graduate, the church celebrates with a ceremony signifying their movement from boyhood to manhood.

Still, churches seeking to attract black males face a long and sometimes contradictory list of concerns to overcome, Franklin found.

In addition to a perceived lack of concern for social ministry, some of the key reasons he identified for the black male exodus included an emphasis on monetary support that alienates men struggling with income and jobs, lengthy and confusing worship services and the fear that churches would not fully accept them because of past moral failures.

Franklin also said it is often difficult for youths to hear love and non-violence preached in church and "later that night face the mean streets where just the opposite character traits are necessary for survival."

Any solution is further complicated by gender tensions, clergy say, as churches try to recruit black men at the same time women are seeking greater roles in church leadership. The challenge, Franklin said, is to nurture men's self-concept without sacrificing opportunities for women.

by CNB