A Guide to Black Churches for White People

In my continuing effort to bridge the gap between black and white people, I want to accompany my previous piece, "Why Do White People...?", with this list of things that black people do in church that white people probably don't understand. I will try to be as clear as possible for all of my ultra-light skinned brothers and sisters (aka Caucasians) so that we all may move closer to loving each other a little more.

I have taken several of my white friends to church with me before and watched in amusement as puzzled expressions crossed their faces. One friend pointed out some differences between our services and theirs that I did not know about until I visited their churches. I will share some of these differences with you in hopes that when those of you that have not visited a black church finally do, you won't be caught off-guard like my friends.

We like music. I'm not talking about the kind that is in the hymnal and we all follow along with word for word. Not the kind that is scrolling across the giant screens above the pulpit. We like the songs that are full of meaning and probably only have two verses. I have heard the choir sing a song with one verse for a full twenty minutes. Each time they sang the verse, if you had not really been listening, you would have thought it was a different verse.

When leaving the sanctuary to use the restroom, step outside, or whatever it is you were leaving the church for, we have a tendency to hold our index finger up. I know that when my white friends saw this, they were baffled. It is a sign of respect. I'm not quite sure to who though. I always thought it was a way of holding your place in the sanctuary with the Lord. I've heard other people give different reasons for why they do it, but whatever the reason, we hold that finger up.

Whoever the oldest woman is in the church, she has the right to testify every Sunday if she chooses no matter if she has nothing whatsoever she really wants to say. She can talk about how she stubbed her toe that morning on her dresser and she came on to church anyway. She can talk about how misbehaved the children in the church are for thirty minutes if she wants. She can actually pop them on their behinds if she chooses. This is the "Mother" of the church. No one goes against her on anything.

We have many funds we are raising money for at church. Some examples are the building fund, choir robe fund, pastor's fund, vacation bible school fund, pastor's anniversary fund, church's anniversary fund, and countless others. If you plan on donating $10, please break that into ones. You will be looked at funny if you mess up and only give in one fund. Please remember that all donations are appreciated.

Last, but certainly not least, there is the matter of the pastor. The pastor can be male or female. I have attended church with both. The pastor does not read from a prepared word. It is rare to see a minister at our church with the words scrolling across the monitors above their heads. It is not for a lack of preparation. I have seen many write out long sermons and discard them the moment they stand before their congregation. You will see a look come across the pastor's face as they stand up at the pulpit, and that is when they know exactly where they want to take all of us. That is part of the reason that we are still in church until well after 1 p.m most Sundays. The pastor is not going to sit down until he has said everything that is on his heart and you are not leaving until he has.

I offer these few examples of things that go on in predominantly black churches in hopes that we can all understand each other a little bit more and eventually truly love one another. It wasn't until I truly interacted with white people that I understood that those little differences should only enhance our relationships with one another, not separate us. Until next time...