2021 DMin Symposium

Black Pastor, White Church: Using Positive Psychology as a Mission-Driven Strategy for Building and Sustaining Diverse Multicultural Congregations

Time: 3:00-3:50 p.m.

Abstract

This research study seeks to gain more knowledge from the experiences of Black clergy who are serving in predominantly White congregations and learn from their experiences. This research will assist Black clergy and the congregations that call us to understand what is involved when calling Black clergy to serve in a predominantly White congregation.  In addition, this study will investigate how positive psychology^[1] can be used when a predominately White congregation calls or desires to call a Black clergy to achieve a mission of creating a diverse multicultural congregation.

A note regarding the capitalization of Black and White in describing the people of the study. After researching this topic, the decision was made to use upper case lettering for both Black and White people. The reasoning, as will be revealed in this study, both Black and White people have an experience of race in our society. To use lower case capitalization for White people would continue the perpetuation of the idea of White folks not experiencing white as a race. As argued in the Washington Post, “Why ‘White’ Should be Capitalized, too,” for the capitalization, “We should capitalize “White” to situate “Whiteness” within the American ideology of race, within which “Black,” but not “White,” has been hypervisible as a group identity.”^[2]  It is important to this research study and the work in predominately White congregations, who call Black clergy to recognize there is White racial identity, as the invisibility of whiteness impacts the clergy. The capitalization of white in this study does not negate nor ignore white nationalists’ usage of a capital to elevate white supremacist ideology.