The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-09-03
Too Many Churches;

Ever since | was a kid on my
fathers farm in Virginia, | have re-
helled against the foolish expendi-
ture of money for unnecessary
churches,
Everywhere | have gone in this
country since that time, have OBJ
served that Negroes have two or
three times more churches than their
economic status will justify. There
are two factors responsible for this
condition. | shall discuss only one
of them, namely, denominationalism.
There are more than two hundred
different denominations in the Unit
ed States. Negroes are adherents to
the tenets of most of them. The
following, however, claim the larg-
,est number of Negro memberships:
baptist, M. E., A. M. E., C. M. E.,
A. NJ. E. a., Episcopalian, Presby-
terrain, and Congregational
One or more churches of each of
these denominations may be found
in nearly every Negro neighborhood
of any size This is the way it usual
ly happens, a group of people who
call themselves Baptists will organ
ize and attempt to build a church
and frequently this church will cost
more than the combined wealth of
al the members. Right across the
street, or pretty close by, one comb
nation of the alphabet" Methodist
will attempt to do identicallv the
same thing, while right around the
corner another combination of the
alphabet" Methodist will rival some
other denomination in the same fool
ish attempt.
The humor in their effort is in
the fact that they all claim to be
headed toward the same goal under
the banner of the same leader, Je-
sus Christ. But paradoxically each
one of them is going in a different
direction! How they can be headed
toward the same goal while going in
opposite directions is puzzle to me.
The tragedy in this situation is in
the fact that ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS has
placed Negroes in a well nigh hope
less condition, certainly in SO far as
the present generation Is concerned
|. 1t has divided them into small, dog
matte and unco-operative units. 1t
has given them a multiplicity of
churches which they do not need and
cannot afford. 1t has placed upon
the shoulders of poor people, fl
nancial burden that is staggering and
discouraging.
Furthermore, in our weak and
| i'll afford to be torn asunder by fool
ish UNCONVENTIONAL beliefs. The I'M
necessary churches that have result
ed from this folly is one of the larg-
est eating cancers on our economic
life. The stupendous church burden
caused by denominational rivalry has
almost Slapped the real usefulness out
of the church. This rivalry has just
about converted the church into a
money raising organization. About
all that the average Negro church
can do now-a-day is to raise the pas
tors salary and the interest on the
past due notes. This incessant eff
fort to raise money leaves but little
time to administer intelligently to
the spiritual needs of the members
or to the social welfare of the COM
munity. What is supposed to be the
\ duty of the pastor in many of our
churches, is too often nothing more
CT less than an emotional money
raiser.
If half the money Negroes have
squandered on surplus churches had
been wisely and safely invested in
productive way, they would now
have little occasion to beg for things
they need.
You have never heard of Jews
begging anybody for anything and
you never will. They have sense
enough to invest their money pro-
ductively. Go into any Negro urban
neighborhood in any part of the Uni
ted States and what are you likely
to find? I'll tell you; you will find
Jew store in nearly every other
block and a Negro church nearby
The jew store is getting Negro mon.
ey while the Negro church is get.
ting jew religion. That is what you
call reciprocity. The Jew gets the
money and the Negro gets religion
To show you what denomination.
anime these figures. The Catholics
nave ZU,UUO,UUV members ana lo,'
900 churches in the United States
or an average of LOO members
per church Negro denominations
have 100000 members and $4,000
churches, or an average of 100 mem.
bers per church. The Catholics, you
see, have four times as many mem.
bers as Negroes, yet they have only
about one-third as many churches
To any sensible person, it is plainly
obvious that Negroes cannot afford
an average of one church for every
100 members.
The Negro Church had better start
tearing down those foolish denomi.
national barriers. Unless it does. il
may as well resign itself to the fate
of lost cause.