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A Study of What Attracts and Retains Black Men to the Center

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A Study of What Attracts and Retains Black Men to the Center A STUDY OF WHAT ATTRACTS AND RETAINS BLACK MEN TO THE CENTER OF HOPE MINISTRY, CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, IN LIGHT OF ACTS 20:7-10 by DALLAS C. WILSON, SR. B.S., Business Marketing, University of Bloomsburg, 1990 M.Div., Charles Harrison Mason Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center, 1994 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of McAfee School of Theology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY Atlanta, GA 2014 UMI Number: 3580002 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Di!ss0?t&iori Publishing UMI 3580002 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my beloved, Tina. You deserve as much of this degree as I. Your sacrifice for this project is a debt that 1 can only repay with eternal love. To my children Kayla, Symphony, Myles, Kerrington, and granddaughter Kennedy. I loved watching you watch me. I struggle to reach higher so your reaching becomes an expectation due of your bloodline. I love you endlessly. In loving memory of my son, Dallas C. Wilson, II. You are missed and will be remembered always. To my 87-year-old father, Robert “Pop” Wilson. You celebrated each of my degrees by asking about the next. You set the mark high; you gave me the will, and now I give you this degree. I love you Daddy. The Center of Hope Church of God In Christ, I love you more than you know. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................. iii LIST OF FIGURES...............................................................................................................v LIST OF APPENDICES........................................................................................................vi ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 1 Background of the Problem.................................................................................4 Statement of the Problem....................................................................................15 Project Limitations and Assumptions.................................................................16 Terms and Definitions.........................................................................................16 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................. 17 3. METHODOLOGY..............................................................................................79 Demographics......................................................................................................79 Center of Hope Ministry Context Analysis.......................................................79 Center of Hope Ministry Characteristics........................................................... 81 Survey Tools................................... 82 4. FINDINGS........................................................................................................... 84 5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................89 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................96 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURES Page 1. Black Men Raised With Father ......................................................................84 2. Black Men Raised Without Father.................................................................85 3. Compilation of 1st Survey Results.................................................................85 v LIST OF APPENDICES Page APPENDICES........................................................................................................................99 A BROTHERHOOD LESSON................................................................................ 100 B STATEMENT OF FAITH.....................................................................................112 C IRB COMPLETION CERTIFICATE...................................................................114 D INFORMED CONSENT FORM.......................................................................... 118 E SURVEY INSTRUMENT #1................................................................................121 F SURVEY INSTRUMENT #2................................................................................125 G SURVEY DATA RESULTS FROM 2 nd SURVEY ...........................................128 H PROPOSED COH MEN’S BIBLE STUDY LESSON.......................................134 I BROTHERHOOD TASK FORCE....................................................................... 136 J BROTHERHOOD CALL TO ACTION....................................... :...................... 139 ABSTRACT DALLAS C. WILSON, SR. A STUDY OF WHAT ATTRACTS AND RETAINS BLACK MEN TO THE CENTER OF HOPE MINISTRY, CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, IN LIGHT OF ACTS 20:7-10 Under the direction of PETER RHEA JONES, PH.D. Black men are noticeably absent from the Center of Hope. Church may not be attractive and other activities are competing for their time. Times, communities, lifestyles have changed, and the demand upon the lives of the black man is great, and church does not fit in. The church must be more than concerned, but active in addressing this issue. The current project, Attracting and Retaining Black Men to the Center of Hope Ministry in Light of Acts 20:7-10, is a study of, and the development of, best and new practices to grow black male attendance. This will be accomplished by stating the need to attract and retain black men, and how their absence affects the entire black family and future generations. The research and surveys conducted will be utilized to initiate activities that attract the black male, develop a biblical homiletic that empowers the black male, and examine the hospitality, and culture of the church in light of the black male. This study will yield the best practices and procedures to attract and retain black men to the church. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION As goes the black man, so goes the black family, and the black church. Acknowledging the unwavering faith and strength of the black woman and mother is essential. These women, empowered by God, have done all within their power to provide for the family and nurture children where their father was absent but just as food, water, and shelter are critically essential, and nonexpendable to the black family, so is the black man. The black man is a critical need for the survival of the black family. The black man gives the wife someone to look to, the son the model of what to become, and the daughter what to look for in a husband. When absent there remains a void that cannot be filled. The black church has played a major role in the development, and sustainability of the black family. In the church, the black family learns core values that set a standard for daily living, coping skills for times of adversity, and faith in God. Absent from the pews, the black man has become disenchanted with the black church, and no longer sees the church’s purpose. The black man must be able to find his place in the church. The premier gifts celebrated in church are preaching, singing, and emotional praise. These gifts are often not the gifts of black men in attendance; therefore they do not see a place where they can participate. The black man living in challenging urban environments has 1 no tolerance for the weak images of Jesus, and other biblical characters preached in churches. Black men have grown weary of being the punch line of sermons preached by black preachers, being denounced as drug dealers, gang bangers, and deadbeat fathers, promiscuous, with no conscience at all to the applause of single black women struggling to raise their black sons. The church must examine its hospitality, practices, theology, and homiletic, as well as possess a sincere desire to reach men outside the congregation in new, and unconventional ways that attract, and maintain their presence, and attention. The Center of Hope, a church located in Riverdale, Georgia, rests in the center of a predominantly black neighborhood surrounded by residents of low-income housing projects, private homeowners, and those who have obtained dwellings through government assistance and programs. Many black men are seen hanging out around the neighborhood store, and at the entrance of the apartment complexes rather than sitting in Center of Hope’s Sunday School classes or participating in worship. Men are outnumbered by the women at a 10 to 1 ratio at the Center of Hope. The black man’s lack of interest, greater desire for all the pleasures of sin, or a lack of belief in God is not the reason for his absence from church. The absence of black men from the pew reflects beyond the church to the family, the community, and society. The black man’s absence from the church can be connected to criminal involvement, high out-of-wedlock
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