Religion: The Black Church in America
The Black Church in America
16.2% female senior clergy
Historically African American churches – often collectively termed ‘The Black Church’ represents 6.5% of the total US population, and 14% of all Protestants in America. The historically black Protestant tradition in America includes the National Baptist Convention, the Church of God in Christ, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Progressive Baptist Convention and others. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of adherents “has remained relatively stable in recent years, at nearly 16 million adults.”
The National Congregations Survey reports that 16.2% of Black churches have female senior clergy.
Though women remain few in leadership roles in black churches, there are notable exceptions. Teresa Jefferson-Snorton became the first woman bishop in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, saying “To some extent, it was a political statement.” Bishop Jefferson-Snorton overseas 217 churches across Alabama and Florida, and remains the CME’s sole female bishop, with her 16 fellow bishops all male. The CME Church has 1.2 million US members, ‘with missions and sister churches in Haiti, Jamaica, and 14 African nations.’
What will it take for women to get into the Power Percentage in The Black Church in the United States?