Black churches lag behind in current rush to go digital

From online campaigns for justice to popular TikTok challenges, Black young adults are at the forefront of social media trends. But when it comes to the Black Church, the same cannot be said — it has lagged behind in the rush to go digital.

As a scholar of online religious practices, I believe that ascribing the problem to a generational divide and declining church engagement among young people is overly simplistic. Such a view, I argue, fails to understand the complex dynamic between Black young adults and the Black Church.

The pandemic is one case in point. Early in March, before state and federal guidelines were handed down, Black churches were split over whether to remain open or close their doors to congregants during the pandemic.

Some churches designed innovative practices to cater to congregants during the lockdown, like church service by phone, drive-in services or livestreaming worship before empty pews.

But others continued with in-person services despite stay-at-home orders. A survey in late April found that worshippers at historically Black churches were the least likely to say that their services had moved online.

The slow move to online technology by some Black churches has been attributed in part to an aging hierarchy.

Nonetheless, studies suggest that racial and economic disparities could also be factors in why many Black churches struggled to go online prior to and during the pandemic compared to non-Black churches. On average, Black Americans face greater barriers to internet access and highspeed connection at home than do white Americans. This disparity extends to Black young adults.

Studies have shown that while Black millennials usually have smartphones, they are less likely to have access to laptops and desktops compared to white millennials.

This may explain the relatively high level of engagement that Black users have with social media platforms that work well on a smartphone format, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

In recent years, white millennials have trended away from the social media site Facebook. But Black young adults remain invested in Facebook, allowing them to maintain an online connection with older family members who are more likely to be using Facebook than social media platforms aimed at younger users.

Social media sites like Facebook and YouTube also afford Black young adults the space to perform Black church rituals alongside older Black adults: for example, through the use of memes or TikTok challenges. Such digital forms of play in these examples, including donning ornate church dresses and hats and sharing hip hop remakes of gospel classics, provide experiences that connect African Americans of all ages.

Although some Black young Americans may feel a disconnect with the Black church over its positions on, for example, women’s rights, hip-hop, or LGBTQ issues, they are still likely to be connected to traditional Black churches through family, friends and online religious content. In addition, young Black adults are significantly more likely to be living in multigenerational households, putting them in closer contact with older churchgoers.

As such, despite uneven access to technology, Black churches should be well situated for survival and growth in uncertain times. But it will require nurturing the intergenerational networks that already exist.