CHAPTER 1: Problem Statement and Purpose
A. Statement of the Problem
African American men (AFAM) have been reducing in number in church participation. The concern in the study is why and how to get the men to be part of the Disciples of Christ in the church. The New Fellowship Baptist Church (NFBC) and other AFAM men churches in Ohio are facing the crisis of men’s absence in the church and their related roles in the services . It indicates a gap that requires mitigations through mentorship programs among the congregation’s where the latter has left a vacuum of spiritual formation and growth in the men’s life as well as in their community and homes . The New Fellowship Baptist Church is comprised of single and married women who are the pillars of the clergy and part of the lay leadership as well as participants in discipleship in the church and community. The gap that exists in the church on AFAM men will be examined to identify the reasons that lead them not to be actively engaged in worship and congregational life.
Purpose
The motivation behind the research is based on the reduced number of African American men who attend church regularly. Evidence-based research identifies that there is a reduced number of male congregants. The objective of the study is concerned with finding the experiences of African American men in church and reasons which attribute to reduced engagement in the life of the church. The majority of the African American men are not open to spiritual formation and discipleship however they can participate as congregants. The study will benefit not only the NFBC but also other African American churches that are having issues of men being almost nonexistent in the church.
Research Questions
1. What are the social experiences, if any that AFAM men are enduring as it relates to the relevancy of the Church in their lives?
2. What can the church do to increase AFAM men’s participation in the church in the future?
3. How are AFAM men viewing themselves as being role models for other AFAM men?
4. What are the contributing factors that lead AFAM men to recede the church?
5. How can the active AFAM men in the church support other AFAM men towards discipleship in the community?