The challenges that deter Christians from supporting Black-led ministries in urban centers is largely related to intentionality. My research in Know More Nonprofits: Moving from Dependency to Sustainability demonstrated that $35 million (96%) of funding from Chicago-based, white, evangelical donors went to white-led ministries that were operating in black communities. In contrast, only $1.7 million (4%) of funding from the same sources went to Black/brown-led ministries on Chicago’s west and south sides.
The research in Know More also proves that the Black/brown ministry leaders’ education levels exceeded their white counterparts. Black/brown urban ministry leaders were culturally competent to minister to their own culture, while none of the white leaders grew up in the culture they were ministering in. One key distinctive was that the white urban ministry leaders had more formal business training than the Black/brown urban ministry leaders whose degrees tended to be heavy on theology and social work, but not on executive leadership and organizational development.
To overcome the obstacle of intentionality, I recommend the following:
- Invest – for each dollar invested into a white-led ministry operating in a Black/brown community, identify a Black/brown led ministry in the same community and invest at least 2x as much
- Collaborate – with Black/brown ministry leaders, business leaders and civic leaders in the community to create sustainable for-profit ventures that the ministry would own and operate
- Exit – help white-led founders transition the ministry, its capital, and its relationships to commit to supporting the ministry for at least 5-10 years once the white founder exits the ministry.
Funders should make intentional efforts to establish, nourish and maintain fruitful relationships with ministries across racial and cultural divides. Funders should assume nothing, but should instead educate themselves about a ministry, ministry leader, the ministry leader’s culture, their heroes and heroines, and the community the ministry serves, prior to connecting with the ministry. Essentially, do your market research and analysis of the community you would like to connect to. It is not the ministry’s job to educate, it is your responsibility and an important showing of respect.