Is it true there are 'white and black-only' churches in America?
Posted by Apprehensive_Land142@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 411 comments
Once, years ago, when I was in 7th grade, my art teacher, who had lived in United States for a few years, said that in America there are churches just for white and black people, and pointed out how ridiculous it is to think that God cares about that. Is it actually true? Here in Brazil I've never seen anything like that.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
No. Its not true.
There are churches which will be predominantly black or predominantly white, but that's usually just due to location/demographics and in some cases a tendency for one group or the other to be in a more specific sect of Christianity.
If you show up as a white person to a mostly black church or a black person to a mostly white church, you'll likely be invited in warmly.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
One of my absolute favorite church experiences was at an AME church in South Carolina. We were the only white folks there. The congregation was incredibly welcoming and the pastor had us stand up and introduce ourselves. We got invited to the post mass picnic even though we didn’t bring a dish. And I’m serious that we were the only white people present.
Churches generally do not give a rip what color your skin is. They have more weighty theological things to worry about.
Alarming-Ad9441@reddit
The most welcoming people! I moved to SC 5 years ago and one of my favorite things is that the faithful here actually live the life. They are the most loving and giving people you could ever meet. I live near Mother Emanuel AME, recently 10 years since the tragedy, and while that community still mourns the great loss every single day, it has not in any way lessened their love for their fellow humans, no matter the color of their skin. One of my coworkers attends that church and I am so blessed to know him.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Oh my word. A community dealing with that darkness and still being open and welcoming is what good Christianity is about. I may have some theological quibbles with them but at the end of the day it is love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Evil will not overcome good and faith communities that live that are good in my book.
Revolutionary-Good22@reddit
Um... was that the one in Charleston? Was this before or after the massacre?
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Nah, it was not. It was a tiny church out by Santee.
Historical_Grab4685@reddit
Similar situation. When to a coworker's church to hear her sing. We were the only white folks & I was the only woman in pants. It was an apostolic church & I was raised Catholic. Very cool experience
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Yeah most of my experience with protestant churches was going to my neighbors church to hear her sing in the choir. She’s in her 70s now but still can belt out hymns.
I love Catholic chant but Protestant hymnody is really beautiful.
Krusty_Krab_Pussy@reddit
Yeah I had a similar experience when I lived in Maryland, genuinely such a warm and welcoming experience
CupBeEmpty@reddit
I have been to a lot of churches, mosques, temples. I have never felt excluded or unwelcome even if they knew I was of a different faith.
As the local Catholic crank I can tell you that anyone is welcome to mass. Don’t take communion if you aren’t Catholic but you can come up and get a blessing. No one cares about the melanin content of your skin.
My second favorite faith experience was going to meet a coworker at his mosque to give him some paperwork. I was a bit early. The imam welcomes me in and asked if I could stay for prayer. I told him I was Catholic and would just watch. He was totally fine with that and gave me the soft sell on coming back and maybe converting. Hard no for me but just the wonderfully kind atmosphere was awesome. I honestly didn’t even know my small Maine town had a mosque. I have found that religious institutions by and large are wonderful. Obviously there are some shitheels out there but as a practical matter most are excellent.
Environmental_End146@reddit
Sure just ignore the raping of children and the mass cover up for centuries. Religious institutions are wonderful, he said because they said hello. Keep ignoring the children. Religion is bad for the world
CupBeEmpty@reddit
What a sad and misguided take
Krusty_Krab_Pussy@reddit
No, stuff like this is bad for the world. I've known people who don't even believe in God who have done horrible things, does that mean everyone who doesn't believe in God do terrible things? (I'm also not religious btw)
myseaentsthrowaway@reddit
Many years ago, I moved to a new neighborhood. I went out for a walk to get a coffee on a Sunday morning and heard the most beautiful music coming from a church a block or two off my route. I took a detour thinking I'd find a bench where I could drink my coffee and listen. There was no bench near the church, so I stood near the entrance just to listen and a man near the door invited me in. I was the only white person in the church and I guess I was there for the last half of the service, it was a beautiful. I thought it was a really wonderful experience and I was grateful for how warmly I was welcomed.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
But yeah, if you go by a Catholic Church and the doors are unlocked come on in. It’s a wonderful place to just feel calm and reverence in the sea of turbulence of modern life.
My local parish literally never locks the doors.
PrettyPossum420@reddit
I mostly agree with you but unfortunately I do think that last paragraph is a bit overly optimistic. I can’t speak for how welcoming predominantly black churches are to white worshippers, but I suspect a black family showing up to the white church I grew up in (independent Baptist in the rural south) would not have been made to feel at home. They wouldn’t be thrown out or banned or told directly they were unwelcome (I think) but there definitely would be some raised eyebrows and palpable tension.
I think it’s very much dependent on denomination, location, and politics.
notonrexmanningday@reddit
I grew up going to a white Southern Baptist Church in Texas. There was one black family that attended regularly, and it wasn't a thing at all.
Also, as a white guy, I've gone to a couple different black churches and been received very warmly.
No-Conversation1940@reddit
I used to go to a cowboy church in Texas when visiting my sister's family. They had black attendees. Friendly folks, I thought the baptisms in the stock tank was a bit much but it's their culture.
My sister stopped going after her divorce, she agreed that it was a bit much and now she and her kids attend this non-denom, pastor with the baseball cap on backward, worship band that based on their sound must really love Kings of Leon contemporary church.
Brandonjoe@reddit
Baptisms in a stock tank is awesome lol.
SisyphusRocks7@reddit
“Yeah, our God is on fire!” - this worship band, probably
213737isPrime@reddit
It's not a thing as long as that black family doesn't get uppity
Professional-Pungo@reddit
slightly different, I recently accidently when to an all Chinese church here in Texas. I was the only white guy there.
they still were chill about it.
moonwillow60606@reddit
Same for me in rural NC. Southern Baptist and we had several black families in the congregation.
Setsailshipwreck@reddit
I grew up in an independent southern baptist church in NC and we had one Nigerian family who became part of our pretty much all white church and everyone in the church loved that family just as much as anyone else attending. They eventually had some visa issues and the parents had to leave the country for awhile so members of the church looked after their three children as well as raising money for legal help for them, writing senators etc and launching a full on campaign to try to get the parents back asap. It was a “white church” but every time anyone of color walked through the doors they were more than welcome and while we remained a primarily white church in a primarily white area it did start to diversify a bit at some point because the different people who came, were welcome and generally stayed.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
This is why you should all convert to Catholicism. 😉
We take all comers and don’t give a rip about your skin color.
wooble@reddit
My town has separate congregations for the Italians and Irish. They used to have 2 churches 2 blocks apart but merged about 10 years back. Still have separate Mass.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Same in Providence. I had three churches within about a mile of me. One Irish, one Italian, one French Canadian. Funny enough the French Canadian one became the Latino church, lots of Dominican and Mexican families with a Spanish mass.
My current parish has two churches and they were originally Irish and Italian. You can see it in the architecture and style of stained glass.
emessea@reddit
Funny enough, my city has a predominantly black Catholic Church
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint_Mary_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_(Norfolk,_Virginia)
CupBeEmpty@reddit
What an absolutely badass history.
And I will say fuck the Know Nothings. Those miserable ducks really strain my generally Catholic and forgiving nature.
JP II knew the score.
SteelRail88@reddit
There are so many Catholics in Africa that they send missionary priests to North America now
CupBeEmpty@reddit
My parish priest is Nigerian. He’s the second in command but he writes absolutely awesome homilies.
Major_Spite7184@reddit
Came here to say this. I know a lot of churches around us would not welcome some persons or families of color.
VirtualBroccoliBoy@reddit
The worst, most politically conservative church I've ever been to had tons of white people who were pretty openly racist in the Chris Rock "n-words vs black people" way but also had a small number of very active black members. It's easy for racists to get along with "one of the good ones" and assume every unknown black person is bad until proved otherwise.
Subvet98@reddit
I assume every unknown person is bad until proven otherwise.
wagdog1970@reddit
This is the way.
Proud-Delivery-621@reddit
The church my dad grew up in held Klan meetings after the service. That was in the sixties but I imagine it's still like that in many rural places.
durmNC@reddit
I've lived in the south much of my life. Our church membership is predominantly white and we'd love greater racial diversity.
This may indeed be area dependent. I live in a fairly progressive area with a lot of racial diversity and my guess is that most congregations are like mine - not terribly diverse, but would certainly welcome it.
anonanon5320@reddit
Church will not care what race you are.
aircraftwhisperer@reddit
I think the way they phrased it is true though, “you’ll likely be invited in warmly.” While your scenario does happen, it’s certainly not the likely scenario, on the whole.
handicapnanny@reddit
Dude you’ve never even been to church stop lying
CarolinaRod06@reddit
As a black man who grew up attending predominantly black churches throughout the south I can say I’ve never seen anyone not being greeted warmly. In most black churches during service, they have a time when they ask newcomers to stand up and introduce themselves. That’s a legendary part of the black church experience
funatical@reddit
I’m white. My step father was black. When it became clear the cancer was going to win he found Jesus and I started taking him to church. I was treated as a novelty, but welcome.
My grandparents were southern Baptist. I would go to church with them when I spent weekends with them. IF black people showed up he made them feel welcome (he was an usher, not just some random dude) and would criticize anyone who had any other opinion on their presence.
The experiences weren’t the same, but you used to be able to walk into most any church in the south (late 80s - early Oughts) and be welcome.
Ok_Perspective_6179@reddit
“You think”
fairelf@reddit
You're not going to find today the explicit segregation from the 60's and earlier.
andropogon09@reddit
This has been my observation too. Black churches are overwhelmingly receptive to white guests, but the reverse often isn't true. I think this is more of a regional thing than denominational.
MLK very famously observed that 11 to noon on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.
RutCry@reddit
I am an older white Southern Baptist in Mississippi. Our church may be predominantly white, but all are welcome. We have African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians in our congregation. There do exist churches that are black or white only, but those are social circumstances reflecting the communities where those churches are based.
Saab-2007-93@reddit
I'm from Ohio and grew up in a pentecostal assembly of God style church all of my childhood and teen years. It was always 99 percent white but it was mostly people who you'd expect to be at church. Church was never for me but I went anyways because we'd go to like hibachi or buffets or a nice upscale diner or steakhouses after church in our nice clothes.
hobsrulz@reddit
Regardless of how people want to behave, discrimination like this would be illegal and there would technically be a course of action against it
urine-monkey@reddit
It's absolutely demographical. I remember visiting family in a small, predominantly caucasian town in Northern Wisconsin. After we passed the third church I made a remark that I wouldn't have thought the town was big enough to necessitate so many churches. That's when I learned one church was for the families of German descent, one was for the Scandinavians, and the other was for the Polish an Eastern Europeans. There was also a Jewish synagogue out in the country.
It makes more sense when you consider that a lot of churches are about maintaining cultural traditions beyond giving religious services/. But it's generally not an exclusionary thing and most churches are more than happy to share them with curious outsiders and answer whatever questions they might have.
Adorable-Tree-5656@reddit
Once, after moving to an area, I went to a Southern Baptist Church, as that is how I was raised. Everyone there was black and I am white. Everyone was lovely and welcoming and I didn’t get a single weird look.
Deranged-genius@reddit
The same goes for Muslim mosques.. even if you have no idea what to do they will welcome anyone in and help them worship with them
WiganGirl-2523@reddit
Even women?
schmatteganai@reddit
Women are welcome in every mosque I've been to, but you have to stand behind the men during prayer times, or stay in the women's section if they have one, in addition to taking off your shoes. Like in many churches, you may be asked to cover some clothing choices, or possibly cover your hair- mosques that care a lot about this usually have some extra scarves on hand that you can borrow.
schmatteganai@reddit
As a practical matter, the US doesn't have many mosques that are worth visiting as a tourist attraction, so most of the time you'd be visiting for an event, where they would be prepared to welcome visitors and would have decided what they were going to ask people who might not be familiar with their dress code to do ahead of time.
Stuffedwithdates@reddit
yes some mix in others it's like the schools of my youth Boys and girls have different entrances. and don't sit together.
Curmudgy@reddit
I’d assume they have a women’s section. Certainly orthodox synagogues do, but that doesn’t mean the women aren’t welcome. I suppose that people who object to the separation on principle or are offended by limiting the role of women in services might interpret that as being unwelcome, but that’s a metaphorical use of “unwelcome”.
MyUsername2459@reddit
I can't find it right offhand, but I remember reading a story of someone who literally walked into a Mosque once, fully intending to commit hate crimes once in there. He walked in, expected to be hated, and was planning some kind of violent action. . .only to be surprised at how friendly and welcoming everyone was. . .that they were totally unlike the "mad terrorist bomber" stereotype in his head, and he held off on the violence, and eventually joined them.
That story always stuck with me. We get so much of our opinions from media that is so disconnected to us, and so many things change once you actually meet real flesh & blood people.
OkConsideration9002@reddit
I've had similar experiences.
Lady_DreadStar@reddit
For a service or two. I’m a Black woman with a white husband and it was eventually made clear with micro-aggressions and sudden mentions of ‘white people’ from the pulpit that we weren’t supposed to keep coming back, lol.
I was in pretty deep denial about it, but it all fell apart when he eventually had to use the restroom at the church. I guess whatever happened in that restroom wasn’t very nice.
Asnyder93@reddit
You haven’t lived in some Deep South where there is racism both ways
a_masculine_squirrel@reddit
I'm a black guy who grew up in the south and I've been to predominately White and Black churches. Never had a problem.
Express-Stop7830@reddit
June 17, 2015. Only pointing it out because the 10th anniversary was just a few days ago 💔
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
I have attended church, in the deep south, as a white guy at a black church.
The parishioners were universally welcome and warm.
AssignmentFar1038@reddit
Unfortunately it doesn’t work the other way in a lot of cases.
NothingButACasual@reddit
Oh do you have a personal anecdote to share?
LazyBoyD@reddit
That illustrates the good will that black churches have in general. You will hear a lot less judgement in black churches and though they will still generally be against things like homosexuality — they will gladly accept the gay choir director or gay musician in the choir.
10 years ago, Dylan Roof, a white supremacist, went into a black church In Charleston, SC and the parishioners welcomed him with open arms. They treated him so nice that he almost refrained from committing a hate motivated crime — but in the end he killed 9 people in the name of racial hatred.
Asnyder93@reddit
I’m sure there are some like that. I have seen many the other way though.
NotTravisKelce@reddit
Yea I don’t believe you at all
shers719@reddit
I'm white but lived in a predominantly black neighborhood. Every time we (my children and I) walked by the church down the street on weekdays, the preacher would be outside talking to someone else from the neighborhood. They always invited us to attend on Sundays. We finally did and became regulars there until we moved. The only white family in the church and that was one of the most welcoming places I've ever worshipped.
Heavy_Front_3712@reddit
I have had the same experience.
redmambo_no6@reddit
The best church I ever went to was an AME church and I’m half-Asian lol.
ProfessionalDot8419@reddit
I don’t know that Black people showing up to white churches will be “warmly invited in.“
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
I said likely, and I stand by that.
While I am sure there are exceptions, they are just that. The limited exception, not the rule.
ProfessionalDot8419@reddit
I know what you said, and I remain skeptical of your claim.
NothingButACasual@reddit
What evidence or idea do you base your skepticism on?
ProfessionalDot8419@reddit
The history of race relations in the United States. What evidence do you have to make your claim in the first place?
GermanPayroll@reddit
Have you ever been to one of these churches?
ProfessionalDot8419@reddit
Are you aware of the history between whites and blacks in the United States?
Have you heard the song “try that in a small town“?
MrInRageous@reddit
If by exceptions you mean entire counties of certain states, then sure.
The problem is, the people most likely to be responding ‘no’ to OP are the welcoming, friendly people and I’m near certain it is ‘no’ based on their experience, especially in the big congregations.
There’s not going to be signs posted. No one will likely be escorted out. But I do believe many church congregations exist that would not welcome certain races or cultures.
serious_sarcasm@reddit
That’s not exactly true.
A black person can technically walk into some southern Baptist church, but they are not going to welcomed and invited to dinner.
Stuffedwithdates@reddit
There are plenty of churches that were historically black or white the practice is fading.
harlemjd@reddit
Location, demographics and prior segregation. It absolutely USED TO be true.
Also don’t forget language. Immigrant congregations form so that people can worship in their native language. That’s been happening in the US for centuries and still happens. Those congregations tend to be racially homogenous, but that’s not the motive.
SpreadsheetSiren@reddit
I grew up in a major east coast city. It was not uncommon to have Roman Catholic parishes that held mass in Italian, Polish, German, etc. depending on the makeup of the neighborhood
myseaentsthrowaway@reddit
Sometimes in the same church but at different times too. I see signs on churches like Sunday Service 10 a.m., then (something in Korean) 11:30 a.m.
harlemjd@reddit
Yeah, very common at Catholic Churches these days as parishes combine for low turnout
213737isPrime@reddit
" be invited in warmly. " And welcome to stay right up until somebody says something about racial justice in America.
shockingRn@reddit
I absolutely disagree. There are definitely whites only churches. And there are churches where, if a black person or a black family visits, they will not be welcomed. These are particularly evangelical churches, and often in the southern half of the country. There are still people out there, and not a few people, who think that the races shouldn’t mix. And there are still people out there who think that black people are from the “lost tribes of Israel”, and that “lost” means they turned their backs on God, were relegated to Africa, and therefore are lost to God’s grace.
BladdyK@reddit
There are churches that cater to some ethnicities, like a Korean church, but if you weren't Korean and walked in, I am sure they wouldn't care. That's the nice thing about Christianity.
funklab@reddit
This is a very rose colored glasses way of looking at it.
Someone with a more realist view would say it’s because of the history of slavery and racism in the south.
I live in a southern city with a near equal number of black and white people. There are churches of the same denomination just blocks apart and the he congregations are almost 100% black and 100% white. It’s not because of demographics or location. It’s because of racism.
Same way with barber shops. When I was a child in the 1990s a black guy walked into the barber shop and asked to get a haircut. The barber said he didn’t know how to cut “negro” hair and told him he had to leave. It wasn’t because of demographics or location that the barbershop had 100% white clientele, it was racism.
And and don’t get me wrong, it’s getting better. I bet black people would be welcomed at almost any white church these days and most of the remaining segregation is due to tradition and families staying at the same church, etc. But let’s not pretend the last vestiges of segregation in the south are some natural phenomenon. It’s the echoes of racism that still hasnt died out.
SuccotashOther277@reddit
Exactly. A lot of this also is just out of historical habit from institutions that developed during segregation. When I was a kid, there were conscious efforts by white-majority and black-majority churches to have exchanges and go to each other’s services. A white person would be warmly welcomed at a Black church and vice versa
Electrical_Swing8166@reddit
Warm welcome may not be available in all churches, terms and conditions may apply
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
Thay isn't a church. It's a racist cult made up mostly of a single family.
Electrical_Swing8166@reddit
Literally all religions are cults that just grew big enough. Christianity started as a Jewish messianic cult. One of many.
Popular-Local8354@reddit
How many actual religions are made up of a single family?
xczechr@reddit
"The difference between a cult and a religion is with a cult the founder knows it's bullshit. In a religion that guy's dead."
Electrical_Swing8166@reddit
George Carlin? Sounds like him if nothing else
NotTravisKelce@reddit
If you think that’s a real church you are pretty foolish.
bellegroves@reddit
... have you not been to the deep south? A white person at a Black church would probably be welcomed to some degree, but there are places, including churches, where a Black person would barely be tolerated, let alone welcomed or invited to come back. Segregation isn't legal anymore, but racists still try.
LTG-Jon@reddit
It’s not just due to demographics, it’s due to history. Southern Protestant churches had overwhelmingly supported slavery. Black people, free or enslaved, were not welcome in these churches, and black religious meetings were conducted privately, even secretly.
In the north, denominations that were not pro-slavery still strongly discriminated against black congregants. Black denominations such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church were started in the north to escape discrimination. Those denominations were generally not allowed to operate openly in southern states, but did so again in private and in secret.
It was not until after the Civil War that black denominations were able to expand quickly in the south. White southern churches didn’t want black members, and what self-respecting black person would want to attend church services with the people who had claimed to own them and their families?
Today, very few white churches would be openly hostile to black congregants, and black churches have always welcomed sympathetic white attendees. But people tend to stick with the churches they grew up in, so churches remain very self-segregated in the US.
GhostNappa101@reddit
Our church recently preached about our lack of diversity (very white) and the value of adding people from other racial backgrounds to the congregation and used scripture to explained why.
GreatGoodBad@reddit
✅
AwesomeOrca@reddit
I would challenge your assertions here. The US is still very segregated in terms of housing due to the legacy of Jim Crow and [Redlining](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining), and churches are by far the most segregated institution in the country.
[The Equal Justice Institute](https://eji.org/news/history-racial-injustice-racial-segregation-in-church/) looked at this a couple of years ago and found that 86% of white and black majority churches didn't have a single member of the other race. In my experience, you are right that the majority of churches would welcome a visitor of a different race, just how comfortable you would feel as the sole outsider...
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
How does any of what you say go against my assertions?
No_Water_5997@reddit
This right here. I live in the whitest state in the country so our church is largely white. That being said we welcome all with open arms and have Black, Hispanic, and Asian folks that regularly attend. We also have all manner of people as my pastor put it from Mr Rogers to the biker gang.
GSilky@reddit
Christian Identity is a white supremest religion. The Black Israelites. The Nation of Islam.
Channel_Huge@reddit
No. Where do some people learn this nonsense?
Mental_Freedom_1648@reddit
What part is wrong? There is a white supremacist religious group called Christian Identity . The Black Israelites have some racist sects too. And NOI is known for being racist. They're not churches you'd find on every corner, but it's not false.
muscle417@reddit
What he said is correct. Those are 3 racially prejudiced extremist cults that are only loosely connected to Christianity, Judaism and Islam, respectively. Each has less than 50k total members.
JustAnotherUser8432@reddit
Doing their “research” on TikTok and YouTube
ElderlyChipmunk@reddit
You left out worship and preaching style which is a big one. People tend to not like to go to churches that do things in a way they are unaccustomed to.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
I figured that kind of fell under the "specific sects" part.
But yeah. Black churches tend to be more enthusiastic and I appreciate that.
ElderlyChipmunk@reddit
When I read "specific sect" I tend to think in terms of theological stances. Some worship/preaching differences are rooted in theology, but most of it is really just preference and tradition.
RevenueOriginal9777@reddit
Sorry but you’re wrong. I live in a metro area with 1.5 million people and there are many blacks churches. All churches here welcome all but some choose to worship in a certain style if you say. It’s not a race thing just a different way to worship. I go to a church that has black and white people.
kieka408@reddit
Yes there are plenty of predominantly black/white/korean/whatever churches but I’ve never seen one that doesn’t allow anyone of another race or ethnicity to attend service if they want. There might be some out there but it’s not common at all. Most churches are just happy to have you regardless.
Konigwork@reddit
Generally I’ve seen that denomination rather than race is going to be a determining factor.
Though, especially with Hispanic/Korean majority churches, the language of the service will be the major factor. If the church has the service in Korean, you’re probably not going to have very many non-Koreans there. If it’s in Spanish, you may have non-Hispanics there (especially if it’s a Catholic Church in an area with tourists), but still less likely. Lutheran churches used to be that way with German services, but that was around a hundred years ago and two wars against Germany kinda snuffed that out.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
What part of what did I say is wrong? I feel like we just said the same things.
Ok-Two5452@reddit
This is absolutely untrue. This person lives in a false reality of America. Go outside more. Even in large urban areas churches are still heavily segregated.
Ok-Two5452@reddit
There was literally just an infographic released showing the denominations. COGIC, Church of God in Christ is like 98% Black.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
Yeah, if only I had said something like....
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
I don't think I'm the one needing to go outside.
merp_mcderp9459@reddit
It's also because there used to be churches only for white/black people, and though that hasn't been the case for decades, they were around long enough for a lot of churches to develop distinct Black branches in the South
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Did you even google it?
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
NumberJohnny@reddit
lol. MN and CA. Both blue states with open segregation.
brand_x@reddit
I think both are actively trying to get the state government to object, as a SCOTUS test case for restoring the right to segregation. At the very least, this is a strategy that Project 2025 discusses.
NumberJohnny@reddit
🐂💩
HermitoftheSwamp@reddit
I don’t think the context of OP was small, fringe churches that only accept one race or another. That you can probably find amongst any race and probably any multicultural country. It sounded more like OP’s art teacher was referring to a more broad cultural phenomenon.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
It sounds like OP’s teacher saw the natural segregation in churches and thought it was law actually 😂.
elpajaroquemamais@reddit
But also those churches were started because they weren’t allowed in the white ones back in the day.
No-Ring-5065@reddit
My mother’s friend invited her to watch her grandkids in a play at church and I went along. We were the only two white people there. I felt awkward at first, but everyone was so friendly and welcoming. It was lovely and we enjoyed it.
b0jangles@reddit
I’ve been to a black friend’s church a few times and have been welcomed warmly, yes.
ionmoon@reddit
Ha ha. That’s a nice thought and true in some places and some churches, but there’s a whole lotta churches where you’d not want to walk in as black person.
They might not kick you out but you will NOT feel welcome.
ecplectico@reddit
It is true. Yes, a White person can go to a Black church, and be welcomed, which confirms that there are Black and White churches.
Also, my Catholic parish, almost entirely White, lost members when a Black pastor was appointed, and the Mexicans go to a Catholic Church across town.
gdubh@reddit
Well….
revengeappendage@reddit
Catholics be like ???? lol
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Haha yeah I love this about the Church (the one holy Catholic and apostolic one).
“You have a different skin tone than me? Your culture is different than mine?”
Welcome to Mass my friend.
We just don’t care.
Streamjumper@reddit
Though it can get jarring if you're used to an Italian, Irish, French, or Polish church and you end up in one of the others.
For those not familiar, the differences are often quite small, but you can definitely get a bit of the uncanny valley vibe. Like if someone snuck into your house and moved some of your favorite furniture like 1 inch, reordered your pictures just a little, and changed your clocks from 12 hour to 24 hour.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Heh. Accurate. But I just welcome the differences. It’s less of a rearranging of the furniture and more of a “oh dang we share all these core concepts just with a little local flair.”
fairelf@reddit
My parish, which was a small one inside the area of one of the largest in my borough, was specifically built by the Italian community in 1950 to be separate from the predominantly Irish one.
Over the years, the neighborhood became more Spanish and Filipino when many Italians moved out and the congregation reflected the residents.
DatabasePrize9709@reddit
yes and no. If you go to a big city like Chicago, there were black parishes + historically Catholic immigrants communities from a a similar country would form their own Catholic Church. People will go to their Polish Catholic or their Irish Catholic Church even if they were only a blocks apart. And as the numbers of Catholics have shrunk in many areas and people moved outside of their original communities, these single ethnic group churches became less and a lot of these churches have closed and merged.
In my current church community In Virginia., we are a mix of all races from the United States as well as immigrants from other countries. In a way, our church are now "catholic" more than ever.
Foxy_locksy1704@reddit
I’m Catholic and live in a predominantly Hispanic/mexican community I think there are maybe 3 white people that attend our church. My parent’s church is super diverse as far as congregation goes. They have a couple black families, Mexican/hispanic families, they have two Korean families that attend the church, and there is one huge family I think they have something like 8 children that are from the Philippines.
My boyfriend grew up in Texas in a predominantly black community, his family was the only white family at their church, but they were still part of the community he says some of his favorite childhood memories are the church cookouts and family fun fair they hosted every summer. He made life long friends at that church we are now in our 40s and he still talks to people he met as a kid at church.
Matchboxx@reddit
Many many decades ago before segregation, maybe.
There are still some religions that are popular among certain races, such as the AME church, but there’s no rule that people of a different race can’t go.
MrsBenSolo1977@reddit
Not that many decades ago and before desegregation, this is why this shit needs to be taught in schools.
The12th_secret_spice@reddit
The civil rights act was signed 60 years ago. I’d considered 6 to be many decades. When you hit 100 you switch to centuries.
It should and mostly does get taught in school, but should also be taught by parents and community. Americas collective history has many povs.
MrsBenSolo1977@reddit
When there are whole generations who lived through it still alive, it needn’t be dismissed with “many many decades ago.”
black_mamba866@reddit
Their point was decades before segregation started. Which would be like 1860? 1840? 1800?
As a "northerner" I was taught this information a few decades ago, but I'm pretty sure the units on slavery, the Civil War, segregation, and the civil rights movement weren't dismissive of the time since and how civil rights have grown since then. But I graduated high school in the 00s.
MrsBenSolo1977@reddit
And I’m less than fifteen years younger than Ruby Bridges if you even know who she is. Most kids today have never heard of her because it might make them feel bad.
MrsBenSolo1977@reddit
Even in the eighties, when I was in school, people were already talking about segregation as if it were a thing of the past. But my school was all white. And when one black boy enrolled, he was harassed daily. When he dared to show up at a school dance, he was beaten within an inch of his life. He never came back. He lasted maybe two weeks—probably less.
That was in the 1980s.
So don’t tell me segregation ended in the sixties. Legal segregation may have ended then, but practical segregation didn’t. It’s still with us. Things have improved, yes—but they’re far from fixed. That’s why we still have black churches and white churches, even now. Not because people aren’t welcome, but because those old divides haven’t disappeared. Not really.
Matchboxx@reddit
It must be difficult being this miserable at 10 in the morning.
MrsBenSolo1977@reddit
Yeah, it’s so hard to hear these words about how people had to live not so long ago. Do you need a safe space from the truth?
CupBeEmpty@reddit
And the AME churches I have been to as a pasty white guy have been almost exclusively black but also incredibly welcoming. I was an oddity but not an unwelcome oddity.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
The_Law_of_Pizza@reddit
You're not prohibited from going to one or the other. A white person can go to a black church, and vice versa.
But yes, people do tend to stick together in terms of individual church membership, and over the generations this has lead to some unique cultural differences and quirks between the two types of church service.
Waltz8@reddit
You're generally correct. But there's a few white nationalist churches which explicitly endorse ethnic separatism, though.
Budget_Trifle_1304@reddit
And depending how we define "Church" - that is, if we just say "Houses of Worship" then remember there are Black Hebrew Israelite "Synagogues" and Nation of Islam "Mosques" (though these are not at all similar to mainline Jewish or Muslim meeting houses) that would be pretty miffed if white folks showed up, to say the least.
ForestOranges@reddit
Couldn’t even finish reading that filth
Aunt_Anne@reddit
Thanks for the confirmation of content. Frankly, I don't want to click the link because I don't want Google to think that's my new interest.
ScyllaGeek@reddit
Wow that website is brutal
CarmenDeeJay@reddit
I don't think I'd be comfortable going to a predominantly black church, and I wonder how a black person would feel going to a predominantly white church. Why not? I've been trained to chant words rhythmically and keep my mouth shut during sermons with as few notes as are required to do the hymn singing. Black culture churches are polar opposite with many of them verbally agreeing to statements in the sermon, and adding a ton more color to the vocals in the hymn singing. White churches lack pizazz.
But attendance to either is not restricted.
TheOperaGhostofKinja@reddit
Heck, as some raised Catholic, but who only goes to mass on the rare occasion to keep the mother happy, I’ve raised an eyebrow at people raising their hands up during the readings/homily a la Evangelical churches. I’m like “excuse me, this is a Catholic Church. We just sit and stand here quietly.”
fairelf@reddit
Well, we are supposed to recite the congregation parts of the mass and sing the hymns, too.
mdp300@reddit
My dad passed away recently, and his funeral was the first time anyone in my family had been to mass in over 20 years.
And some of the responses are different! How dare they!
fairelf@reddit
Minor variances having to do with new translations from the 60's. Think Good News Bible of updated language. I've noticed that some parishes get missives with varying language. The biggest thing that throws me is when they change the cadence of the Hallelujah or the Amen singing parts.
We all sometimes forget.
anonanon5320@reddit
And kneel.
Randomizedname1234@reddit
I’m from the south, and white but been to black churches and felt at home.
Went to a Catholic Church and that made me feel out of place however every race was there while the Baptist are usually white and AME ones are black and the non denominational are usually white but can be both.
On_my_last_spoon@reddit
I think this is more what the difference is. I’m not religious, but my family is Catholic and feel more comfortable in Catholic Churches than most of the American Protestant sects.
I’ve never been to any church that was 100% one race or another. When I was in high school my family went to a Unitarian church and that one was definitely mixed.
Hominid77777@reddit
I'm not Christian, but I live in an area where there are not nearly enough Black people to fill a church. I'm sure that Black people would be welcome in any of the (predominantly white) churches in the area, or at least, they wouldn't face any more racism in a church than they would in any other institution.
bsinions@reddit
We did a "sister church" type program in my Methodist church growing up, where the pastor/choir from a "black" church(hate labeling it that but honestly don't remember the denomination) and our pastor/choir went to theirs.
I will say that was absolutely the best service I ever went to, and the only one I really remember details from of all the Sundays from my youth. But there were definitely things that were out of the ordinary for our typical Sunday service. It was much more joyous and celebratory than our normal rituals/traditions.
My brother and I joked for weeks that we felt bad for the other church cause they had to sit through one of our services instead.
Will say we had a few black members at our church, but it was 98% white the entire time growing up.
fairelf@reddit
Well, the AME church does stand for the African Methodist Episcopalian church, so it is sort of already labelled, though people of all races can go, same with the United Methodist church.
better-omens@reddit
There's a saying I've heard a lot in Baltimore: "The most segregated time in America is Sunday morning"
TopperMadeline@reddit
They could’ve been true several decades ago, but not today.
heart_blossom@reddit
I'm in Alabama. Maybe the biggest churches will have a couple of military members who move to town and don't know any better. But smaller, more conservative Southern Baptist definitely don't mix at all ever.
exitparadise@reddit
I dont know if any explicity say or promote this, but you can absolutely go into churches in certain areas and see only black or white people.
notonrexmanningday@reddit
Martin Luther King Jr. once said that 11 am on Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week in America.
unhalfbricklayer@reddit
That was a lot more true in 1965 than it is 2025
warneagle@reddit
Yeah they would never explicitly say it but there are plenty of churches where racial minorities aren’t welcome. I mean, the Southern Baptist church was created explicitly because of its members’ commitment to white supremacy and very little has changed there since the 1850s.
NothingButACasual@reddit
Have you aeen any unwelcomeness personally? I've been to quite a few baptist churches and almost all of them had non white attendees
warneagle@reddit
I went to an all-white Baptist church in rural Georgia as a kid so yes
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
You’re just wrong.
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
VirtualBroccoliBoy@reddit
Plus people of different races aren't distrubuted evenly. There's a lot of neighborhoods, towns, even full rural counties that are extremely disproportionately one race. I know of a county near where I grew up that has something like a dozen Baptist churches alone, and the whole county has about 50 black people. You literally can't not have some exclusively white churches when the county is almost 95% white.
DontH8DaPlaya@reddit
You will have an all white babtist church one road away from an all black episcopal. Both headed to fuck up some servers day at noon.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Yes, they do and they are getting permits for it .
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
Penny-Bright@reddit
Freedom of religion is VERY important to Americans.! Perhaps more so than the right to bear arms or freedom of speech. There is very little the government can do to interfere (except maybe prevent virgin sacrifices.) Americans are free to attend the church of their own choosing. So while there are aren't white and black only churches, Americans basically self segregate every Sunday morning.
oldRoyalsleepy@reddit
I've heard it said that churches are the most segregated places in the US. It's by location and demographics and history, by custom essentially. But church welcome all comers, some more warmly than others. As you see by comments here many people have stories of being welcomed very warmly, but notice that many are saying 'I was the only person...'
Mrfixit729@reddit
I’m a white dude. I’ve been invited to a BUNCH of black Baptist churches. They’re soooo much fun.
We felt welcome in every way possible. Maybe a bit too much as it was pretty obvious we were the new people. So EVERYONE wanted to make us feel welcomed. Lol.
Such a warm community. I highly recommend the experience.
Nova_Echo@reddit
No.
There is such a thing as a "black church" or a "white church" but there's no rule or law prohibiting someone from going to whatever church they please. It's mostly about different styles of worship that tend to appeal to people of different cultures and social strata. I'm whiter than sour cream and I've been to a black church before, it was different from what I'm used to but still just a church.
wrong-landscape-1328@reddit
Not that I've ever seen. In churches here they don't care about the outside, just the inside of a person.
morosco@reddit
I wonder what other expert takes this "teacher" spread about America.
I thought TikTok was bad....
schmatteganai@reddit
Churches and other religious congregations tend to sort themselves along demographic lines, so it's very common to have congregations that are mostly one specific group of people (not just by race, also often by, say, country parishioners' ancestors are from, or specific religious movement within a religion, etc.) Even within congregations, there are often multiple services that people might choose to go to based on these things. Many of these subgroups have long cultural traditions, and may have different musical traditions, favorite holidays, and important traditions that aren't shared outside of that group.
However, that's almost always based on preference, and on where people feel comfortable, culturally accepted, and understood. While some places that really do only want people from specific groups to attend do exist, they're usually easy to identify, and they won't invite other people to their events (most other congregations will). Even those places will usually be polite to an obvious visitor, although they might suggest a different congregation to attend in the future.
This is not to discount the long history of segregation within some denominations that led to the creation of, for instance, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, or of "black" and "white" congregations in the same denomination in the same community, but today if you show up to most US churches they would welcome -superficially at least- anyone of any race. You'll often get a more effusive welcome if you're from the demographic that doesn't usually attend that service, since people know that you're visiting and want to make you feel welcome. Over a longer period time, the social expectations may not be very accepting of people not in the majority group, which enforces the tendency for people to gravitate towards the groups where they're in the majority- and it's very common in the US for people to "shop" for a religious congregation where they feel comfortable, often across denominational or even major theological lines.
Meilingcrusader@reddit
It's not that you can't go if you aren't, it's that the majority are. Idk, I'm a catholic and not a Protestant, but far as I know you can go to any race's church
grue2000@reddit
There have been all sorts of stupid separations.
In North Denver, there were two Catholic churches within blocks of each other: St. Patricks and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, because the immigrant Irish and the immigrant Italians wouldn't think of mixing.
(So imagine how it went over when my 100% irish blooded grandfather started dating my 100% italian blooded grandmother...)
poopsichord1@reddit
Your teacher is most likely a liar unless they're incredibly old and would have been here prior to desegregation
StupidLemonEater@reddit
Lots of churches used to be legally segregated. This often led to black Americans forming their own churches, some of which grew into entirely separate denominations (e.g. the African Methodist Episcopal Church, or AME, founded way back in 1816 when slavery was still legal). Even after the end of legal segregation there was not often any impetus for white and black churches to reunite (unlike schools, for instance) so they stayed largely separate, and families continued going to the same churches they went to before.
To be clear, almost all churches in the US today welcome all parishioners regardless of race, and lots of congregations are racially mixed.
onikaizoku11@reddit
There used to be. That particular bit of nonsense was mostly done by the early 1980s. There are still a few places here and there that are overtly bigoted(I'm looking at you Southern Baptists...) against non-caucasians, but there aren't that many.
The bigger problem with churches here in the States is they are now infested with a small but persistent minority of members that are deluded to the point that they believe the opposite of Christ's teachings. On a variety of subjects, sadly.
Full-Shallot-6534@reddit
There aren't enforced splits, but people go to the church their parents went to, and white people used to be much more openly violent to black people, so they tended to avoid each other.
jokumi@reddit
One of the oddities of Jim Crow in the South is that people might well have attended the same church, particularly outside cities and larger towns. The white people in front, the black people in back, and those of various mixings in the middle. Calvin Trillin wrote a piece for The New Yorker about LA race clerks which included a description, if you want a reference.
There are black churches. The AME Church is African Methodist Episcopal, which means they’re black, they’re Methodists, and they use bishops. I’ve been to services, but it’s pretty much entirely black. They’re Methodists. I can’t keep track of how many Protestant sects exist in the US
Direct_Philosophy495@reddit
They are de facto segregated, but not by law.
Adorable-Growth-6551@reddit
Pretty sure that is illegal.
PotusChrist@reddit
It's not illegal and it would almost certainly be found unconstitutional to make it illegal. Churches are private, non-commercial organizations, they have the right to decide for themselves who is welcome in their community. There are plenty of religious groups in the US that limit participation on the basis of race or ethnicity, they're all just mercifully pretty small fringe groups.
silvermoonhowler@reddit
Yup, once Jim Crow laws were outlawed, this thankfully cannot be a thing anymore
Itchy-Potential1968@reddit
there's nothing prohibiting a person from going to a church based on their skin color. it's just that as a general rule of thumb, different gatherings in different areas (and run by different demographics) will attract different groups of people. it's true, church is a time for connecting with God and learning about the bible, but it's also a very personal journey, and so a person may want a preacher and church community that more closely understand them.
raysebond@reddit
Yes.
There are explicitly white nationalist churches.
There are churches without an explicit racial dogma but at which black people still aren't welcome.
I think it's much less segregated than 40 years ago. But it's still around.
Buford12@reddit
Not any more. When I was a kid yes. Not Catholic but Some of the protestant churches in the south yes. Especially Baptist churches. The town I grew up in had a white baptist church and a black baptist church.
nylondragon64@reddit
I think its more that people stick with their people. Not just black and white.
BarovianNights@reddit
Black and white as in skin color? No, that's discrimination
There are some places that are less diverse and it may happen naturally, though. Plus, black churches are a thing and have a distinct culture, but I've never seen a black church that hasn't been welcoming to everybody. I've been to a few myself
TakenUsername120184@reddit
I’m not Christian but black Christians are among the nicer versions of religious people.
TheSapoti@reddit
I think this is culturally because a lot of black Christians are faithful as a way to stay hopeful that things in life will get better. We’ve never really used Christianity as a means to oppress other groups. Think about historically why black people were Christians and why we remained Christian. Even now my religious parents taught me not to worry and be anxious about what’s going on in the world and to just keep praying. At my church many of the sermons are about remaining faithful and giving all your worries and fears to God so that He may handle it. I may be a Christian, but I’m still aware of the cultural implications.
mdp300@reddit
Is that because black churches often have roots going all the way back to slavery?
Willibrator_Frye@reddit
There are also African-styled (as opposed to African-American) churches founded by/for immigrants from Africa and their descendants. I had a similar address to one congregation and was constantly bringing them their misdelivered mail and packages including one memorable occasion when six video monitors arrived at my doorstep.
I'd assume there are Caribbean churches as well.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Okay but are you guys even double checking?
Because yes, there are Whites Only Churches still. And they are getting approved for permits.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
BarovianNights@reddit
Im sure they exist, but they aren't exactly a prominent cultural thing. I was responding to that notion
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Okay but that’s not what OP asked? They asked “are there” not “is it a prominent cultural thing”
MortimerDongle@reddit
Churches are exempt from anti-discrimination laws, and there are some race-specific religions, but they are all fringe (like Black Hebrew Israelites, some "heathen" groups which accept only white people, etc)
Wisdomofpearl@reddit
This makes me think of a church in my home town, it is a predominantly black Baptist church, and many years ago they had a fire at the church. The fire did enough damage that the building was condemned. The church had insurance, but all the other churches in town raised additional funds to help rebuild this church. They rebuilt the church and put in a huge stain glass window of Jesus Christ, this window faces the main road and you can clearly see it from both inside and outside the church. During certain times of day depending upon the light and the suns position Jesus appears to be "white" and other times as the light changes with the moving sun Jesus appears to be "black" it is honestly very neat to watch it as it changes. There is a park across the street from church that looks directly at the window, several churches donated to put in a seating area across from the window, kind of a meditation area, so people can sit and watch as the depiction of Jesus changes.
Infinite-Surprise-53@reddit
They came when everything was segregated, but now they're just separate sects of the religion. You're not going to get kicked out if you aren't the right race (for the most part).
AggravatingTear4919@reddit
no but kinda but not really. theres tons of churches where the primary race is black or white but its not strictly enforced as against the rules for the other race to join. id say more black people join mostly white churches then white people joining mostly black churches though
Cantseetheline_Russ@reddit
Here in America, those types of churches don’t like it when you say the quiet part out loud. Not the case generally, but it sure as heck exists.
IGotFancyPants@reddit
I know of churches that are predominantly black, but it’s by choice, not because other churches don’t welcome black people.
HermioneMarch@reddit
People are allowed to go to any church they choose. However, because of the racist history in America, many Black folks choose to go to churches that are predominantly Black. They have a different worship style most of the time and often their own denominations. A white personal could attend, but that is rare. Likewise Black people can go to a church that is predominantly white, but they might feel uncomfortable. So it is not a rule, but a social standard.
Lanoir97@reddit
Aside from some extreme minority cultish nationalist groups, no. Most churches are majority one group, but I’ve never seen or heard of anyone being turned away from church because they were the wrong color.
I’ve been to all manner of different flavors of white church, but never to a black majority church. I was raised Lutheran, so church was very much a sit still and shut up experience. Stand up, sit down, kneel, read the bold parts in the hymnal aloud. I always found it extremely boring when I was really young. Other faiths, like Baptists, seem to encourage more interaction with the congregation, with the raised hands and Amens during the sermon.
Someday, I hope to attend a black church service because the TV I’ve seen and videos I’ve seen it looks like a good time. Folks are singing, dancing, and just seem overall happy to be there.
BlueEyedWalrus84@reddit
I've never seen it in churches. Baptist churches are typically black but not exclusively.
Now we do have black only schools as other facilities, but they're typically owned and operated by black organizations. Because it's not segregation when someone asks for it, right?
TreeOfLife36@reddit
No. Not true.
Some churches are Black churches, but that doesnt' mean you can't go if your'e white and you want to go. Same for Asian churches. .
Techialo@reddit
Not explicitly by law. Anymore.
Black churches also gave us Gospel music which led to a lot of non-religious music genres around today.
Dio_Yuji@reddit
They’re not legally segregated anymore, but there are plenty of churches that have attendees of only one race, particularly in black neighborhoods.
You see…desegregation is one-way in the US: black people move to all white neighborhoods, but white people don’t move to all black neighborhoods. This is also why there are still some schools with only black students.
*Please note I’m not saying this is a good thing, only that it happens.
batcaveroad@reddit
Not exactly, but in practice most churches look like the neighborhood/community they serve.
There’s no rules about who can join churches, but if you found a church with mostly Brazilians in a place you didn’t know many people, you might start attending because you’re Brazilian.
Extension-Scarcity41@reddit
No...there are churches which have predominantly white or black congregations, but that is more a function of where they are located. I've never heard of any with such rules, and the anti discrimination laws would never allow it.
NomadLexicon@reddit
Anti-discrimination laws don’t apply to churches because of the first amendment’s protection of religion (though this doesn’t extend to religious institutions like hospitals and schools). It’s just extremely rare because such a policy would be abhorrent to public opinion.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
False,
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
chezmanny@reddit
Louisiana has segregated churches.
Opportunity_Massive@reddit
There are definitely black and white churches, but generally people of the other group are technically welcome at each. How welcome black people will feel at a white church, or how welcome white people will feel at a black church, depends on the individual and the church members itself. Every community is different.
s7o0a0p@reddit
This is a really good example of “de facto” versus “de jure.” De jure, since at least the 1960s, no. De facto, very much yes.
Because the US has a long and persistent history of racial segregation, and perhaps, ironically given the last point, Black people have long found a strong sense of community in churches that were all-Black, many many churches, especially Protestant ones, are still very racially-segregated.
Now, some more modern progressive churches are more likely to be racially-integrated, and it wouldn’t be that unusual for like a few people of the “other” race to be members of a congregation of a “Black” or “White” church, but for lots of churches in lots of areas, they are very much racially homogenous. While in some conservative racist areas this is out of genuine racial discrimination (especially with “white” churches not welcoming Black members), in other areas it just happens by demographic chance (eg, a lot of white people happen to live there) or it’s a specifically Black-oriented church with messaging and sermons not really made for white people.
So yeah despite the religious people trying to make their religions look better by saying churches aren’t segregated, they absolutely are.
languagelover17@reddit
It absolutely not true. There is no church that welcomes people based on race. There are some southern churches that might be majority black people, but white people can still attend.
Lycaeides13@reddit
"just for white and black people"
No, none are explicitly segregated in this day and age.
HOWEVER, It's only been like 50 years since segregating neighborhoods was legal. that's not actually a very long time in terms of people moving, and many churches still trend towards a race. Plus factor in different worship traditions, and the whole birds of a feather flock together thing, and you get our current situation where, Yes to a certain degree there are absolutely churches with mostly Black, or Latinx, or "white" congregation. I've never felt rejected at a church, ever. I do feel out of place when I'm not in a Catholic Church, but the members of churches everywhere are welcoming in general
0le_Hickory@reddit
I go to a Methodist church, pretty liberal as far as church going people are at least, our congregation was the first church in the area to desegregate. But about a 120 years ago the black church started meeting separately. They are about 1/2 a mile from us now. There are black people in our congregation but generally they mostly go to the ‘black’ church. We are in the same organization and treat each other as sister congregations but the style of church and cultural traditions are quite different and it’s at this point a choice of preference.
Hey-Just-Saying@reddit
In the South, 50 years ago, there definitely would have been some eyebrows raised if a black family came to a wise church. Now those churches welcome black families so they can say they've changed. The real test is to see how many of those black families are included in the leadership of the church and denomination.
jvc1011@reddit
On the whole, Black churches have been welcoming to white visitors, but the opposite has not been true.
These days, except for a few very small fringe groups, no one would be turned away in a church. That doesn’t mean it would always be a comfortable experience for everyone.
IAintWurriedBoutEm@reddit
no there’s a Chinese Church like 8 minutes from my house in Michigan
ForestOranges@reddit
It’s informally true. Go to an AME church in a black neighborhood and most people are black. I grew up in a small white town and the churches were basically all white. My parents decided we would go to a church 25 minutes away in the city because it was diverse and had people of all races. They didn’t wanna raise me in an all white bubble with no other POC.
frankkiejo@reddit
It depends on the individual church and the region you live in.
It's not an official policy, but you find out.
I was attending a church where a friend of mine was going. She had invited me to attend. After church one day, I was informed by a clearly uncomfortable, mumbling man about a church "down the street". I was confused as to why this stranger decided to tell me this. It didn't even hit me until days later that he was telling me to go to the black church down the street! I'm sure he was absolutely beside himself that I just kept showing up every week! 🤣
Turned out that a lot of the people at that church were not comfortable having me there and my clueless self took a while to get the picture.
They had survived a mass shooting but still found the room in their hearts to hate, exclude, isolate someone because of their color? There was no hope for them.
I still have that friend, though. She was/is a jewel among the dross.
Mad_Dog_1974@reddit
If there are churches that don't allow other races, I don't know about them. When we say "black church," what it means is that the clergy and most of the congregation are black. We've had everything segregated in the past, especially in the south, but to the best of my knowledge, that no longer exists anywhere. My understanding is that the Mormons excluded black people for the longest time. There are also some white people who believe that we were the original race and black people are the descendants of Cain. But I'm off topic. I've personally never been in a church where people are not welcome based on race, but I have been in churches where some people in the congregation look down on people based on appearance or socioeconomic status.
skaliton@reddit
So...not exactly OP. Like if I (a generic white guy in his 30s) go into the local 'black church' no one is going to kick me out.
That said. I am going to stick out because my style of dress is going to be quite different* (I don't actually know what specific religion they follow they aren't exactly in a jacket and tie so much as bright multicolors)
But generally 'black' churches feature much more dancing and general 'movement' than typical 'white' churches where movement is largely restricted to the 'stand up, sit down stand up sit down' that people associate with 'traditional' churches. Again, generally. Yes I'm aware that there are 'white' churches that do 'exorcisms' and the pedophile beats people with his jacket
Ayuuun321@reddit
No, white and black people have some significant cultural differences, thanks to segregation and racism. Worship is one of those things.
I’ve never been to a church that didn’t welcome me. They all want money lol. Everyone has a different level of comfort with different things.
I grew up going to a UCC church, which was open and accepting of everyone. There weren’t a lot of black families where I grew up, so there was only one family in the congregation. No one at that church would ever disrespect someone for their appearance or background. They were really nice people. Everyone was equally respected and treated like your neighbor.
I went to a Baptist church that was majority black and they were so much fun. There was a lot of singing and praise. I could feel the good energy in the room.
The bad churches, to me, make you feel like shit for being a human. Instead of reminding you that you have the power to do anything with the strength of God and Jesus behind you, they remind you that Jesus died for your sins. Then they list them.
Then they tell you about all of the things that other sinners are doing, so you don’t do those things. They talk about hell instead of charity work. They demand you pay a certain portion of your income to them, then they use it to buy private jets. Those aren’t churches, they’re cults. And people who worship money are the lowest of the low.
If a Christian doesn’t know that love, respect, and self sacrifice are the key to the doors of heaven, I don’t think they’re in a Christian church.
Proud-Delivery-621@reddit
I'm surprised to see so many people disagreeing with this. I live in a city, but if you go out just a few miles you will 100% find churches (mostly Baptist or Holiness) that are actively hostile to black people coming. At the same time there's at least one church in the city that I know of that teaches that black people are the true Israelites and is openly hostile to white people or Jewish people coming in. Maybe this is a regional thing?
IthurielSpear@reddit
Well, OP, you really came out swinging. If a church congregation is mostly black or mostly white or mostly Asian or mostly Hispanic, it’s usually through self self segregation. Our churches are not segregated. I have been to services at a predominantly, black church, and a predominantly Hispanic church, and oh yeah, I almost forgot., I also went to a Sikh congregation once. It has nothing to do with forced segregation at all, it was just the type of church, its location, and what the people were drawn to. I was welcome at all of them.
SirCharlito44@reddit
That is not true at all. There are churches that are more black than white and the other way around, but I have never ever seen someone at church tell someone they aren’t welcome to join them. There may be some weird “churches” that don’t but they are insane and I don’t think most people would consider them legit. There are some weird people down south. But for the most part I’d say no.
HopelesslyOver30@reddit
Oh, the covert racism is STRONG in this thread...
lacajuntiger@reddit
All churches are discriminatory. Religion is probably the biggest problem in the world when it comes to discrimination. But there are no rules or laws segregating churches in America. Churches, like any business, cater to those that live in their area. A church in a mostly black area will have mostly black members. Same with a mostly white area. Mixed areas have churches with both black and white members.
Objective_Bar_5420@reddit
Yes, religion in the US is still unofficially segregated. There's no formal barrier, but the cultural differences can be immense. It can be something as simple as the ability to sing properly. White Lutherans vs. AME? Yeah, that's a short and one-sided fight.
Redbubble89@reddit
Kind of.
People are accepted at both so it's not in a segregation way. There is still red-lining so a neighborhood around the church is a big influence over a white and black church. Baptist tends to be mostly black while Catholic and other forms of protestantism tend to be white. A church to some is part of the community and the black community does it their way.
anonanon5320@reddit
There are still churches that have upstairs sections which use to be for slaves only, and white people will not sit upstairs. Other than that, there are no churches that only allow one race.
Oomlotte99@reddit
There are denominations that are more prevalent with certain groups and churches and neighborhoods impacted by historical discrimination and division. It’s not common to see a ton of white people at a AME church or a ton of Black Americans at a Catholic Church or a ton of Latinos are a Lutheran church but there’s always someone.
SukunasStan@reddit
I go to a black church but it's called a black church not because it's black only, but because it's majority black. America is majority protestant but in my part of America, due to mass immigration from Catholic European countries in the 1890s-1960s, many protestant churches are filled with mostly black people. We've been in America for a long time and protestantism kinda comes with that.
My boyfriend, who's Filipino, was welcomed into the church. Racism is against our religion and we acknowledge that instead of conveniently pretending racism is compatible with a religion that has scriptures like Numbers 12.
anonymous2278@reddit
I was told growing up that there were churches nearby that were black only but as an adult I’ve driven by those same churches many times and seen all different colors of people walking in. I don’t think the “black only” is true, or at least not anymore. Most church-going black people I know would not have an issue with a white person attending their church, and the same for the white people I know. Majority of local church folk are just happy to see people coming to worship. There are a few I know who are prejudiced or racist and would have an issue, but they are definitely the exception around here and don’t tend to attend church very often.
redditsuckshardnowtf@reddit
Not really true but not really false. Most small churches serve their community, and people don't typically travel for church. A church found in a predominantly black/white area are going to have mostly black/white congregation.
Emotional_Ad5714@reddit
I live in what was a predominantly black neighborhood but is now mostly white. There is still an AME church a block from my house that has a nearly all black congregation and usually on the first Sunday of summer, they door knock the neighborhood to invite neighbors to their service, even though they know the neighborhood is nearly all white now.
millerdrr@reddit
All three churches I attended regularly as a kid in the 80s were 100% white…but the entire northern half of the county was 100% white. Other than third grade, I had no black classmates throughout school, K-12.
OcelotJaded1798@reddit
Nope
MeepleMerson@reddit
That would have been common 100 or more years ago, but today it's not the case, save possibly for some isolated churches (there are white christian nationalist churches in a few places, for example). There are certainly churches that have a strong demographic bias to be sure. For example Greek Orthodox churches tend to attract ethnically greek people, so much fewer black people -- not because blacks aren't welcome, but because few black folks feel a strong Greek ethnic connection so they go somewhere else (for that matter, most people don't - GO churches are overwhelming attended by people of Greek ancestry).
There are churches that are predominantly white because the population is predominantly white in much of the country. There are churches that are predominantly black, particularly in the southern US because there was strong segregation there for a very long time and the black populations developed their own churches with their own traditions and style of worship that is still carried on to this day (and if you ever have a chance, the services in those traditional African American churches are quite energetic) - but non-black people are welcome there too.
The US has no shortage of churches. The result is that people will simply go to: a) whatever they grew up with, or b) whichever fits their personality / wordl-view best, or c) whatever's closest by.
I used to attend a local church that was nearly half African (not African-American, but rather folks from Ghana and Kenya). It turns out that long ago there were missionaries that had visited where they had lived and built churches there; when they emigrated to the US, they sought out a church of the same denomination in their new home in the US. I still wear the dashiki that one of my Ghanian friends gave me; I loved those folks.
JJR1971@reddit
Only informally. But very few congregations would turn away someone because of their race. A person might feel unwelcome but they wouldn't be turned away. As long as money's dropped in the collection plate, the hand that put it there doesn't especially matter. Many congregations are predominantly white or black and have wildly varying theologies but nearly no one excludes on the basis of race as a stated policy....
That said, the KKK is technically a Christian organization. A very bad one strongly repudiated and disliked by other Christians, no doubt, but I'm an atheist so if they say they're Christian I take them at their word.
handicapnanny@reddit
I’ve never seen one
Theironyuppie1@reddit
Just by choice. I’ve been in black churches they were welcoming. I would probably worry a little the other direction. But I’m sure there is a real Christian in every church.
Equivalent_Ad_8413@reddit
That was generally true half a century ago. (A French photographer friend of the family asked our maid if he could go to her church and take pictures.) But I've seen more and more mixing over the last fifty years.
NegativeCoach7457@reddit
I've never seen one, and I grew up in central Texas and Houston.
Esmer_Tina@reddit
As a white person, I have found black churches very welcoming.
forgotwhatisaid2you@reddit
America is most segregated between eleven and one on Sunday than at any other time. I don't know of any current churches that would turn away somebody because of race officially but there are a lot of very racist congregations.
No_Revolution_918@reddit
Where I live in the deep south, there are some churches I know of that would not welcome black people at all.
historyhill@reddit
This was true, once upon a time. Over time it has become true in practice but not law—white people tend to have a different worship style than black people, which will look different from Hispanic people, etc. Those traditions, combined with location and availability, end up causing a lot of voluntary segregation. I think it was MLK who said that 9:00 on a Sunday morning is when America is most segregated and that's still probably true (although not by law), and as a Christian I'm not really even sure how to combat that.
MammothCommittee852@reddit
There are certainly churches with an all-white or black congregation, but it's more due to historical and cultural factors than racism and exclusionary attitudes. This is not at all unique to churches, either.
These places do not have rules banning the presence of people of other races, and generally would not balk at them showing up. It's just kind of how it is.
TheMockingBrd@reddit
They are not legally classified as such but yes there are.
CatchMeIfYouCan09@reddit
Unofficially yes it's true. Not because of segregation or regulated attendance..... simply because the congregation and that region support the majority of attendees are a specific race or ethnic group.
As a "white girl" I can walk into a southern baptist middle of no where church and 100% of the congregation is POC and be welcomed and enjoy my time there.
Simultaneously there are churches in sun downer towns that are 100% white congregation. Not sure if they are welcoming, can't imagine they would be tbh, but I've never been as i don't support and avoid sun downer towns.
When I visit my ILs in Arkansas I've counted over 2 dozen small churches simply driving across to another town and witnesses everyone specifically one ethnic group. Why? Dubious because that's the majority of the people in that area.
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
No
HermitoftheSwamp@reddit
For context, I live in the rural South and have lived in multiple communities, across multiple states, throughout the rural South in my lifetime.
I have not encountered nor have received the impression that any of the churches would make one race or the other feel uncomfortable at their services. Is there some preacher sets up something in his basement that preaches some sort of racist revisionist theology of the Bible? I am sure there is. But overwhelmingly your standard Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Catholic, etc. churches will be welcoming of any race.
As has been stated on this thread, the overall demographic makeup of a particular church probably has a lot more to do with the demographics of the area + the history. For example, a town may have a Baptist church with a predominately white congregration and another one with a predominately black. It is possible these two churches started during segregation and basically families got stuck going to their respective churches post-segregation due to tradition. But if you were to show up with either, you’d be welcomed.
I am a United Methodist myself. We have a mixed congregation of white and black. Basically right down the street there is a church that is African Methodist Episcopal, which is a a historically black Methodist denomination. My church has a larger population of blacks than the AME church, with most of our black congregants driving past the AME church to attend my church.
SRQmoviemaker@reddit
Not "only" but the church I used to go to I was maybe 1 of 5 white people.
over_kill71@reddit
there are no churches just for white people.
Educational-Sundae32@reddit
No, but there are de facto White and Black Churches, due to cultural differences and the legacy of Jim Crow. Though it mostly applies to Protestant churches, since Catholic and Orthodox churches are about the idea of the universal church.
ZebulonRon@reddit
My family (white as shit) went to an all black church for a couple years when I was a teenager. It was a Pentecostal church called something something Tabernacle. They were WILD there, incredibly loud and lots of dancing and yelling and singing and the pastor (who was called prophet) would speak in tongues and lay hands on people and they would absolutely lose their shit and hit the floor and start convulsing. It really was a spectacle in there every Sunday night. But it was also hands down the most FUN I’ve ever had in church, and we were accepted by the entire congregation and everyone loved each other so much and supported each other outside of the church in ways I to this day haven’t seen in any other church. Sometimes I think about those people and I just hope they’re all doing alright.
netsurf916@reddit
There are a lot of churches which cater to specific cultures and have mostly white, black, Hispanic, etc. congregations. However, none of them will care if others join, except maybe to let you know that you may not understand anything if you don't speak the language.
Chapea12@reddit
They aren't exclusive to any race. Its just like any other activity or organization that might have majority of one race. Location, what community they serve, who the pastor and leadership are would, what kind of community experience you are looking for would differ between churches, but if you are white and a baptist or methodist, you can certainly go to a majority black baptist church or vice versa.
of course, other denominations can go to whatever church you want, a christian church isn't exactly supposed to block people at the door who are genuinely interested in attending.
lionhearted318@reddit
Yes this is true. But they aren’t legally segregated, they are separate for historic and cultural reasons. Americans come from different origins, and those different origins worship differently.
And it’s not like you can’t go to the other one if you want to, or that nobody ever does. But many churches are nearly universally black or universally white here and the religious experience is usually different depending on which one you’re at.
AnybodySeeMyKeys@reddit
It's way more complicated than that. 60 years ago, it would have been a deliberate act of self-segregation. Today, it's more cultural than anything.
I've been to many a service in African-American churches. Funerals, weddings, and recognitions of people my wife and I know and love. The style of worship, the music, and the nature and tone of the preaching tends to be radically different from our starched Episcopal services. Not worse, not better, but different.
In our church, it's roughly 10% African American. If you go to most predominantly white churches, you'll see some African American congregants. And Catholic churches tend to be highly diverse.
captainstormy@reddit
Unless your teacher is talking about 1964 or earlier that is 100% wrong.
While there are "Black Churches" and "White Churches" it isn't a legal thing and anyone can go to any church they want and the congregation will be happy to have them.
When someone says that church is a black church, what they mean is the members are mostly black. This is usually due to the demographics of the area and sometimes due to typical beliefs and practices of that group.
I'm a white guy from the backwoods of Kentucky originally. I'm basically as white as it gets. I've gone to black churches (which means black Americans), African churches (as in immigrates from Africa), Korean Churches, Greek Churches and probably a few more.
You can go to any church you want. The description of X church just applies to what the majority of the congregation is.
SquareShapeofEvil@reddit
Not legally anymore. But yes, congregants in certain churches tend to be majority one race or another.
Oh, sure, you can find some white supremacist churches probably in the deep backcountry that say they don’t allow Black people. Then you have something like the Nation of Islam, where white people aren’t allowed in the mosques, but these are fringe groups.
Technically, everyone is allowed to worship wherever they want in America.
DistinctBook@reddit
I was always fascinated with the Mennonites. Well there is a church down the street and I went to it to see what it is like.
There was one black woman there. The minister said we are welcoming this woman into our church.
For the people that have truly accepted Christ into their hearts the color of ones skin does not matter just their faith
common_grounder@reddit
Yes, there are churches where attendance by someone of another race is very rare, but it's not prohibited. Typically, if someone of another race shows up at one of these churches, members of the congregation will go out of their way to welcome them because they recognize how awkward it may feel.
Yes, there can be striking differences in the service. The mahor difference can be summed up in one wird, I think – emotionality. White church sevices tend to be more subdued and less interactive. I think most people prefer one or the other based on what they grew up with. Most, but not all.
I'm black, and though I grew up going to an all black church in the '60s and '70s, that has not been my preference as an adult. There are now many, many churches in the US where all races attend, and for most of those churches that's intentional because they believe church should not have such divisions.
elqueco14@reddit
A church will NEVER turn you away based on skin color, but due to different Christian denominations being popular with different demographics as well as some churches being located in predominantly black or white neighborhoods, it's not uncommon to see some churches have mostly all black or all white attendance. I think it's way more common in states where you see evangelical or Baptists churches. Also not really a black/white thing but a lot of churches will also hold mass in different languages, growing up in CA most churches will have at least one Spanish mass and one Filipino mass during the week (Catholic)
shibby3388@reddit
Absolutely gobsmacked at the shit foreigners believe about the U.S.
There are churches that are predominantly black or predominantly white, but neither excludes the other race.
Trans_Alpha_Cuck@reddit
My church is almost all white. We recognize it and do events with a local Hispanic and black “sister” churches as well as have pastors from those churches give guest sermons
NittanyOrange@reddit
Not legally. But Obama once observed that Sunday is the most segregated day in America, and that still holds true.
pizzaforce3@reddit
Sunday morning is the most segregated time of the week in the US. Lots of historical context needed here, but yes, all-white and all-black churches are a thing.
I recently went to a church locally, I'm not a regular attendee anywhere, just visiting, and noticed that the congregation was uniformly Caucasian. The odd thing is that the sermon and liturgy was very inclusive and welcoming - not a hint of racial animus. But the folks in the pews were old and white to a person.
greysonhackett@reddit
Yes. Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America. That was a well-known maxim when I was a christian. Historically, black and white churches evolved separately in the US due to bigotry, segregation, and economics.
We would have loved to see AA members in our fold. It would have made us feel inclusive even though we weren't. When I visited AA churches, they made me feel welcome, as a guest, but the vibe was so different from my home church that I knew I was just visiting. I've since left religion and am much happier for it. I highly recommend it.
Jacthripper@reddit
It used to be true, before the end of segregation. Since then, it turns out a lot of people aren’t interested in joining a “formerly racist” church (cough Mormons cough).
pseudoeponymous_rex@reddit
A lot of people in this thread are saying a racially segregated church would be illegal, and that is absolutely not true. The right to free exercise of religion under the First Amendment allows churches to exclude people for reasons that would not be permissible for public accommodations or even private businesses. So churches do exist that explicitly discriminate or segregate, such as Christian Identity, the World Church of the Creator, the "Wotanism" branch of Norse neo-paganism, or the Black Hebrew Israelites. (The first three are white supremacist, the last Black supremacist.) These churches have three other things in common: they are very rare, they are very small, and they are very unpopular.
On the other hand, while churches without formal discriminatory policies are better integrated than they were when Martin Luther King Jr. said "eleven o'clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America," the relatively low frequency with which people change churches means that in practice most churches are still not representative of America's diversity in the way that, say, a sporting event is, for all they'd be glad to welcome anyone who wanted to show up.
XLII_42@reddit
Absolutely not. The closest you'll get is congregations that just generally have more white people or Black people in them just because of where they're located and who they appeal to but in basically all cases, anybody is welcome
DTH1998@reddit
No. Your teacher is either stupid or just saying shit to say shit.
10leej@reddit
It was true until the signing of the Civil Rights Act in the 60s
ViewtifulGene@reddit
Churches will often locate in neighborhood areas that slew towards a demographic. But nothing is stopping a white person from going to a black church.
Communal-Lipstick@reddit
Lol, no.
Madame_Rae@reddit
There are no laws anymore enforcing segregation now, so anyone can attend any church. However, because there were racial segregation laws until 1964, many churches now have de facto racial identities, where if you walk in and you aren’t a member of the majority race, it will feel awkward and you may or may not be welcomed. In diverse areas/big cities you’ll often churches reflecting the immigrant groups there. In my city there are Korean and Chinese churches, Ugandan churches, Haitian churches, churches with services in Spanish and Portuguese with majority Latino membership.
Hoosier_Jedi@reddit
Foreigners will believe ANYTHING about America as long as it’s bad.
Pixelated_Penguin808@reddit
Yes and no.
There are definitely many churches where the parishoners are of one ethnic group but this usually nothing malicious. Churches tend to serve local communities and if that local community is all of one ethnic group, that is who you get in the pews. Someone from another race wouldn't be unwelcome, though.
There are definitely some fringe churches with racist political views, but it's not the norm.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Yup. I learned a lot of Spanish from going to the Spanish mass at my Catholic Church. It obviously was mostly Latinos but no one cared who attended based on skin color. It was, as it should be, all about the Eucharist.
TheKaptinKirk@reddit
I think the main quibble with your statement is the word **only**. There are black churches, and white churches, but they do not exclude others from attending, as many in this thread have mentioned. You more often see this with smaller churches or in rural areas. Larger urban churches this is less likely to be the case.
hedcannon@reddit
Today, churches are more divided by income class. In mid-sized towns in Texas, a racially segregated church tends to be more lower income class.
winteriscoming9099@reddit
Not inherently, but often church congregations tend to stick together - nothing inherently stopping someone from going to a church that’s not of their race though. Predominantly black and white churches do exist.
alicat777777@reddit
There are predominantly white or black churches due to demographics and other factors. But no church declares itself to be for whites only or for blacks only. But you might walk in and see all or mostly one race.
Sweet_Cinnabonn@reddit
Yes. Lots. Not officially. Most people would be offended at the idea of making it official policy.
And no if you mean it is required or not permitted. No of you mean there isn't a single person of another race in the congregation. There are not all that many white congregations without a single brown face there on Sunday mornings.
But historically something like 80% of Americans who attend church report their church is at least 80% one ethnic group.
Pew research done in 2023-2024 is the latest data we have. Of those who attend church, 1/3 said they attend a church where they are not part of the dominant racial/ethnic majority. They included the group who said their church didn't have any one majority in that group.
That leaves 2/3 of Americans who attend church saying they attend a church where they are part of the majority group.
As best I can tell from the research, Catholics are the most Integrated Christians. Muslims are the most integrated overall.
70% of Mormons say they attend an all or mostly all white congregation. 85% of Jews say the same. 77% of Hindu worshippers say they attend with an all or mostly all Asian congregation.
We are not very integrated in the church.
Lunar_M1nds@reddit
There were legally segregated places in the US but that’s not the case anymore. Now ppl stick to what they know or prefer. “Black churches” are often Baptist, pentecostal, Lutheran, and a few other branches of religion but they’re most often known for specifically being full of music and celebration. Whereas “white churches”, often representing Christianity Or Catholicism in people minds, are known for long, quiet and serious sermons. This is a generalization but that’s essentially the difference and that ofc comes from Americas history of racism. Things like gospel or the blues, soul music, was specifically created in America by African Americans to carry them threw slavery. Songs like “Wade in the Water” literally being a mantra of the Underground Railroad
VitruvianDude@reddit
Churches aren't just places of worship. They are very much social and welfare institutions as well. Before the Civil Rights Era (1960s), there was a great deal of racial segregation both in law and certainly by tradition in social institutions. This segregation was recognized and sometimes promoted by the institutions themselves, one the most infamous case being the Mormon Church, who denied their Black male members the Priesthood until 1978. Elsewhere, Protestant Christianity in America, the dominant form of worship, is known for splitting and recombining on a regular basis, and often a "Black" denomination emerged, like the African Methodist Episcopal Church or the National Baptist Convention.
But even in those benighted ages, there were multi-racial churches. The Catholic Church did not segregate, and the very early Pentecostal movement was led by a multiracial set of both men and women pastors.
Nowadays, except for a few disreputable outliers, all houses of worship are welcoming to all races. However, the weight of history and the fact that we tend to worship where our family has worshiped in the past, means that many churches are still predominantly black, or predominantly white. But unless the demographics of the area are particularly one race or the other, you will invariably find people of different races worshiping together.
OceanPoet87@reddit
Attendance is not restricted. Anyone can attend. The Black churches were founded due to segregation after the Civil War. The white churches then didn't allow blacks or they had to sit through sermons glorifying slavery (pre war) or racism.
I got to a non denominal church in Idaho. The area is very white but there are some black or latino couples who attend. I actually see more diversity at our church compared to the city itself. Still nothing like my hometown of Oakland which was almost equally Asian, Black, Latino, and White when I lived there (though each had their own neighborhoods).
RaggedFlagRWB@reddit
Considering segregation is illegal, no, not legally. While some groups tend to stick together, it's not a legally mandatory thing. Personally, I've never seen it, but then again, I don't attend church all too often.
PaintedVillains@reddit
Ehhh, yes and no. Most of the time the racial separation isn't intentionally done; I know different denominations of Christianity just sometimes have cultural skews (the things you'd pray for and how would be different, y'know?) and people don't often change churches, especially if they already have family/satisfactory community in one.
That being said, there definitely are still cases of that happening intentionally. White supremacy is still a big problem, and many white supremacists use churches as fronts to recruit/promote their 'movement'. (These tend not to be very good Christians in practice anyway, but that's neither here nor there.) Many Black churches have their roots in the antebellum, pre-emancipation period, and it wasn't terribly common for slave owners to sit in with the congregation of folks they had enslaved. Give it a couple generations, don't legalize mixed race marriage until shamefully recently, and the churches usually stay pretty monoracial. I grew up in a primarily black, rural baptist church and we had one or two white people in the congregation who had married black folk and/or had mixed race children, but the white people in the area tended to stay away either out of guilt if their families had been in the area for the same amount of time as mine or just generally not feeling like they'd fit in.
Many minority religious practices (indigenous religion, hoodoo/voodoo, etc etc) also have a lot of history of being absolutely desecrated by white American colonialism and are closed practices, so you won't normally see lots of white folk being eagerly let in (or even eager to join).
Of course, take that with a grain of salt, as I'm just one person who grew up in the Bible Belt, but that's what I've observed.
Chemical-Actuary683@reddit
I go to a Catholic Church in the Chicago area in a very demographically mixed community. Going to Mass is like going to the United Nations.
Sleepygirl57@reddit
Of course not.
People however tend to stick to a church in their area. So whatever the area population is would be the most of the people in the church.
I’m an atheist so I think all religion is a weird cult so if I was to walk into any church I’m going to feel the exact same way about it and the folks attending.
BiochemBeer@reddit
Technically no, however churches tend to cater to a given locality and even in some cases community within a local area. So in practice you have churches that are predominately or entirely black or white due to these factors. That said if a white person went to a church that was usually 100% black they would be welcome and the likewise a black person in a church normally attended by 100% white people would be welcome too (I'm sure there are a few fringe racist groups out there, but not that common as real Christians shouldn't care).
In addition there are churches that cater to specific ethnic populations - there are Korean Presbyterian churches that have services completely or partially in Korean. If a non-Korean attended, they would certainly be welcomed but they wouldn't be able to fully participate unless they spoke the language. There are also churches that do services primarily in Spanish, and I'm sure there are other languages as well.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Technically yes,
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
BiochemBeer@reddit
I did say in my comment that I'm sure there are fringe groups. Any genuine Christian would reject these as real churches.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
I agree but everyone is just acting like it doesn’t exist.
Prowindowlicker@reddit
This is really only a thing among protestants.
The Catholic Churches and orthodox churches are a lot more mixed given their wider community.
thatHecklerOverThere@reddit
No, there are no churches explicitly for black and white people at this point.
Now, are their churches with bigots? Yes. Would they make people of other races etc feel unwelcome? Yes. But that's on the people, not the church.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
2025 there were… oh wait that’s this year.
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
thatHecklerOverThere@reddit
Huh. Appalling.
CroweBird5@reddit
There are definitely churches that are white or black, but you're not prohibited from going to the other
dontforgettowriteme@reddit
When and where did your teacher live in the US? You said "years ago" when you were in 7th grade so I'm wondering if this was pre-1960s when your teacher lived here.
Racial segregation was certainly a thing prior to the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. All public spaces in the South were segregated. Churches were no different.
Today, public spaces are not segregated by law and you'd be welcome most anywhere, but there are churches still made up of mostly white or black people (and there are some churches for Spanish speakers as well). They're not required to do that, though. There are many factors that contribute to why they're still divided by race. Some of that is influenced by history, some of it's because the church is still a cultural center and safe space for their community.
ABelleWriter@reddit
Not quite. There are white people who go to Black churches and Black people who go to white churches. It's more about culture than anything else.
When Black folks were forced into slavery there was a vast cultural divide in things like church. Black folks were forced to leave their religions from Africa and concert to Christianity, but also, for the most part, not allowed to attend white people churches. (Some churches allowed them to stand at the back of outside the door to listen). So they ended up forming their own churches, with their own style of music and preaching.
Now, Black churches are hubs of community. I pass one on my way to work that has fish fry, community dinners, I believe that they have a day care. They are busy several days a week doing community things.
So it has nothing to do with God, and everything to do with history, culture, and community. But it isn't segregation, it isn't forced, it's how people like to worship because it's what they know.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
Inevitable_Channel18@reddit
Black and white ONLY? No that’s not a thing. Maybe 60 years ago but not now
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Except it is a thing.
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
FlappyClap@reddit
Did your teacher live in the US in the 1960s?
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
This is from 2025.
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
FlappyClap@reddit
Racism knows no bounds, I guess. Even churches aren’t above such nonsense.
Ok-Race-1677@reddit
Maybe 50 years ago
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Try 2025
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
cbrooks97@reddit
In the past, this was more true. Now congregations are more mixed, though there are still lots of mostly black churches and mostly white churches. Most predominantly white churches are boring, so you'll find more black people at charismatic churches.
Grandemestizo@reddit
No. I’m white, my wife is Asian, and we attended and got married in a black church. It’s not that churches have rules about what races can attend but when you have a black pastor in a black neighborhood they’re gonna end up with a black congregation, primarily. They’re broadly similar to other churches except for who goes there.
NumberJohnny@reddit
There are no churches that literally discriminate anymore, but a white person at an A.M.E Zion Church would stick out like a sore thumb. Before desegregation, there were blacks or whites only churches.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Except there are…..
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
GrimSpirit42@reddit
There are no churches that are white or black 'only'.
But, people tend to associate with their own friends, so in essence there are churches that only have white attendees and some that only have black attendees. A person of any race is not barred from any particular church, they just don't go.
Similar to our area's Mardi Gras Mystic Societies. You have white Mardi Gras Societies, and black Mardi Gras societies. But you also have queer Societies, women only societies, children only societies, men only societies, all inclusive societies, married couples only societies....basically a Society for any cross section of humanity you want to hang with.
itsafoxboi@reddit
with jim crow laws, that was true, but nowadays, there are predominantly white and black churches, but they're not exclusively white or black. Nowadays I don't think there is any church that will tell anybody that they're not allowed to come in no matter their race or even if they're not christian.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Literally wrong
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
machagogo@reddit
this is not true.
There are places that are one or the other just based on demographics, or denomination, but they do not specifically exclude one or the other.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Except it is true:
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
MonsieurRuffles@reddit
It’s more than just demographics but largely based on historical patterns of discrimination.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
It’s not true.
There are churches that are primarily black. AME churches are the ones I am thinking of and also primarily black Baptist churches.
You can still go as a white person and I have. They are extremely welcoming.
I’m Catholic and we take any and all in. My church growing up was probably 25% black, 25% Latino, and 50% white.
I have never seen or heard of a church that is only for one “race.” Maybe they exist somewhere but it would be an absolutely fringe minority of Christians.
biggcb@reddit
Based on location & demographics of the local population, it is technically possible.
albertnormandy@reddit
Yes, there are many churches where the congregation is predominantly one or the other. There are no rules enforcing this and people are welcome to go wherever they want, but the South has a complicated history with race that has led to this situation.
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
This is just false. Did anyone bother to google?
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
oceanblue33_@reddit
Yep. I was the only white person in a black southern church for years and there was always palpable tension with some of the members bc I was there.
WFOMO@reddit
Birds of a feather flock together.
Vegetable-Star-5833@reddit
No
sonotorian@reddit
As a resident of the historical US South, yes…absolutely. Not only individual churches, but entire denominations. AME (African Methodist Episcopal), CME (Christian Methodist Episcopal), COGIC (Church of God in Christ), and others. That being said, most churches in areas with mixed populations are mixed. I grew up in a small town (<1,000) with no Black people (or other races) and when a Black family moved to the area, our Pastor very frankly let them know that while we appreciated them visiting, they’d likely be more comfortable in a church with their own people…that sounds shocking, but he was not a racist but simply acknowledging the fact that the majority of American Black Christians have a very particular manner of worship that is distinctly different from the “White church” and they would likely desire the comfort and freedom to worship in their own manner. The terms I like to use are “reverential” and “jubilant”. White congregations tend to be more solemn and reverential, while Black congregations tend to be more jubilant and celebratory. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either and there are, of course, some jubilant White churches and some solemn Black churches, but to speak in general terms, yes there are separate churches due to cultural differences and historical racial separation.
SigmundAdler@reddit
Yes, in the Deep South every Church is either a “white” or “black” church. It may not say it on the outside, but everyone knows which kind of Church that one on Z street is, or that one on Reynolds street is. This is very slowly changing with the introduction of hispanic folks into the South, but not really as lighter hispanics seem to be absorbed into whiteness and darker hispanics tend to found their own Churches (this is just based off observation, I have no empirical evidence of any of the claims I just made).
Salty_Permit4437@reddit
As far as I know nearly every church welcomes every race. There are churches that cater to predominantly white, black, Asian, Eastern European or other populations. For example the AME church is a historically black church. President Obama attended one. But we also have various orthodox or even Asian focused churches that have services that are in different languages or that have traditions and customs in those languages. And they may follow the faith in the older or more orthodox traditions.
Real-Psychology-4261@reddit
Not true.
Are there churches where you’ll only see white people in attendance? Yes. Are there churches where everyone in the congregation is black? Also yes.
There’s nothing stopping anyone from going to either service though.
seldom_seen8814@reddit
There are black churches, yes. Think about what it is about white protestant christianity that’s made certain black christians feel like their churches were a hostile environment.
Senior_Manager6790@reddit
Feel like it?
After the abolition of slavery Black people were kicked out of most white churches.
It was not until the 1970s that churches became de jure integrated. Even today many churches are still de facto segregated, with the hour of worship one of the most segregated hours in the US.
However, the vast majority of churches do allow, at least officially, members of any race to take part in worship. Any time I have visited a Black Church I have felt very welcome.
seldom_seen8814@reddit
That’s kind of what I was alluding to.
Longjumping_Swan_631@reddit
Not white only but there are definitely black only.
Vivid_Witness8204@reddit
None are actually segregated but in my area most will be almost all white or almost all black. Churches are very much a part of culture so although legal segregation ended 60 years ago the culture changes much more slowly.
boopbaboop@reddit
There are churches that are historically black or historically white. This is because there used to be exclusively black and exclusively white churches in states with segregation, to the point that separate denominations arose (ex: Southern Baptists broke with northern Baptists over the morality of slavery, and African Methodists are their own denomination of Methodist).
Even though segregation is no longer legal, 1) it was legal only 60 years ago, which isn’t that long compared to how long segregation and slavery lasted and 2) most people didn’t suddenly start going to a new integrated church after the Civil Rights movement: they stuck with the ones they already went to. Legally, people can go to any church, and there are plenty of integrated churches, but there are still remnants of segregation.
ChicagoJohn123@reddit
An important thing to know about American Christianity is that we have lots and lots of different denominations of Christianity. So it’s not that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has churches for white peoples and churches for black people. It’s that for various historical reasons the Church of God in Christ is predominantly Black and the Religious Society of Friends is predominantly white.
And people tend to go to the same kind of church their grandparents went to, so that’s a racial barrier that takes a long time to break down.
AncientFloor5924@reddit
The Southern Baptist Convention was started to exclude blacks. Would they kick out a black person now? Not directly, but in some churches they would get frozen out.
MortimerDongle@reddit
Yeah, SBC is still nearly 90% white by membership despite being primarily located in the region of the country with the highest percentage of black people. They don't actively or officially discriminate any more but that legacy doesn't disappear overnight
rosemaryscrazy@reddit
Yes, there are Whites Only Churches still.
After permit approved for whites-only church, small Minnesota
California Church that Preaches a Whites-Only Gospel
Trinx_@reddit
Many are very segregated with maybe a token member or two breaking the pattern. To the point that Black church and white church are very different experiences. My childhood church was an odd one being integrated at about 2/3 white and 1/3 Black. We had the classic durge-like singing mid-service with upbeat gospel at the end.
The way this happened was the church was deep in the hood, in a neighborhood high in crime, where community service was needed. Free meals were provided daily - with or without attending service. There was a food bank and clothing provided. A Christmas store every year. About half the white people attending were poor folk who had needs and half the white folk were university professor types who came all the way across town to be in such a place where they could do good. And many of the poor folk of any color provided help in ways they could as well.
My mom meant for her kids to grow up around a diverse group. Unfortunately, doing so in this way meant that most of the Black folk I was introduced to as a child were poor. It led to some internal biases that to this day I have to catch myself with. My brilliant Black pediatrician was a light-skinned woman, so I got a little colorism introduced early as well. That said, I literally just got invited by a coworker to Steppin' this morning, so I must be doing something right.
Penguin_Life_Now@reddit
I live in a small town of about 10,000 people in the south, and for the most part, yes, there are white churches and black churches, and they are VERY different. Though they are no longer necessarily 100% black or white. Though today it is more likely that you will find a 100% black church than a 100% white one. I am a white man in my 50's and the predominantly white church were my elderly mother attends has a couple of black families, one of which has been attend this church for over 40 years. The big thing to understand here is that black churches and white churches have a VERY different feel and culture.
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
I mean there are churches that are mainly white and black but there is no restriction on a black person attending a "white" church or vice versa
dashatt91@reddit
During the Jim Crow era, I'm sure that's certainly true. There were laws dividing black from white for a lot of things. Today there are no laws separating churches by race.
StJmagistra@reddit
In my city, there are two First Baptist Churches, one is a majority white congregation: https://montgomeryfbc.org/community-ministries/
And one is majority Black: https://firstbaptistchurchmontgomery.com/
Both-Structure-6786@reddit
There are churches that are predominantly black in America that can be considered a black church and there are some that are predominantly white or Asian or even Hispanic. Depends on the area you live in but none of these churches are “blacks only” or “whites only” like a policy or something.
Rogue-Accountant-69@reddit
I mean, neither would turn someone of the other race away if they showed up. But there are definitely churches that are all/mostly black people and churches that are all white people. Black churches are known for their lively singing and call and response sermons. And there are churches that are like 50/50 (eg Seventh Day Adventists).
Odd-Help-4293@reddit
Kind of. That was true at one time. And the legacy of that remains with us today.
For the majority of US history, racial segregation was common. Many churches, businesses, schools, restaurants, libraries, hotels, etc would not allow black people to enter. So black people often had to create their own establishments that would serve them.
So there are church denominations that were founded by black people as a place where black people were allowed to worship. And they still, to this day, are likely to have congregations that are mostly black people who grew up in that church.
There are also some churches that were historically white-only and actively supported racial segregation. These churches mostly don't support those ideas now, but that history hasn't been forgotten about, and their congregants are still likely to mostly be white people.
SleepinGriffin@reddit
That hasn’t been a thing for about 60 years.
There use to be separate but equal (but not really) spaces for white people and black people. Once someone was able to prove in court that the “but equal” was not true and that separating people based on skin color was inherently disadvantageous to people who were seen as other these practices were outlawed federally.
This change in law did not necessarily change how people socially interacted though. Communities of people usually congregated and had similar upbringings due to how they were treated by society and people were treated based on skin color. So of course these groups of people with the same skin color would have communities together. This doesn’t necessarily mean that other people couldn’t join these communities. It’s just less likely for them to have cultural similarities that would make you want to be apart of these groups.
Yes, there are predominantly black and white churches, but no one is forcing any group to be separate from another based on skin color.
Joliet-Jake@reddit
Not usually as an official stance, but where I live black people mostly go to "black churches" and white people almost always go to "white churches". I'm sure that both have some congregations where people outside of the predominant race are not welcome but most will welcome anyone who shows up.
SCCock@reddit
I live in the deep South and am a member of a "white church.". We have black members who are active in the life of the church.
Trick_Photograph9758@reddit
No, anyone is welcome at any church. That being said, if there is a church in the middle of a 100% black neighborhood, it's congregation is likely to be black.
TheLizardKing89@reddit
Here’s some polling about race and religion
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/age-race-education-and-other-demographic-traits-of-us-religious-groups/
As you can see, historically black churches are overwhelmingly black (>90%) while mainline and evangelical Protestant churches are very white (70 & 79%). Catholics are almost all either white or Hispanic (90%).
Icy-Whale-2253@reddit
“Black churches” are churches that black people established. They don’t exclude people based on race. It’s just a different cultural practice than whatever is going on down the street at the “white” church.
drewilly@reddit
No its more of a cultural serparation. There are some predominantly white and some predominantly black but its not like you can't go to either one. Its just that it tends to separate that way due to demographics or cultural differences.
Channel_Huge@reddit
No. Everyone is welcome at any church regardless of race. Are there churches that have an overwhelming majority of one particular race? Sure. But everyone can attend services anywhere.
MrsBenSolo1977@reddit
Up until the 1960s, churches were definitely segregated, and while that’s not the case anymore, you’ll still find a lot that are mostly all-white or all-Black. They’d welcome anyone now, sure, but those old racial lines still kind of shape who ends up where.
Uhhyt231@reddit
There a churches with mainly white or black congregations. There are also churches with mainly Korean or Hispanic congregations. Different denominations have different demographics
Pudenda726@reddit
In my area we have churches that are predominantly Black or white but most wouldn’t turn someone of the opposite race away. Our town’s cemetery is still segregated though.
skspoppa733@reddit
Nah, but there are certainly lots of churches that have all white or all black congregations.
EarlyBirdWithAWorm@reddit
They're not white and black only as in the other race isn't allowed to go there but yes churches with predominantly white or black members do exist
Griegz@reddit
Some Nation of Islam mosques don't want white people there.
moles-on-parade@reddit
I never realized this was a thing until at least high school. Growing up I attended a church that was like 45% white, 45% black, and 10% other (in an inner-ring Maryland suburb of DC). Looking back I feel incredibly lucky.
rutherfraud1876@reddit
Formal discrimination in churches is extremely rare to nonexistent these days, but Black people were excluded from many churches before, during, and still sometimes after the Jim Crow era, so they went and made their own.
This has stuck harder than most discrimination from that era because, well, religion is very tied up with tradition.
While Sunday morning is still "the most segregated hour in America," at this point there are quite a few churches that are well integrated racially (like mine growing up), and even the ones that aren't will usually have at least a couple of people of another race there.
MortimerDongle@reddit
They aren't (usually) segregated in the sense that a black or white person would be kicked out, but there are absolutely churches where 100% of members are white or black
WKU-Alum@reddit
One of my favorite memories from growing up was visiting the "black church" down the street during their gospel meeting. The singing was substantially better than what we had and the food afterwards was just un-be-leave-able
rawbface@reddit
No. You can go to any church you want.
Churches with a mostly black congregation and churches with a mostly white congregation will be a different experience. That is probably what they meant.
But no one is prohibited from going to whichever church they want. Usually, diversity is welcome and celebrated.
ITrCool@reddit
Nope. It comes down to natural social gravitation on a human level, but nothing is intentionally racially enforced like that.
I’ve been to plenty of churches with both ethnicities intertwined in the congregation. They were all excellent.
Scottland83@reddit
Yes and no. Churches are very community-centric so there are services with completely homogeneous congregations. There are churches that have attracted enough white supremacists that everyone else just goes somewhere else. In the South especially black churches emerged as part of segregated black communities though church membership will usually include a few white members who are family or friends of the black members or just don’t like the white church. Yes racially segregated religion is stupid as an idea, especially if you’re raised catholic. But it’s an artifact of a long history of a racial divide.
myownfan19@reddit
These days you likely won't find any routing christian churches which specifically and officially segregate by color. You will find a lot of churches which "by default" via by history, community, culture, or whatever other number of reasons "unofficially" are attended by people of a particular color. Many churches are "black" churches although they welcome everyone, the African-American experience is deeply tied to community via churches. If a POC though showed up in a "white church" in some areas then they may not get a very nice welcome.
Some churches or congregations operate on a particular language, so while officially anyone can come, the Free Wesleyan Methodist Tongan Church in the US will not have a huge diversity.
It's complicated is never a satisfying answer, but pretty much all churches will say they welcome everyone, and they may, but a congregation may be almost entirely homogenous, and you might say that's a choice.
Spirited-Feed-9927@reddit
It's just cultural. There are mixed churches and no one will be turned away. Some churches are predominately black or white, based on the history of the people that went there. Since church is engrained in us young, we just get used to what we know.
For example, I was raised catholic, and if you come from another form of Christianity. It would just seem weird the norms and traditions. So someone might not stick around. And if you were looking for a church, do you want to be the only white person or black person there? The other people could be welcoming, but you may feel out of place and look for a place you can just blend in.
glendacc37@reddit
There are churches that are predominantly black or white, but I've never heard of any being whites or blacks ONLY in a very, very ling time. There are "historically black churches" but anyone can go.
I'm sure there are congregations that are less friendly than others.
provocative_bear@reddit
It's not like a formal thing, but there are churches and denominations that are overwhelmingly white or black as the legacy of centuries of segregation.
Shoddy-Secretary-712@reddit
I am white, and the church I went to as a child was predominantly white, but it was small, and most of us were from a couple of the same families. There were people of other races, including black people.
My husband's white grandfather, one of his daughters, and family went to a black church. I have several friends (white and black) who go there, so I see a lot of videos and interact with the church and usually attend their fish fry. I would 100% feel comfortable and invited to attend their church, as I feel they would have been to mine. The style of worship does vary, but I don't think either would think the other is wrong, just preference.
Geologyst1013@reddit
Yes there are faith communities for both white and black people in the US. There are also mixed faith communities as well.
I think it will help you understand if you have an understanding of the systemic racism that has plauged the US for hundreds of years.
GSilky@reddit
Yes. Christian Identity churches are a major force behind the dissemination of white supremacy ideology. There are also religious groups like the Black Israelites that do the same for Afrocentrism. While not technically a "church", the Nation of Islam does not allow anyone white to join. The LDS church didn't allow Black members until the 1970s because Mormons thought being Black was the "mark of Cain". It's unfortunate, and its all fringe movements, the vast majority of religious communities not caring, and actively working to overcome racial division.
Traveler108@reddit
There are Black denominations, like the AME churches, long established, with their own traditions (great gospel music being one) and churches in Black and white neighbourhoods that therefore usually have Black or white congregations. They aren't segregated but generally consist of those particular groups. It's not a matter of what God cares about -- it's a matter of adhering to cultural traditions.
AlarmingAd7453@reddit
When there was segregation back in the day. Nowadays there isn't. But there's also church groups for KKK members. Why would want to go to church with that group?
Quenzayne@reddit
It’s not like a legally enforced thing lol There’s churches in Black areas that have a lot of Black people, churches in white areas that have a lot of white people, churches in mixed areas that have a lot of both.
Black churches do have their own style of worship though. Very charismatic—or perhaps cathartic.
MiserableFloor9906@reddit
Not strictly through actual segregation but sure, through natural clustering because race is relatively polarized in the US versus other OECDs
Dolphopus@reddit
It’s a remnant of segregation. As a result of Black people being legally barred from many white spaces, they created their own churches and in many places particularly in the south, the cultures that have been created by these churches are very different. You will see white people in traditionally black churches and vice versa since the separation is no longer upheld by law, but socially they’re different environments.
BitOfAZeldaFan3@reddit
Officially, not since the 60s integration movement.
Unofficially, churches in primarily white or black neighborhoods will have primarily white or black members. Churches reflect local demographics.
44035@reddit
If there's a church in a black neighborhood, most of the people attending will probably be black. But if other races want to attend, they will probably be welcomed.
DarkIllusionsMasks@reddit
Not only, as in segregated by law or custom. That would be illegal. I live across the street from a non-denominational "black" church, as in the majority of the congregation and the pastor are black, but there are a handful of white folk in the congregation, mostly elderly couples from the neighborhood. They do cookouts on the lawn most weekends in the summer, bounce house for the kids and all that.
tlonreddit@reddit
Unless your teacher was around prior to about 1964, they are full of bullshit. Sure, there are churches that are predominantly black or white based off demographic and some churches do have African-American in their name, but no.
Sabertooth767@reddit
Yes, there many Afro-centric churches and even whole denominations.
mikethomas4th@reddit
None that are by rule segregated like that.
But it certainly happens in practice. Small town church, predominantly one race in the area, probably not going to have any others there.
sabatoa@reddit
They exist- not as a stated goal but as natural segregation.
But most churches are integrated.
Mental_Freedom_1648@reddit
Different cultures have different worship styles, and cultures often break down along racial lines.