In the field of counseling, there has been a growing awareness of the important role the Black church plays in African American communities. Although counseling professionals have begun recognizing the influence the Black church has in the lives of African Americans, there seems to be little information on how counselors can collaborate with African American congregations to meet the mental health needs of African American clients. The authors examine how counselors can use the psychological and social strengths of the Black church. Strategies and implications for collaborating with this institution are also discussed.
e organized Black church has been recognized as the oldest and most influential institution founded, maintained, and controlled by African T" American people (Boyd-Franklin, 1989;Taylor, Ellison, Chatters, Levin, & Lincoln, 2000). Historically, African American scholars have affirmed that the Black church has consistently been a dependable source of support for African American families and individuals. It has been considered by some to serve as the genesis of a self-controlled corporate entity through which African Americans could organize and mobilize their resources (DuBois, 1903(DuBois, /2003)). The Black church represents many different dominations, including Baptist, African Methodist, Church of God in Christ, Seventh-Day Adventist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Episcopalian (Boyd-Franklin, 1989). The term the Black church encompasses any predominately African American congregation, even if it is part of a predominately White American religious denomination.
To a large extent, African American religion is reworked Christianity. It has its own character, style, and outlook. It is a c h d that incorporates elements of African religion and Euro-Christianity as well as Islamic and Judaic sectarianism, thus exhibiting syncretism (Sanders, 2002). The Black church is often acknowledged as the pulse of the African American community, attending to the social, psychological, and religious needs of African Americans. Moreover, scholars have noted (Boyd-Franklin, 1989;Richardson &June, 1997;Taylor et al., 2000) that no other institution in the United States can claim the loyalty and attention of African Americans that the Black church claims.