BLACK FLIGHT: WHAT I COULDN'T PUT INTO WORDS
(The Mega Mess of the Nuevo Mega-Church)

...this guy, a preacher, quite ironically, said it very articulately. Had a hard time explaining to my religious-to-infinity mother, what, exactly are the issues I have with churches today. I'm no atheist. I possess an indescribable belief in the power of prayer and know first hand that faith does work when it is applied in generous doses.

Still, I am just not very fond of the current state of "church." It has changed; there is less fellowship, more building fund, less holy ghost, more hierarchy.

But as the minister preached, he described the church's recent "Black Flight."

I smiled.

Ah, I knew there was a way to describe the very vivid, tangible abyss that I saw in our neighborhoods.

Guess what happened, in my opinion, is that one day the mega churches gobbled up all of the neighborhood, storefront or community churches. Then with all their newfound energy, the super mutant ninja churches left the 'hood-- burning rubber while driving away in a Mercedes, and moved out to the 'burbs. This black flight, as it were, has left struggling, inner city neighborhoods void of fellowship and spiritual nourishment.

Furthermore, anyone left in the hood--those who just simply cannot seem to get out of that hole, they are no longer viewed valuable to the congregation. With a 5,000-seat edifice with all the extras, it becomes less about Mother Henderson, who has watched you and your siblings grow up, and more about Andrew Jackson and Ben Franklin (ya heard?).

Proof of this theory is apparent at Destiny World Church. Already neatly located in Cobb County, Georgia, right off I-20 in a state of the art facility less than five years old, DWC took the whole "live, work, play" idea to another level. In 2006, DWC decided that in addition to the two Sunday services in Austell, they would also start worshipping in Atlantic Station in the ballroom of the Twelve Hotel. Atlantic Station is the new swanky shopping oasis in the heart of mid-town Atlanta. In an interview back in '06 (Live, Work...And Pray), the pastor claimed this decision was to reach those who "might not want to travel far for their religion." Hmmm...but why not hold those same services in the West End, or East Point? Plenty of folk there, but not nearly as much money. Guess that wouldn't be a good investment...but I digress.

The pastor also asserted that the services would be "convenient." I would say so. See, away from the hood, where people really need God, and neatly tucked away in this "safe" part of town, no one will have to answer the question of why pastor and other church officials drive $40,000 cars and most of the parishioners ride the bus.

And to be real, with all the members, numerous Sunday services and the multitude of extra curricular events going on in Mega Churches, there just isn't any room for real bonding. Nobody knows your name. It is quite possible to go to the same church as someone from your job or even your neighbor from down the street and never speak to them or ever see them.

Yes, the world has become a very crowded place. But I'd much rather go back to the day when your church was within walking distance (or at least a hop and a skip on public transit) and "home away from home." As I discussed this issue with my mother, I posed this query: how can people be expected to work all week, then trudge to a church for Bible study when the church has up and moved out to the boonies?

It is almost like expecting your car to get by on the same amount of gas, although the filling station has been moved very , very far away and one has to travel two to three times the distance just to fill up?

Axe.

Currently Reading: The Message: 100 Life Lessons From Hip-Hops Greatest Songs by Felicia Pride
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