ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presentsthe premise that culture and ecology can intersect in structures, groups, practices, and processes to support youth in ways that are mutually beneficial for them, including in Black churches, and Black communities. It examines contemporary religious and nonreligious programmatic efforts and services for a large group of Black churches as possible sites of broad-based youth education and socialization. Yet Black Church efforts today are also situated within a broader, somewhat more troubling ecological context or spatial continuum. On one pole is a cadre of churches that sponsor a variety of efforts focused on holistically educating and socializing youth. On the other extreme lie a growing number of Black churches with aging memberships and increasingly inward-focused ideologies that no longer offer any youth initiatives. A variety of scholars focused on the multiple challenges and educational needs of African American youth.