ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between the church and the family in African-American life by providing a sociohistorical account of the black church's role in family maintenance and value transmission. It argues that the church's unique status in African-American society and culture has been utilized to foster family well-being. The chapter shows that have been difficult to assess, in part because they have been subsumed into the larger and more general mission of the development and "uplifting" of the race. Dr. Poole's teaching and research focus on African-American religion, theological ethics, and religion and social transformation. Initially both slaves and free blacks were evangelized and allowed limited participation in white churches. If the church has indeed been transformed by the events of the 1960s—the civil rights movement, Black Power, and black theology—the resulting perspective will focus family ministry on the issues that are pertinent to African-Americans.
