ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the interplay between routinization and innovation occurring in program decision-making on behalf of youth. Sunday school, Bible studies, and choirs have been common youth programs among Black churches historically. The theme of holistic education and socialization is presented as either the current objective or an aspirational goal for most Black churches in the chapter. It postulates that Black churches that cultivate nurturing, supportive environments for youth and provide a variety of programs to educate and socialize them more broadly demonstrate both village-mindedness and child-centeredness; they suggest a certain degree of congregational vitality. Black churches must now compete with multiracial and predominately White congregations, non-Christian religions, and secular organizations for the attention and time of youth. Scholarship suggests that African American youth who participate in church-sponsored programs are more apt to regularly attend church and say they enjoy it, believe that their lives are better for it, and have increased odds of high school completion and college enrollment.
