The Negro's church,.

280

The Negro's Church

For example, 45.6 per cent. of the 386 churches in debt have
an average indebtedness of less than $5,000; and only 15.0
per cent. of them have debts ranging between $25,000 and
$160,000; with twenty-one owing $50,000 or more, and only
three owing more than $100,000.
Even if indebtedness carried control, most of the churches
would not be so heavily in debt as to warrant creditor-control.
Therefore, whatever the Negro church is in the United States,
it is largely the outcome of the Negro's own genius and his
ability to organize. Like other institutions it has glaring defects; and improvemerts in many spheres are greatly needed.
It is equally true, however, that there are hundreds of
Negro churches that operate sufficiently well to warrant the
commendation of critical minds.
Not only is this institution controlled by Negroes, but ninetenths of the local churches are self-supporting. A few Negro
churches, organically connected with white churches, churches
of Negro denominations, and several Baptist churches were
helped in an organized way between 1927 and 1931; but
during the same period, 88.' per cent. of the churches of
this study received no systematic organized support from outside sources. Certainly in the majority of cases the amounts
received from outside sources were so negligible that the
churches would continue to exist if the outside help were entirely cut off. Even in the cases of the 11.7 per cent. of
churches that received some organized support due to denominational connections and otherwise, there was sufficient
evidence to show that control of the church was primarily
in the hands of the Negro congregations.
Through and through, with or without outside help, the
Negro churches of this study are principally governed by
Negroes. Many Negroes, though unable to own homes of
their own, take a peculiar pride in their churches. It gives
them a sense of ownership that can hardly exist with respect
to any other institution in the community. Since thousands