Do we place too many demands and expectations on our black pastors? One pastor apparently thinks so.

Years ago, Chicago Sun-Times columnist John Fountain published an article explaining why he no longer attended church on Sunday. Among the myriad reasons he offered this:

“Somewhere along the way, for us, for me, the church — the collective of black churches of the Christian faith, regardless of denomination — lost its meaning, its relevance. It seems to have no discernible message for what ails the 21st century black male soul.”

“…it seems to have turned inward. It seems to exist for the perpetuation of itself — for the erecting of grandiose temples of brick and mortar and for the care of pastors and the salaried administrative staff.”

So each Sunday, while his wife and daughter rose early and dressed for church, Fountain – a professed believer who grew up in the pews – “turned over and pulled the covers up around my head.”

Fountain published that column on Aug. 7, 2005.

Six years later, on Oct. 19, 2011, he shared a response he got from an anonymous writer who identified himself as a prominent Chicago pastor.

In that response, the pastor shared his own list of laments.

The preacher said he had stopped shaking hands on Sunday at the end of church because he was:

“…tired and overworked, exposed to countless people who wanted something from me — more than I had to give. I had loaned out money that I needed and was never repaid. I had been hit on by the women, ignored by the brothers who say they wanted to help but who more times than not took the position but not the work that went with it. I was tired of shaking hands with people who only wanted me to pay for the funeral, hire them to do work they used to do for free at their old church and find out ways they could get into my finances.

He went on to say:

"Our pastors have had to fill in for no black leadership, insensitive presidents. . . . We are called to be spiritual leaders but required to be everything else.

"We are lost in a fog of too many demands, unfair job descriptions, endless hours, countless funerals, graveside services, ripped off by builders, forsaken by wives, hated by media, afraid of our own peers . . . [The church] expects us to be its civil rights, social service, psychologist, community builders, event planners, land developers . . .

"He is struggling with paying off the mortgage, trying to find out what his role is and who should set it. Is it the times he lives in, the color of his skin, the bible that seldom seems to be mentioned in such dialogues?

"Now he must be spiritually relevant, socially adept, a great administrator, and so much more. He doesn’t want to admit to anyone that he lacks the skills to counsel countless weeping mothers, endless people seeking help with jobs, showing up at court to speak on behalf of how good the young person is who is now being carted off to jail . . ."

So, who’s right and who’s wrong? Has the black church abandoned the communities they profess to serve, or has the job of leading a black church simply become too demoralizing?

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