Technology Use in the Black Church: Perspectives of Black Church Leaders

Abstract

Black Churches serve as a central faith-based institution across America. As digital technologies become increasingly prevalent in religious contexts, understanding how Black Church leaders navigate these tools is crucial. Yet, few researchers have explored how Black Church leaders (i.e., individuals who have decision-making roles outside of general membership of a church) interact with and make decisions around the use of technologies. To understand their technology use and decision-making, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 Black Church leaders. We found that leaders evaluate technology adoption by weighing costs – financial constraints, generational differences, in-person connection – against benefits like expanded reach and convenience. We also found that while Black Church leaders embrace technology, most choose not to use technology for community outreach. Despite advancements in generative AI, Black Church leaders prefer technology to support rather than replace their work, fearing loss of spiritual authenticity. We contribute to research on technology use in faith-based organizations and provide recommendations on how to develop technologies to support the engagement of faith-based marginalized communities like the Black Church.