Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Pastor and Lay Leader Perceptions of Barriers and Supports to HIV Ministry Maintenance in an African American Church

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Clergy and lay leaders have a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of HIV Ministries within the African American church. However, little is known about the actual roles these men and women have, the barriers they face and the supports they have found in the development and maintenance of an HIV Ministry. The purpose of this study is to examine the role, barriers and supports clergy and lay leaders experienced in the development of a long-standing HIV ministry in an African American church. These data were gathered from a larger ethnographic study, which examined the role of religious culture in the development, implementation and maintenance of an HIV ministry. Data for this study were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Results revealed that the primary role of clergy and lay leaders involved dispelling myths surrounding HIV and ensuring congregational support. The primary barrier to the development and maintenance was views regarding sexuality. The primary support was their relationships with congregants that lived with HIV and AIDS. This information can assist in developing interventions to enhance the African American church movement toward HIV ministries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Auerbach, C. F., & Silverstein, L. B. (2003). Qualitative data: An introduction to coding and analysis. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, S. (1999). HIV/AIDS, nurses and the black church a case study. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 10(5), 71–79.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berkley-Patton, J., Bowe-Thompson, C., Bradley-Ewing, A., Hawes, S., Moore, E., Williams, E., et al. (2010). Taking it to the pews: A CBPR-guided HIV awareness and screening project with black churches. AIDS Education and Prevention, 22(3), 218–237. doi:10.1521/aeap.2010.22.3.218.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, E. J., & Williams, S. E. (2005). Southern rural African-American faith communities’ role in STI/HIV prevention within two counties: An exploration. Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Sciences, 4(3), 47–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, M. K., Hudson, M. A., Resnicow, K., Blakeney, N., Paxton, A., & Baskin, M. (2007). Church-based health promotion interventions: Evidence and lessons learned. Annual Review of Public Health, 28, 213–234.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). HIV/AIDS for African-Americans. Atlanta, GA: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coyne-Beasley, T., & Schoenbach, V. J. (2000). The African-American church: a potential forum for adolescent comprehensive sexuality education. Journal of Adolescent Health, 26(4), 289–294.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, S., Kerrigan, D., McNeely, C., & Ellen, J. (2011). The role of structure versus individual agency in churches’ response to HIV/AIIDS: A case study of Baltimore city churches. Journal of Religion and Health, 50(2), 407–421.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, K. B. (2003). Sexuality and the Black Church: A womanist perspective. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, A. C. (2010). Sex, stigma, and the Holy Ghost: The Black church and the construction of AIDS in New York City. Journal of African American Studies, 14(21), 21–43. doi:10.1007/s12111-009-9105-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarama, S. L., Belgrave, F. Z., Bradford, J., Young, M., & Honnold, J. A. (2007). Family, cultural and gender role aspects in the context of HIV risk among African American women of unidentified HIV status: An exploratory qualitative study. AIDS Care Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, 19(3), 307–317.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khosrovani, M., Poudeh, R., & Parks-Yancy, R. (2008). How African-American ministers communicate HIV/AIDS related health information to their congregants: A survey of selected black churches in Houston, TX. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 11(97), 661–670. doi:10.1080/13674670801936798.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koch, J. R., & Beckley, R. E. (2006). Under the radar: AIDS ministry in the Bible belt. Review of Religious Research, 47(4), 393–408. doi:10.2307/20058106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leong, P. (2006). Religion, flesh, and blood: Recreating religious culture in the context of HIV/AIDS. Sociology of Religion, 67(3), 295–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKoy, J. N., & Petersen, R. (2006). Reducing African-American women’s sexual risk: Can churches play a role? Journal of the National Medical Association, 98(7), 1151–1159.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McNabb, W., Quinn, M., Kerver, J., Cook, S., & Karrison, T. (1997). The Pathways church-based weight loss program for urban African American women at risk for diabetes. Diabetes Care, 20(10), 23–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNeal, S., & Perkins, I. (2007). Potential roles of black churches in HIV/AIDS Prevention. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 15(2), 219–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Office of Minority Health (2006). National healthcare disparities report. Retrieved August 1, 2010, from http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhdr06/nhdr06.htm.

  • Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life (2008). US religious landscape survey. http://religions.pewforum.org.

  • Smith, J., Simmons, E. M., & Mayer, K. (2005). HIV/AIDS and the African-American Church: What are the barriers to prevention services? Journal of the National Medical Association, 88(6), 182–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stall, R., Mills, T. C., Williamson, J., Hart, T., Greenwood, G., Paul, J., et al. (2003). Associations of co-occurring psychosocial health problems and increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among urban men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 939–942.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland, M., Hale, C. D., & Harris, G. J. (1995). Community health promotion: The church as partner. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 16(2), 201–216.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tesoriero, J. M., Parisi, D. M., Sampson, S., Foster, J., Klein, S., & Ellemberg, C. (2000). Faith communities and HIV/AIDS prevention in New York State: Results of a statewide survey. Public Health Reports, 115(6), 544–556.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded in part by Health Disparities in Underserved Populations Training Grant #5T32NR007964 from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research (NIH/NINR). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIH/NINR.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jennifer M. Stewart

Authors
  1. Jennifer M. Stewart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer M. Stewart.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stewart, J.M. Pastor and Lay Leader Perceptions of Barriers and Supports to HIV Ministry Maintenance in an African American Church. J Relig Health 53, 317–325 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9627-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9627-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation