The role of "storefront clergy"

             I was really fascinated by Venkatesh’s analysis of “big preachers” versus “storefront clergy”. Today in my History of the Civil Rights Movement class we discussed the idea of “big preachers” in relation to the civil rights movement and James Baldwin’s piece, The Fire Next Time. James Baldwin, an author and civil rights activist, was turned from his devout Christianity because of this same narrative of “big preachers” who saw the church as a means of income and used it to advance their personal and financial needs above those of the greater community. Baldwin renounces these “big preachers” for obscuring the Christian doctrine for political advancement, but what he does not addressed is what Venkatesh would refer to as “storefront clergy”.

While big preachers are preoccupied with political priorities, storefront clergy have much smaller and much poorer congregations and they devote much of their lives to actively addressing the pressing issues of their community. Venkatesh refers to the storefront preachers as mediators who take preventative measures against violence and crime. Additionally, these preachers work with all members of the community, including gang members, to resolve issues between individuals and groups. In this way, it seems to me as if clergy would have an incredibly influential role in mediating conflicts in their immediate communities. Very similar to the basis for the CeaseFire Initiative we discussed previously, preachers have an interesting opportunity for conflict alleviation because they have a first-hand understanding of the problems and are presumably fairly well respected in the community.  They also have a moral responsibility to fulfill the will of God which binds them to these problems.

Though it would be hard to measure, I wonder how significant a role the church plays in alleviating urban social problems across impoverished communities in the US. Venkatesh asserts that in the “storefront clergy” act as social workers and mediators in Maquis Park though I wonder how impactful the church can be in communities for easing problems such as gangs, violence, unemployment, homelessness etc. as an alternative to the justice system or police involvement.