Non-american here. Sorry if I come off as very ignorant. I understand what a black church is, but why is this? Is this an American apartheid/segregation thing or is it like an exclusive club for people with dark skin? I have seen a few posts about this and everyone’s commenting as if it is the most normal thing in the world to have different churches depending on the color of your skin.
American here and by no means an expert so take this with a grain or 1000 of salt. It’s not segregation (at least not enforced any more) as much as a cultural thing. Many black churches likely started during segregation and the culture has definitely shifted over time which heavily influences things like music (look up soul gospel or soul music) and I believe tend to be more colorful in clothing and decor. There are aspects of elements of a service, and without a doubt influences on the topic of the sermon (thinking about it… Sermon might be a very Catholic word so I am not sure if that translates well). There might be some social do’s and don’t’s that I don’t know of as well but I don’t have first hand experience
You don’t come across as ignorant, no worries. It’s mostly just nomenclature.
“Black Churches” are simply churches (usually, but not exclusively Baptist) that are located in or near, or cater to Black communities. There’s usually a Black pastor. I’ve never really thought about why this is a thing until reading your comment, but my guess is it stems from the post-slavery and post-equal rights movement era thing. The federal, state and local governments put forth a lot of policies that are in retrospect kinda shitty to Black people. I imagine this led Black Americans to form congregations that they wouldn’t be quietly pushed away from, and feel overall more comfortable in.
In modern America, they are just labeled that. There are no restrictions or rules against who can go to the church. I am a white, non-religious audio engineer, who works Sunday mornings doing sound at a “Black Church”. I’d say about 10-15% of the members at this church are white or non-Black. The church is located within a section of town that has a more diverse population than other areas. The pastor and his family that run the church are very nice, and very welcoming of all the patrons. They’ve always been very nice to me, even knowing that I don’t follow the religion.