Feb 20, 2021
FILE - In this Monday, July 11, 2016 file photo, Paul Bronson prays during a Black Lives Matter prayer vigil at First Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American congregation, in Macon, Ga. According to a Pew study released on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, Black Americans attend church more regularly than Americans overall, and pray more often. Most of them attend churches that are predominantly Black -- yet many would like those congregations to become racially diverse. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)
NEW YORK — Black Americans attend church more regularly than Americans overall, and pray more often. Most attend churches that are predominantly Black, yet many would like those congregations to become racially diverse. There is broad respect for Black churches’ historical role in seeking racial equality, coupled with a widespread perception they have lost influence in recent decades.