Trinity United Church of Christ facts for kids

Trinity United Church of Christ is a very large church, often called a megachurch, with over 8,500 members. Most of its members are African-American. It is located in the Washington Heights area on the South Side of Chicago. This church is the biggest one connected to the United Church of Christ, which is a Christian group with roots in Congregationalism.

The church's early years happened during the American civil rights movement. This was a time when people fought for equal rights for African Americans. After Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, there was a lot of change and new ideas. Some groups in Chicago taught that being Black and Christian was not possible. Trinity Church wanted to show that Christianity was for everyone, including Black people. They did this by focusing on black theology, which looks at Christianity from an African-American point of view.

In 2008, during the presidential election, Trinity Church became well-known across the country. This happened when parts of sermons by its former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, were shown on the news. These sermons caused controversy because of their strong opinions. The Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, had a close connection to Pastor Wright and the church. Obama gave a speech called A More Perfect Union to explain his views. On May 31, 2008, Obama decided to end his connection with the church because of more comments made by Wright and another visiting priest, Michael Pfleger.

Today, Trinity Church is known for its programs that help people in need, both in the U.S. and around the world. In its very first days, helping others was not a main part of its mission.

Church History

Early Times and Community Changes

The story of Trinity Church is connected to big changes in Chicago. Many African Americans moved from the South to the North between 1910 and 1940. This was called the Great Migration. Many settled on Chicago's South Side. They brought their Christian beliefs with them. At that time, Black people in Chicago faced a lot of unfair treatment.

In the 1930s, the Nation of Islam, a Black Muslim group, moved its main office to Chicago. Their leader, Elijah Muhammad, taught that African Americans were very important people. He said they would one day be free from unfair treatment and have their own land. To do this, he taught that Black people needed to separate from white people. By the 1940s, many Black people in Chicago joined the Nation of Islam, leaving their Christian churches.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many white middle-class families moved from Chicago's city areas to the suburbs. At the same time, Black families who were doing well moved into these areas. But many Black people still lived in the older, poorer parts of the South Side.

By 1960, Malcolm X, a famous speaker for the Nation of Islam, helped spread their message even more. His newspaper became very popular. The Nation of Islam's ideas had a strong influence on Black people in Chicago.

How Trinity Church Started

Trinity Church began in this changing world.

1961 to 1966: Pastor Kenneth B. Smith

On December 3, 1961, twelve middle-class Black families met for worship in a Chicago elementary school. These families were often descendants of those who came during the Great Migration. It was hard for Black families to move into middle-class areas because of segregated housing.

Trinity's first pastor was Kenneth B. Smith. He was chosen by the United Church of Christ to start a church for middle-class Black families in South Chicago. The idea was for this church to eventually join with a white church and have both Black and white pastors. This was a goal for integration, meaning bringing people of different races together.

However, this idea also made some Black members nervous. Some Black families had their homes burned for moving into white areas. Also, this plan did not help the many Black people who were still struggling and lived in poorer areas.

Later, a leader of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Dr. W. Sterling Cary, said that the church group often looked for "high potential" Black churches. This meant groups of Black people who would fit in with the white church's ways of worship.

Pastor Smith saw that being part of a white church group gave his members a sense of purpose. They also liked the church's focus on justice and equality. For example, in 1965, his members made signs and marched in Chicago to support the marches from Montgomery to Selma led by Martin Luther King Jr.. But this concern for voting rights in the South was different from the church group's focus only on middle-class Black churches in Chicago.

The plan to merge with a white church did not happen because white people were not very interested in integration then. In 1966, the Black congregation moved into its first church building. It could seat 200 people and was in a growing middle-class Black community.

1966 to 1971: Pastor Willie J. Jamerson

Trinity's second pastor, Rev. Willie J. Jamerson, arrived as the Civil Rights Movement was at its strongest. He wanted to comfort those who were hurting. But the church's membership kept going down. This was partly because the church was still focused on being a middle-class church.

A big change happened when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968. This led to many changes in Black communities. Many Black Americans looked for new ways to find purpose and belonging. The Black Power movement grew, and some Black people, including a few at Trinity, liked its message of Black pride. However, most at Trinity still believed in a slower approach to change.

By 1972, Trinity's membership had dropped to about 259 members. Pastor Jamerson resigned, and the church faced the possibility of closing.

1971 to 1972: Pastor Reuben A. Sheares II

Instead of closing, the church brought in Rev. Reuben A. Sheares II as a temporary pastor. His time at Trinity was important. He and the church leaders tried to understand why membership was falling. They realized that the Black community's values had changed. People were less interested in integration and fitting in. Instead, they wanted black pride and separation.

Chicago had become a center for strong Black religious groups like The Nation of Islam. These groups often said that being "Black" and "Christian" did not go together. Many Black people were leaving Christianity because of this.

Trinity's leaders realized they needed to change their message. They needed to show that Christianity was for Black people too. Sheares created the motto: "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian." This motto meant being proud of being Black and proud of being Christian. It helped people overcome any shame about being Black that had been part of their history.

A new mission statement was also created. It said the church would be a place for spiritual support and inspiration. It would help people serve God and work to stop anything that made people feel less human or kept them from being free. This new mission statement was given to every new pastor who applied.

1972 to 2008: Pastor Jeremiah Wright

Jeremiah Wright became Trinity's new pastor on December 31, 1971. He was very excited about the church's new mission. He believed that Christianity could be reconnected with Black identity. Wright had studied a lot and was working on his doctorate in religious history.

Wright knew that strong Black Muslim groups were drawing Black people away from Christianity by saying it was racist. He wanted to take the good parts of the Black Power message, like pride, but reject ideas of separation or Black superiority.

The first big change happened in late 1972. The church's young people wanted a bigger role. They brought in a new choir director, and for the first time, they used gospel music in worship. This new music brought a lot of energy and helped people feel more self-love. However, some older members left because they were afraid of these changes in worship style and the new kinds of members joining.

Trinity also started to change its focus. Pastor Wright believed that the church should not just help the poor, but also include them as equal members. He said that if poor Black people were not at the table as equals, it was just "missionary work." Trinity began to move away from being a place just for social status. It became a place for spiritual growth and helping God's people, especially the poor.

The church's journey was described as moving "from fitting in and fear to liberation and courage." This meant being free to be Black as a matter of cultural identity and being Christian as a way to belong to God.

Pastor Jeremiah Wright led Trinity UCC until February 2008, when he retired.

Since 2008: Pastor Otis Moss III

Reverend Dr. Otis Moss III has been Trinity's senior pastor since 2008. He went to Morehouse College, Yale Divinity School, and Chicago Theological Seminary. His father, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr., was also a well-known preacher.

Pastor Moss's sermons are streamed live online every week on the church's website. Some of his sermons can also be found on YouTube. The church's Sunday service is also shown on TV One across the U.S. on Sundays at 7:30 a.m. EST.

Trinity's Place in the Black Church

Experts say that African Americans have created unique forms of Christianity since they came to America. Trinity Church is seen as a mainstream Black church, but it is special because of its large size and influence.

Scholars have described different ways Black churches have been understood:

The Assimilation Model

This model describes Black churches where middle-class members wanted to fit into a racially integrated society. They might have tried to avoid their ethnic identity to achieve this.

The Isolation Model

This model describes Black churches with mostly lower-class members. They were not as hopeful about integration. Their beliefs often focused on the afterlife and less on social action in the world.

The Compensatory Model

In this model, Black churches were places where members found acceptance and praise that they might not get in wider society. People felt better about themselves as their peers celebrated their successes.

The Ethnic Community-prophetic Model

This model describes Black churches that spoke out and took action against unfair economic and political situations. These churches had a strong sense of Black pride and power.

The Dialectical Model

This model explains that some Black churches hold different ideas in "tension." For example, they can be both spiritual and focused on social issues, or both universal (for everyone) and particular (for Black people). This idea is similar to W. E. B. Du Bois's idea of "double consciousness." He said that Black Americans often feel like they have two identities: being Black and being American. He hoped for a future where a person could be both without being looked down upon.

How Trinity Church Has Changed

Trinity Church has changed over time. It started more like the Assimilation Model. Then, it moved towards the Compensatory Model. Later, under Pastor Wright, it became more like the Ethnic Community-prophetic Model and then the Dialectical Model.

The church still works to balance these different ideas. Its biggest challenge has been balancing being "Black" and being "Christian."

See also

• Jeremiah Wright controversy
• Otis Moss III