Have Brooklyn neighborhoods reached a church saturation point?

Brooklyn neighborhoods like Brownsville and Flatbush are saturated with all church denominations. Some churches are separated by just a wall while others are less than a mile apart. With so many options, congregants must have different reasons for choosing a particular church. It appears that churches in these areas have memberships that are similar to the backgrounds of their leaders, especially among the West Indians.

West Indians may come from different nations but there is some commonality among them. Many of their folklores, colloquial terms and foods are similar except for the few variations. It is easy to understand why people of similar backgrounds are drawn to each other. The church leaders can make reference to anecdotes that are familiar as well as invite guest pastors from the Caribbean that are already familiar to the congregation.

In the Bible, believers are warned to avoid false prophets, which mean that choosing a place of worship is a very important decision to make. “My grandmother introduced me to Restoration Temple Assembly in Flatbush,” said Seon Hannibal, a Brownsville resident, “I stayed there because I felt that Bishop Cummings was teaching according to the Bible which I was able to confirm from my own knowledge of the Bible.” Hannibal added that he had also visited other churches in Brownsville but did not feel a connection to any of them like he did at his church. The presence of other West Indians in Restoration Temple Assembly made it easier for him to communicate and form a connection.

Some Churchgoers in the Brooklyn neighborhoods seem happy to attend churches that are miles away and require some amount of traveling, even though there are churches right next to their homes “I started going to Good Tidings Gospel Chapel because there was a link between this church and the one I attended in Guyana,” said Luke Heywood, an International student living in the Brownsville area, “so I don’t mind having to travel to get to church.”

Others feel that having clusters of churches all over the Brooklyn area can only have negative effects rather than create a sense of unity in the Christian community. “It is wasteful and it harbors a sense of divisiveness” said Colletta Hinckson, from the Brooklyn area, “it forces churches to compete for space, people and influence in the community.”

The one good thing about having a melting pot is that you can always find a place to connect not only with your God; but with people you can have relation. Thus, considering the sense of community that pervades each church, perhaps the diversity of choices does more to connect the members of each church than to draw distinctions between the separate congregations.