What in the world is a “BLACK BLESSING?”
One of the foundational texts for global mission is Genesis 12: 1-3, the verses in which God promises to bless Abram and make him a blessing. Verse 3 let’s us know that all nations will be blessed through Abram. This through alludes to both an immediate and a future fulfillment. Abram himself will be a blessing, but so will his descendants. Who exactly are these descendants? They are the people of Israel, of course, but they are also the generations of people from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue who live under the lordship of Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:7,28-29; Rev. 7:9).
The call to be a blessing to the nations, therefore, is for every Christ follower. Our roles will vary, but the goal is the same. A quick survey of Black churches in America shows that we are still growing into this calling. As of 2021, there are less than 300 American-born Black Christians serving as full-time, cross-cultural missionaries. This number makes up less than 1% of the total full-time missionaries sent from America. Black American churches, as a whole, also devote a miniscule percentage of their resources toward cross-cultural or global missions. There are a number of reasons for the low participation, but suffice it to say, there is a tremendous opportunity for us to increase our involvement. Indeed, we are called to be a blessing to the nations. We are called to be Black Blessings.