The Role of Whites in Lay Leadership Within Latino Churches

Abstract

Latinos are the largest ethnoracial minority group in America, and Latino congregations play an important role in the lives of their members and communities. Yet, little research exists on these congregations. The current study provides an examination of the lay leadership structures and power dynamics within Latino congregations. Drawing from organizational ecology theory and the homophily principle as well as contemporary racial stratification literature, we propose competing hypotheses regarding the roles whites play within the lay leadership and power structures of Latino congregations. Utilizing a national multilevel data set, we find the persistence of white privilege existing within Latino congregations, as whites are more likely to hold lay leadership positions within these congregations than Latinos, despite their numeric minority status. Moreover, our results reveal that individual access to the decision-making process in these congregations increases for both whites and multiracial individuals as the proportion of Latinos increases in their congregation. We further discuss the implications of these findings.

Racial Diversity in U.S. Congregations, 1998–2019

“…Third, racial and ethnic diversity in congregations sometimes functions as a superficial, performative end in itself, with conversation about racial differences and inequalities avoided or even discouraged, and with people of color welcomed into visible roles (like greeters or ushers or singers) while simultaneously excluded from positions of authority (Barron 2016; Barron and Williams 2017; Martí 2012; Oyakawa 2019; Wadsworth 2010). Research has documented a variety of ways in which congregations with more than one race or ethnicity represented still reproduce racial inequalities rather than transcend them (Christerson and Emerson 2003; Cobb, Perry, and Dougherty 2015; Edwards 2008; Edwards and Kim 2019; Emerson 2006; Martí and Emerson 2013; Martinez 2018; Martinez and Tamburello 2018; Munn 2017).…”

The Integration of Racial and Ethnic Minorities into White Congregations

“…Conversely, she discovers that the black congregation tends to cater to the white minority. Similarly, a recent study demonstrates that whites hold a disproportionate amount of power in Latino congregations (Martinez and Tamburello forthcoming). Additionally, Emerson and Smith () argue that the largest racial gap in religious organizations is between African Americans and whites.…”

Intersectional Stratification: Race, Religion, and Status Attainment

“…These non-findings indicate that treating Latinx Americans as a homogenous racial category may be inhibiting scholars’ ability to empirically understand the complexities of how Latinx Americans experience racism in the United States. Additionally, while Latinx Americans may attend multiracial churches, churches may have systems of segregating Spanish-speaking congregants into special service times that keep Latinx Americans from being integrated into the larger religious community (Martinez 2018). This would keep Latinx Americans from gaining access to the whiter networks within the church.…”