Roles for the Black Pastor in Prevent ive Medicine

In recent years, a new role for Black pastors has emerged. As agents of health-related social and behavioral change, Black ministers have taken active roles in preventive medicine at the tertiary, secondary, and primary levels of prevention, succeeding despite resistance by some physicians. The literature detailing these new health-related pastoral roles is reviewed, with special reference to the place of the Black Church in health care and to the place of the Black pastor in the Black experience. It is concluded that Black ministers are ideal people to take part in planning, promoting, and delivering preventive health care in the Black community.