HIV in Faith Communities: Utilizing Clergy as opinion leaders to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma

HIV/AIDS continues to impact communities of color at disproportionate rates. The Black church remains the most influential institution in the African-American community. This single institution has the power to influence stigma and beliefs needed to change perceptions about persons and families directly impacted by this disease. This research brief utilizes the Theory of Innovation as a framework to describe a training designed to prepare clergy to be the catalyst to influence their congregation and surrounding community about the importance of developing a response to HIV/AIDS. The training described prepared congregational faith leaders with suggestions for developing sermons as well as practical suggestions to help contextualize the reasons that the church is critical in the development of a response to the elimination of HIV in the African-American community.