Coming soon: September 21, 2026

Forgive Us Our Debts: How Black Churches Use Bankruptcy to Survive

Forgive Us Our Debts reveals how Black churches turn the financial system back against predatory lenders. When American churches face financial difficulties, a disproportionately high number of Black churches reorganize under chapter 11 bankruptcy. There are no easy explanations for this distinction: not location, denomination, leadership structure, or the reasons for the loans. In Forgive Us Our Debts, I asks why, then, Black churches account for two-thirds of all congregations that file for chapter 11 bankruptcy every year. 

Drawing on case studies of six Black churches and one white church, and 150 interviews with church leaders, members, and attorneys, Forgive Us Our Debts finds answers in a long history of predatory lending. Unable to negotiate with recalcitrant loan officers, Black churches turn to the legal system to force reasonable concessions from lenders to prevent the stripping of their wealth and the destruction of their communities. While the structural discrimination remains, these churches have found in the bankruptcy system a refuge and some power to fight back.

Reviews

“This compelling book is as surprising as it is informative. The surprise lies in convincingly showing that filing for bankruptcy can empower churches and provide a path not just to survive but to thrive. Drawing back the curtain on church bankruptcy experiences, Forgive Us Our Debts is a must-read for any church leaders—not just Black church leaders—facing the prospect of losing their building to a mortgage lender.”

— Mark Chaves, Duke University

“Drawing on data and interviews with church leaders and attorneys, Forgive Us Our Debts show how bankruptcy is often a vital survival strategy for Black churches. Lenders often refuse to negotiate fairly with these churches, which forces church leaders and members to bear the emotional and financial burdens of chapter 11. Going forward, Foohey urges lenders to demonstrate flexibility, good faith, and a bit of grace when churches seek to forgive their debts.”

— A. Mechele Dickerson, University of Texas at Austin

Talks

  • Wharton-Chicago-Harvard Insolvency and Restructuring Conference (September 2026)

  • Law & Society Association Annual Meeting (May 2026)

  • University of Illinois College of Law, Bankruptcy Seminar (February 2025)

  • University of Minnesota Law School, Faculty Workshop (September 2024)

  • University of Illinois College of Law, Faculty Workshop (February 2024)

  • Seton Hall Law School, Faculty Colloquium (February 2024)

  • American Association of Law Schools, 2024 Annual Meeting (January 2024)

  • Boston College Law School, Regulation and Markets Workshop (April 2022)

  • University of Cincinnati College of Law, Corporate Law Symposium (March 2022)