Writer/director Khiray Richards’ The Gospel of Dating is a comedy about what happens when a man of God loses his flock and has to trust that the path forward will eventually reveal itself. It’s a story rooted in faith — not the easy kind, but the kind that gets tested when the money runs out and the pews stay empty.
The Gospel of Dating opens inside a Sunday morning service, where Bishop Shama Gresham (Michael Orlando Peters) is deep in a sermon about God leading Joshua into the promised land. The congregation is full, the altar call brings people to their feet, and the Bishop is weeks away from retirement. A building fund has been quietly growing, and the future of the church looks bright — until COVID hits and shuts everything down.
Four years later, the building fund is gone, and so is the congregation. The Bishop never got his retirement. What was once a thriving house of worship has been reduced to an online broadcast that struggles to keep the lights on. One of his most faithful members, LaTanya Brown (Nicole Pringle), still shows up to help keep the church running, but the financial pressure is becoming impossible to ignore. Creditors are circling, and the Bishop is seriously weighing his options — including selling the building. He believes the church still has a purpose, but he can’t figure out what that purpose is.
The answer arrives in the form of a late-night phone call about a grant the Bishop had previously applied for. His church has been selected to host a Christian reality dating show called “Let the Church Say Yes.” With no congregation to choose from, the lucky bachelorette is LaTanya’s daughter, Angela (Rachel Brooks), who just moved home and is reconnecting with church…She’s a bit h***y too.
The show’s format is familiar to reality show fans. Hosted by Yolanda Adams (Cheyenne Jacobs), Angela will go on dates and play get-to-know-you type games with contestants: Shane (Eddy Roberts), Nick (Brandon McGee), Ken (Hakim Esley), Cory (Grant Tomlinson), Elliott (Darius Westmoreland), and Ken’s mom (LaTanya Mitchell). By the end, Angela will choose her love for a lifetime.
“His church has been selected to host a Christian reality dating show called ‘Let the Church Say Yes.'”
Having watched a lot of Christian faith movies over the years, I find something refreshing about The Gospel of Dating, and I’ll tell you what it is. Some of the jokes are inappropriate for the real conservative Christian audience…and quite frankly, I love it. Don’t get me wrong, but it’s not that dirty, and Christians need to get a sense of humor.
The theme of The Gospel of Dating is about trusting God…like Joshua and the Promised Land. Bishop Shama had lost his direction during COVID…rather than trusting God. At the same time, God is using this television show to get him back in business in a roundabout way. It’s all tied to the show as Angela must choose a partner from a group of men. One is the clear winner…righteous, God-fearing, and the sponsor’s choice. But instead, Angela must rely on God for the true winner.
As the church’s only other member, LaTanya is the only one who sees how God is bringing new people to the church services, and she is giving the church the freedom to grow. That is, until the Bishop sees the kind of people she’s bringing in. Who would ever want a congregation filled with people who would watch a TV show filmed at his church? The Gospel of Dating is very independent. Writer/director Khiray Richards made the film on sheer will and faith, with a basic camera and a crew up for the task. Credit at the end is given to LaTanya Mitchell, who passed before the film’s release, but led the church’s acting program. There is nothing generic about the assembled cast…including Mitchell’s role as the always-high-on-something Ken’s mom.
Ultimately, I judge faith films by whether they can reach an audience beyond the choir. The Gospel of Dating is a film that is definitely accessible to the unchurched, showing that this particular congregation is not stuffy but is willing to have fun while building community at the same time.
For more information, visit the The Gospel of Dating official Instagram page.
"…Christians need to get a sense of humor."
