Final answer:
African American churches have played important roles in social change, except for experiencing significant decline in recent years.
Step-by-step explanation:
The African American churches in the U.S. have played an important role as agents of social change in various ways. They have fostered the idea of an autonomous African American community, served as rallying places for protesters and activists, helped freed slaves on the Underground Railroad, and played a significant role in the Civil Rights Era. However, one way in which African American churches have not played a role as agents of social change is that they have not experienced significant decline in recent years.