I’m sure you’ve heard it said before, “America is never more segregated than it is at 10 o’clock on any given Sunday morning,” and how true it is, right? So, why is it true? Are we really a bunch of Christ-following racists? The argument could be made that we’re not really practicing what we’re preaching, the argument could be made that we really don’t love each other the way we claim to.
But if there is a problem, how do we fix it?
Do we start to target the cultures or people groups that are not represented in our particular congregation with slick marketing or heartfelt appeals? And if either of those is the answer, why would we target those groups or cultures? Just for the sake of being multicultural? I have to say that many of the “multicultural” churches I’m aware of use the fact that they are “multicultural” as a bragging point; which, to me, makes them seem even less relevant than if they were mono-cultural.
I think a community of believers that includes members from many cultures and nationalities would be a more correct representation of the Kingdom than one that isn’t. However, I also feel that people find strength in communing with other people who’ve faced the same struggles or come through similar adversity, whether they’re black, white, Hispanic or Asian (you can insert any nationality or culture group here, I didn’t leave any out on purpose, I promise).
The Emmaus Church is in a neighborhood that is predominantly a black community, and I’m about as white as they come. I believe that God is building the Emmaus Church and that he is building it right where he wants it, but I have no idea how to begin to call together a “multicultural” community of believers… But then again, we’re really not out to build a multicultural church, we’re out to meet needs and love people, whether they’re black, white, pink, tattooed, pierced, gay, straight, atheist, evolutionist, homeless… you get the point. My concern is that, if we are supposed to be building a multicultural community, this may or may not be the way to get there… at least, this method hasn’t built multicultural churches for a lot of other churches who claim to want the same things we want.
July 8, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Very few churches are able to have a large number of different cultures all meeting together as part of a local church body. The reason for this is that each culture has distinct ways in which they speak about and celebrate the Gospel. That’s perfectly OK with me, and I don’t feel like we have to strain ourselves to try and be one of those multicultural churches.
Just welcome anyone and everyone when they come through the door. Operate in love, not in fear. Then God will send people your way and skin shade won’t mean a thing.
Dude, you inspired me for another blog post. You gotta stop this thought-provoking stuff!
http://mudshoteyes.com