Developing
Racial Diversity in the Church
Since we are
celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy, I thought I would
examine how well the American church is doing in striving towards racial
diversity.
Looking at a recent
LifeWay study, while 85 percent of Protestant pastors say every church should
strive for racial diversity, 86 percent say that their congregations are
predominantly one racial or ethnic group.[1]
This reality once led Martin Luther King, Jr. to call Sunday mornings the most
segregated time of the week.[2]
The importance of
the American church becoming truly multiethnic is revealed in date from the
U.S. Census Bureau. Roughly 17 percent of Americans identify themselves as
Hispanic. African Americans make up 13 percent of the population, followed by
Asian American (5 percent), and 1 percent Native American or Native Alaskan.
Another 2.4 percent identify with more than one racial group.[3]
Why should the American
church strive towards racial diversity? It there a theological foundation for
this? Let me share some biblical reasons why this should become a top priority
for all churches.
1. We are called to participate in the
reconciling work of the cross, that tore down racial, gender and class
divisions (Galatians 3:28).
2. We are called to love our neighbors regardless
of whether they look, think, talk or worship like us (Matthew 22:34-40).
3. We are called to expand our culturally-limited
notions of brother, sister, neighbor and friend to include all members of the
diverse family of God (Matthew 12:50).
Mark DeYmaz, pastor of Mosaic Church, a
multiethnic church in central Arkansas believes pastors are not always aware of
how diverse their communities have become. He gives some interesting advice
that I believe all pastors should try. DeYmaz suggests that pastors look at
nearby public schools and gauge this against the diversity of their church to
understand their context. He also suggests spending an hour sitting in the
parking lot of a nearby Wal-Mart or grocery store in their area to see if their
church truly reflects the community they are in.[5]
So, how can pastors attempt to change their
church culture to begin striving for racial diversity?
1.
Get an up-to-date demographic report of your
city or town. The first step in
achieving racial diversity is to get an accurate assessment of the makeup of
your local population. This is easier than ever, thanks to the internet. You
can go to www.cubitplanning.com and get a full demographic report to share with
your leadership. This will give you a true measuring stick by which you can gauge
if your congregation is really reflecting your community.
2. Preach
a series of messages from the Book of Acts. One of the fundamental changes that must take place is in the
area of discipleship. The book of Acts is about the Holy Spirit advancing the
gospel across racial lines and establishing the New Testament church. Highlight
how God through the Holy Spirit drew people from various races and
socio-economic backgrounds to form churches across Asia Minor. The evangelistic
and discipleship methodology in the book of Acts has not changed. It is still
relevant and applicable to our culture and time today.
3. Based
on your demographic information, pick a segment of the population you are not
currently reaching and prayerfully seek
God’s direction on building bridges to those people. Find out who the community
leaders are in these ethnic groups and ask the following two questions: “What
are your greatest needs in this community?” “How can we meet those needs?”
4. Begin
putting those needs before your congregation and develop ministries to meet
those needs. It could take many
different forms. There is no “cut and paste” options. It must be unique to your
community and context.
This raises another question, are there any exceptions to a church striving for racial diversity? The only situation I can think a church may not be able to really have racial diversity is in rural areas. In some instances, churches located in extremely rural areas may have difficulty in this regard. However, God has called us to be as faithful as possible in the community and context He has placed us in.
Racial diversity has eluded the American
church to a large degree. However, that does not mean there are not areas where
many congregations are becoming multiethnic. For us to truly achieve racial
diversity, the church must overcome several ideological fallacies that have
permeated our culture.
The first is the consumeristic mindset of
congregations. The last thirty years
has seen the American consumer driven idea invade the church. People look at
churches based on the programs and services they offer rather than seeking to
be active participants in building the kingdom of God. In other words, many
people prefer to step into a church that has well-established programs and
services, rather than come into a church and help establish something “from the
ground up.” We have unknowingly trained people from children’s church to
adulthood to think, “What can the church do for me?” instead of “How can I
serve God in this church?”
A second fallacy is related to the first. As a
result of this consumer driven approach, churches have developed a program
oriented mindset centered on the church, rather than discipling their congregants
to do the majority of ministry outside of the church. In other words,
churches have traditionally been “come and see,” when we should tell our
people, “go and do.”
A final fallacy concerns the preaching from
the pulpit. Pastors must resist the urge to preach to felt needs, instead
focusing on systematic expositional teaching. Many pastors will be
pleasantly surprised to find that God will use systematic expositional teaching
to address needs but through the lens of unified Scripture.
The American church can truly reflect the diversity
of God’s kingdom. It will take much prayer, humility, and work. However, it is
possible. Let us all strive to reflect the communities in which we serve.
Serving Christ, Loving Others, and Growing
Together
Bryan Cox
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