Comments on: Preparing for a Multiracial Church

By: Dan Roels

Dan Roels — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:57:16 +0000

Annika,

I’d suggest “People of the Dream” by Michael Emerson (also “Divided by Faith”). He’s a hard-data guy, and the first 50 pages I’ve read are excellent. He also has lots of footnotes, and those provide other bibliographic leads.

By: Annika

Annika — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:19:26 +0000

You state “You might expect that churches have become more multiracial in the past 20 years, but there has been surprisingly little change in the ethnic and racial composure of Protestant congregations during the past two decades.” Do you know where this data came from? I am working on a research project about creating multiracial congregations and I’m coming up with very little hard data, mostly anecdotes.

By: Myron Wilkins

Myron Wilkins — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 21:06:08 +0000

As an Black pastor of a predominatly white congregation in the deep south, I am encouraged by what I see God doing in the area of breaking down walls and building bridges across racial lines in the body of Christ. This is happening not because ‘we get it’ but because “God has ordained it”. Lets continue to pray, work and dialog as we prepare for our part in the New Song Choir of Revelations 5:9: “And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

By: Elwood Jones

Elwood Jones — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:40:30 +0000

Jeff, thanks for this blog. You couldn’t have describe my community any better. Being an assist pastor of a church who is looking to connect the disconnected. We are challenged with a congregation of mostly white on how do we reach out to people of different cultures. If you have any research that I could use as I’m preparing a message for August titled “The Church of Many Colors”, I would be very grateful.
Thanks again

By: Mark Turney

Mark Turney — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:46:11 +0000

I am in leadership in a multiethnic and multicultural church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There are several multi-ethnic churches in our town, but they either are “contemporary” churches or “black-gospel” churches, as far as worship style is concerned. We have a unique, though small, advantage in that we draw equally upon both heritages for our worship. This is not always easy, but we find that we learn from each other. Funerals, for example, have a very different set of paradigms between traditionally African-American Christians and those of European descent; one favors loud and pronounced displays of emotion, and the other more sombre, subdued, even suppressed displays. Because of this, we are constantly having to challenge our own comfort zones, and this, I believe, is the key to destroying the enemy’s stronghold of church segregation in this country. We must be willing to step out of our own comfort zones, and we must be slow to take offense.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:15:33 +0000

Last week I sat with a black Minister in the area, and parts of this piece, and the comments here, echo our conversation.

I do believe that the makeup of the leadership team is essential. Not only from attraction, and ability to empathize, but from a place of honesty and trust.

We all bring certain experiences, gifts if you will, along with us. And part of that is the place, and people, we come from.

Someone said that the Kingdom of God is not colorblind, it’s an explosion of color. And that unity is not monochrome, it’s prismatic. And that is the defining element missing in “church” today.

Somehow, some way, these walls must come down.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:26:54 +0000

I believe that the souls of God’s people are won by his love and that His Word overrides culture, class, skin tone, national origin, academic knowledge, financial status and titles. Combined together they all represent what is temperal. We must focus on the 66 books in Bible and exercise faith in these matters through believing and trusting in the Lord and acknowledging His Word, It is like a two edged sword and as a Pastors or Individuals we are not alone. We can trust that when the Holy Spirit manifest through and the comforter will teach in all things through revelation knowledge. the Leaders of the Church should teach the importance of studying the scriptures and having a consistent Prayer life. It is our personal relationship with God the father, through Jesus that will renew minds and illuminate Biblical Truths. Then, and only then can growth in discipleship take place. Regardless to the differences in the way we look, I believe that the relevance of salvation is in the way we live accompanied by the Spirit knowledge and transitions made today will transition individuals into disciples that are Christ like with eternal lives.

By: Can't tell you they would be mad!

Can't tell you they would be mad! — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:07:37 +0000

Help! I’m looking for help explaining culture issues. After more than 45 years after MLK jr. Sunday morning is still the most divided hour of the week. I’m white. My church is primarily black/Hispanic/very little white. I’ve been there 6 years. Sensitivity training for Christians! That’s what we need! I studied sociology in college and NEVER thought I’d be a participant observer for REAL in my own country. SHOOT in my own BACK YARD! anyway, i’ll stop yelling i’m passionate… world leaders and ceo’s have etiquette and protocol advisors why not the church?! We need it! It’s time to address the these cultural blunders and get rid of the ignorance. Help!

By: Lori Harris

Lori Harris — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:06:16 +0000

I can echo many of the previous remarks but in my continued search for truth, found the one that I had always looked for when I finally became a Catholic. The utmost peace and contentment at last as the historic church that Jesus built called me home!

By: wes

wes — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:54:51 +0000

I have been a believer since I was five and went to a number of big churches here in So Cal and graduated from one of its leading Bible colleges. The influence of these churches has taught me that if I ever go to a church of any nature again, it will be a home church of 5-25 (max) people. The institutional church mimics the horrors of the American corporation, not the form of the church in the book of Acts. I just can’t fit in to any institutional church I have ever been in For me, at least, it is dead or dying. Let us bury it and find solace in home churches And as to the racial or ethnic composition of such home churches, that would depend on where one lives, and who one can trust.———————-30————————–