Three tips for unity in a diverse church.
For our congregation in the Chicago suburbs, multiethnic ministry seems like it just happened.
For years our community was predominantly Caucasian. But then, about eight years ago, things began to shift. A neighboring Spanish-speaking congregation had to leave their building and asked if they could share ours. We said yes. After two years we joined our ministries and became one church. At the same time we had an influx of diverse people who started coming to the church—African-Americans, Filipinos, Indians, a lot of first-generation immigrants. We did not necessarily go out of our way to reach them; God just brought them to the church, partly through our growing commitment to community involvement and holistic ministry.
I'm biracial, so I understand the joys and tensions of spanning multiple cultures. My dad was Asian, my mom was Caucasian. I'm a blend of cultures and genetics. Growing up, I saw racial reconciliation in the home, as the different ethnic groups in our family came together. So, for me, the DNA to have unity and diversity was there from the beginning, though I didn't realize until much later how important it would be for my ministry.
Right now, about 55 percent of our church is Caucasian. Ten to 15 percent are Filipino (mostly first-generation). Another 10 to 15 percent are African-American. And a remaining 10 percent or so are first-generation Italians, Indians, and Latinos. As different kinds of people joined our congregation, we loved and accepted them. But as they began to get settled and become involved in ministry, we realized that we needed to think about how to do multiethnic ministry well. Keep reading
No comments:
Post a Comment