There is not a biblical mandate explicitly stated in scripture, but certainly implicitly. I would relate it to the teaching about the Trinity. The whole of the New Testament is filled with people interacting together of way different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Jesus and the woman at the well, Phillip and the Eunuch, Peter and Cornelius, just to name a few of the more popular stories.
The problem is that we only get to read the words and not see them. I know this is weird, but what if we could visually see those previously mentioned stories. That would change a lot of what we think and perceive. Most of what we read gets sent through the little goggles in our brains. So, my Caucasian lenses tend to color those stories and make them not nearly as revolutionary as they really were. Plus, since we in America relate racial issues to primarily black/white, we miss what Jesus and the other writers were trying to say. For example, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman does not come across as utterly and completely revolutionary until you read into the context - something I will not explain here. Just as revolutionary is Peter going to Cornelius' house. A Jew and a Roman soldier. But the point is that time and time again stories and events from the New Testament are told in the context of great racial tension and hatred. Just because it does not say somewhere that every church should be as racially diverse as it's immediate surrounding community, does not mean that it is not at least implied that it should be. That's enough for now... any thoughts folks?
LGBTQ+
4 years ago
Man, I am so interested in this topic. It is on my mind all the time. I live and work in an extremely diverse environment, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I love my church (Athens Church - affiliate of North Point/Andy Stanley), but one of my HUGE issues is that the church is made up of white, middle-class americans. I wish for the diversity you speak of, but it seems so far-fetched. I can't say I have spent tremendous effort looking for a more balanced church. It seems that people in all ethnic groups are more comfortable in churches where most people look the same way they do.
ReplyDeleteI left a wonderful church in Roswell, right after this almost completely white church hired a black pastor. Every time I visit, there is more diversity in the pews, and I envy that so much.
So, what do you think we (church as a whole) should be doing about this?
Hey Ginger!! So great to hear from you! I often think of Fellowship in Roswell as being a trophy of the multiracial church discussion. We have to start by educating folks. In our church we've been on a year and half journey of educating the staff of our need, and Biblical call, to become more diverse. Here's a great read: Building a Healthy Multiethnic Church, by Mark Deymaz. Soon these questions will be answered for us because within the next 50 years the pluralization of the American culture will make it impossible to grow your church without reaching a diverse audience. Keep up the comments! Miss you and Mike so much... BW
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