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Seven Fatal Errors in Multi-cultural Ministry: Error #3 Incompatible Doctrinal Views

Friday, April 10, 2009

“All in favor say ‘Aye’, opposed? Motion carried.  I’ll speak to pastor Hernandez about our decision” said Ralph Baker – Board Chairman

 “Ralph if you don’t mind I’d like to go along with you” stated Pastor Johnson.  “This is an exciting time in the life of our church and I don’t want to miss it.”

Pastor Johnson and Ralph Baker met with Pastor Hernandez in his home.

“Pastor Hernandez” said Ralph Baker, “when you came to us three years ago requesting the use of our facility to start a Spanish speaking church, well quite honestly, we were very suspicious.”

“Yes, but since then” said pastor Johnson, “we have seen the Lord bless your work. And the Board has unanimously agreed to invite you to join our church and denomination.”

Pastor Hernandez could sense the joy and hopeful expectation in the voice of his guests.  This made it more difficult for him to express his concerns.

“I am honored by your invitation, but I cannot accept it.”

Taken completely off guard, Pastor Johnson asked, “Why not?”

“Because some of our beliefs are not the same.  In fact I have been meaning to speak to you about our youth. We are grateful that you allow them to participate in your youth ministry.  But our leadership has decided to begin our own youth ministry.  It seems that your teaching on assurance of salvation has our young people confused and their parents are upset.”

Regardless of what many may think about the divisiveness of denominational lines to the unity of the body of Christ, the fact remains that people have been brought up to believe certain theological teachings we call doctrine.

Some local churches recognizing the need for an immigrant church in their community and wanting to launch such a ministry, will, out of expediency, accept the first immigrant pastor that seeks the use of their facilities without ever discussing the subject of doctrine or minimizing the doctrinal differences.

As long as there is no cross over in ministry between these two independent congregations, such as the youth of the immigrant church participating in the youth ministry or Sunday school of the English speaking church, doctrinal differences will be minimal.  But once the cross over begins, whether planned or spontaneous, doctrinal difference can be the source of major contention.

To avoid this pitfall carefully screen ethnic pastors regarding their doctrinal beliefs.  Where language is an issue consider:

  • Having a member of your congregation that is bi-lingual translate for you as you screen candidates.
  • Contacting an immigrant pastor with your doctrinal beliefs to help you screen prospective candidates.
  • Contacting the Director of Church Planting for your fellowship or denomination to provide you with an ethnic pastor or to help you screen prospective candidates.

In the case of a multi-ethnic English speaking church, as with any homogenous church, some families with different doctrinal views will attend and maybe even join the church.  This situation is different from that mentioned above.  In this case families have willingly, knowing the doctrinal differences, joined the church for a personal or family benefit or blessing that they were not receiving in the church they left.

That’s my opinion I welcome yours.

Posted in Immigrant Ministry, Multi-cultural Church, Multi-ethnic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Reaching the Nations Among Us: Part 3 The Seven Fatal Errors of Ethnic Ministry: Error #2: Ethnocentrism

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ethnocentrism is defined by the Random House Dictionary as, “The belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own group and culture, accompanied by a feeling of contempt for other groups and cultures.”

Unlike racism which blatantly spews hatred toward other groups, ethnocentrism is much more subtle and its practices are more acceptable in the church. Whether red, brown, yellow, black, or white, ethno-centric churches resist transitioning to a multi-ethnic multi-cultural church for three basic reasons.

The Heritage of the Church.  The national origin of main line denominations in America originated in Europe and served a particular national group (see, Is Multi-ethnic Ministry Biblically Prescriptive or Descriptive) Immigrants brought these denominations to America and they worshipped God in their language and cultural context. Over time with the decline of foreign-born members in their congregations and the increase of American-born these non-English speak Churches were forced to conducted their services in English. Immigrant Churches from Latin American and Pacific Rim nations are encountering the same issue today.

The Culture of the Church. We all have a church culture that is reflected in what we believe to be acceptable grooming, attire, genre of worship music, expression of worship, pastors delivery style, the theological credentials of our staff, and even the language in which we want our services conducted. The increase in age diversity through birth and marriage increases the generational tension over the culture of the church (see Understanding the Differences Between 1st & 2nd Generation Immigrants).  Churches that are unwilling to change will fall into decline as older members die and younger members move on to churches that offer a church culture that is more in line with their preferences without compromising their theological beliefs.

The Prejudices of the Church. Every ethnic group has some prejudices. Let’s be honest we all have at least one reason for feeling some sense of superiority to others at best or verbally expressing our disapproval at worst.  If we listen carefully we will hear derogatory terms used by church members of other ethnicities, socio—economic or educational levels.  If we watch closely we can see the facial expressions and body language that reflects this disapproval.  It is this ethnocentric socialization, when left unchallenged that perpetuates segregation and these unloving attitudes.

Is it any wonder that homogenous ethnocentric churches are not interested in multi-ethnic multi-cultural ministry?  The Homogeneous Unit Principle is used by these churches as an excuse whether they realize it or not to preserve their isolation from those who are not like them.  The HUP was never intended to preserve Christian biases but to evangelize unbelievers.

Becoming a multi-ethnic multi-cultural church is a process. Everyone regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic status must work to overcome his or her personal biases and church culture preferences.  Like Paul we must become all things to all men to save some. Here are some things you can do to help you break down some prejudices you might have against other ethnic groups.  If you know of other resources please send those in.

Movies

Amazing Grace

Flower Drum Song

Books

Strangers Among Us by Roberto Suro

Pursuing the Pearl by Ken Fong

Letters Across the Divide by David Anderson and Brent Zuercher

Friends

This is your greatest resource of all. Spend time with your ethnic friends and ask them questions about their culture, church liturgy, family, church leadership, and attitudes toward Americans.  Ask them about anything you want to know. If you don’t have any its time to make some.

 

Ethnocentrism is perpetuated by ignorance, believing what we have been told about others and observing them through our cultural grid. To overcome ethnocentrism we must seek to understand other cultures while befriending them.

That’s my opinion. I welcome yours.

 

Posted in Ethnic Heritage, Ethnocentrism, Immigrant Ministry, Multi-cultural, Multi-cultural Church, Multi-ethnic Church, Multi-racial Church, Racism, Segregation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Reaching the Nations Among Us: Part 3 The Seven Fatal Errors of Ethnic Ministry: Error #1 – Lack of Unity

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Many conflicts between a host and immigrant church are the result of unfulfilled expectations. Unfulfilled because they were not expressed and written down prior to launching the immigrant ministry.

Here is a three step process I use to create a spirit of unity.  It takes me an average of eight months to walk a church through the first two steps.

1.  SOW the Vision. Helping people take ownership of a vision cannot be done in one 45-minute presentation. People need time to process the vision. 

·      The Pastor. The pastor is the key person. Nothing will be accomplished without the pastor’s full support.

·      The Leadership.  The leadership needs to work through the issues and ask all of the questions necessary before moving ahead. Only then can they confidently respond to questions from the congregation.

·      The Congregation. The congregation should receive the same information that the pastor and the leadership received. They are the ones that will have to give up exclusive use of facilities, worship styles, and leadership positions to reach all levels of assimilation within an immigrant group.

2.  SURVEY the Body.

·      Determine your acceptable losses. The leadership should determine the number of families or individuals they are willing to loose in order to implement an ethnic ministry. Whether you change your style of worship music, name, or drop Sunday school for small groups, there are always some who will leave the church.  It’s no different with starting an immigrant ministry.

·      Conduct an informal survey.  Following the Vision Casting to the congregation (I recommend a series of messages) divide the families of the church among the leadership and ask them what they think about the possibility of starting an ethnic ministry.  This casual survey will help you get some idea if you are within the range of acceptable losses.  If not, go back to casting the vision.  Consider some of the negative feedback received from the casual survey.  Address these concerns from a biblical perspective. Remember we are not asking for permission, we are preparing the hearts of our people for transition.

·      Conduct a formal survey.  Proceed with this step if the informal survey is positive. The purpose is to solicit the opinions, concerns and fears of the people so they can be addressed at an announced congregational meeting for this purpose. 

3.  SECURE a Covenant.

 A covenant outlines the commitments the church is wiling to make to launch an immigrant ministry.

·      Facility Use. The usage of rooms, days, and times for regular services and a process for requesting usage for special events and activities.  Rooms are no longer for the exclusive use of any one person or ministry.

·      Equipment Use.  The usage of audio/visual equipment for regular services and a process for requesting usage for special events and activities.

·      Chain of Command.

                   o     Ministry Leaders: Children’s, Youth, Audio-Video, Greeters, Ushers, etc… should provide training for counter parts in the immigrant church for continuity across language ministries regarding church policies, practices, and care of facilities and equipment.

                   o     The Immigrant Pastor and congregation must be aware of the church’s process and protocol for dealing with issues.

·      Finances. Since the immigrant ministry is part of the local church then all offerings go into the church treasury.  The church should create a line item(s) to cover the expenses of the immigrant ministry.  This should include, as soon as possible, the immigrant pastor’s compensation package.

That’s my opinion.  I welcome yours.

Posted in Diversity, Immigrant Ministry, Multi-cultural Church, Multi-ethnic Church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Reaching the Nations Among Us: Part 2 Understanding the Difference Between 1st & 2nd Generation Immigrants.

Friday, February 27, 2009

“Beto, ven aqui.” (Bobby, come here.) Grandma and Grandpa Lucero had just arrived from Ciudad Juarez and were eager to greet, hug, and kiss the family. My brother Bobby understood grandma was calling him, he just couldn’t understand what else she was saying as she bent over to shower him with hugs and kisses.

Like so many second-generation descendents of immigrants they have some knowledge of what I call ‘House Spanish.”  House Spanish refers to the simple commands and everyday terms used in the immigrant household and in their social networks among other 1.5 and 2.0 immigrants. But their primary language is English.

Among some Hispanics “Spanglish,” the intermingling of Spanish and English is the official language.  Ilan Stavans in his book, Spanglish, The making of a new American language, writes that ­Spanglish is often described as “the trap, la trampa Hispanics fall into on the road to assimilation…”  used predominately by the growing lower class, it hinders their ability for a better future.  He goes on to say, “English is the door to the American Dream.  Not until one masters el inglés are the fruits of that dream attainable.”

When grandma visited from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the most commonly used phrase in our home was “Que dice?” or  “What did she say?” 

My brothers, unlike me, didn’t have the opportunity of spending their summers in Mexico.  Consequently, they never really learned Spanish. Although my parents would speak in Spanish to one another, they would speak in English to us. So, whenever my grandparents visited us from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico either my mom or I would have to translate my brother’s comments to grandma and her comments to them. Left unattended they would just smile, shrug their shoulders and walk away not knowing what had been said.

Here is my point; a single immigrant household can have family members at various levels of English language proficiency and cultural assimilation. This assimilation diversity in a single household presents a challenge to the immigrant church.  Some challenges that lead to 2.0’s either attending an English speaking church or dropping out of church all together are:

  • The Problem of Generations. The preservation of a cultural heritage is dependent on it being passed on from one generation to the next. This process is broken when the second generation due to assimilation prefers their newly adopted culture to that of their ethnic heritage. The second generation leaves the ethnic church for the very reasons their parents joined it, to preserve language, culture, traditions, and customs.
  • English language proficiency. As 2.0’s become more proficient in English the language of their cultural heritage goes by the wayside simply because they have not been educated in it.  The words, idioms, and illustrations used by their immigrant pastors do not connect with them the way they do in English.  2.0’s have their own heart language and it’s not the language of their immigrant parents.
  • Marriage. 2.0’s that marry someone of his or her ethnic background that does not understand the language of his/her cultural heritage finds it hard to stay in the immigrant church.
  • Inter-cultural marriage.  1.0’s, 1.5’s and 2.0’s who marry outside of their ethnic groups soon wrestle with being accepted as a couple in the immigrant or non-immigrant church for that matter.  Their spouse feels out of place for lack of knowledge of the immigrant language and culture.  Not to mention the lack of acceptance experienced by  some inter-cultural couples in homogenous churches.

What is needed is a church model that will minister to families at all levels of assimilation 1.0’s, 1.5’s, and 2.0’s.  Such a model will minister to 2.0’s in English while ministering to 1.0’s  and  1.5’s in their language and cultural context.  Homogenous, ethnic specific immigrant churches serve the first generation well but often times at the expense of the second generation. 

What is a ministry dilemma for immigrant churches becomes a ministry opportunity for English speaking churches. In our next installment of Reaching the Nations Among Us we will address the Seven Fatal Errors of Ethnic Ministry.

That’s my opinion.  I welcome yours.

Posted in Ethnic Heritage, Immigrant Ministry, Immigrants, Multi-cultural Church, Multi-ethnic, Multi-ethnic Church, assimilation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Reaching the Nations Among Us: Part 1 A Nation of Immigrants

Monday, February 16, 2009

1952, East Los Angles, CA  - “Look Mijo”, she said to me in Spanish, “See that big building? That’s where your daddy is going to work!” I was four years old as I sat on my mother’s lap looking out the window into East Los Angeles. As the train slowed down through the community of Boyle Heights for its arrival into Union Station, I looked in awe at the massive building my mother pointed out – the Los Angeles County General Hospital.

My mother’s words expressed the hope of my stepfather, Roberto Serrano, affectionately referred to as “Bobby” by the doctors and medical staff at his retirement as a surgical technician from Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina. But in 1952, he was an immigrant from Mexico with a new wife, a son, little money, a sixth grade education, yet full of hope and a dream for a better life.

 The next decade my dad would work toward achieving his dream. During that time my mom’s brothers would cross the border one by one, housed by my parents until they got a job and were able to rent a place of their own.

 The story of my family is similar to that of many immigrants that have come to America in search of hope and the opportunity to achieve their dream. America is a nation comprised of immigrants and their descendents. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Remember, remember always, that all of us… are descended from immigrants…”

The present reality is that the majority of descendents of immigrants is shifting. Demographers tell us that by 2042: 

  • Whites will be less than 50% of the U.S. population.
  • Hispanics will be over one in four.
  • African-Americans will be 12%.
  • Asians and Pacific Islanders will more than double their 2006 population to 28.3 million.

A more staggering figure by the Pew Hispanic Center is that new immigrants arriving after 2005 and their descendents will account for 82% of the U.S. population growth between 2005 and 2050 as a result of natural increase (the excess of births over death).

Children under the age of 18 are expected to reach majority-minority status of just over 50% of the population by 2023 and 62% of all children by 2050, mostly due to the growth in immigrant children. 

The demographical changes in the next forty-nine years are shocking, but what is the demographic reality of today? According to a 2005 report by the U.S.Census Bureau, Hawaii, California, New Mexico and Texas are majority-minority state, along with the District of Columbia. States on their way to becoming majority-minority are Maryland, Mississippi, Georgia, New York and Arizona. 2007 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show that about 10% (302) of the country’s 3,141 counties are already majority minority counties. Another 218 counties are at the “tipping point” and in the next few years will become majority-minority counties.

So what is the pathological impact of these demographical changes on the local church?  It’s deadly. Dr. Peter Wager in his book Your Church Can Grow identifies the disease as “Ethnikitis.” The symptom is that the people in the pew no longer reflect the people in the community. The diagnosis is that the church will eventually die.  When we take into account the exodus of baby boomers from more densely populated to less densely populated areas when they retire, minorities will fill the housing vacancies but not necessarily the pews.

The churches in greatest danger of dying are homogenous churches that have predominately targeted a white middle class population. That is because their demographic is in decline. The options for survival are: (1) sell or give the facilities to a homogenous ethnic congregation and relocate to where your constituency has relocated. (2) Become a multi-cultural congregation ministering to multiple congregations in their language and cultural context. These multi-cultural congregations may be one church with multiple language departments, or multiple congregations sharing one facility. (3) Transition to a multi-ethnic congregation where the church has a diversity of English speaking ethnic groups. This list of options is by no means extensive. If you know of other options please submit those options in the comment box for the benefit of our readers.

If the homogenous church is to survive and thrive the people in the pews must reflect the people in the community.  The question now, is how? We will begin to address this question in our series, Reaching the Nations Among Us. 

That’s my opinion. I welcome yours.

Posted in Changing Community, Ethnic Heritage, Immigrants, Multi-cultural Church, Multi-ethnic Church, assimilation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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The Job

Monday, February 9, 2009

With todays massive lay offs here is a twist on the local day labor center. The Job, was created by Screaming Frog Productions. Written & Directed by Jonathan Browning. for more information on this award winning short go to www.screamingfrog.com

more about “The Job“, posted with vodpod

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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Trust God to Bring Your Success

Friday, February 6, 2009

Pastor Jay confesses he never heard of Rialto, CA before accepting the call to pastor Rialto Community Baptist Church, nor did he have a vision for multi-ethnic ministry. When the vision came everyone told him it wouldn’t work.

more about “Trust God to Bring Your Success“, posted with vodpod

Posted in Jay Pankratz, Multi-cultural, Multi-cultural Church, Multi-ethnic, Multi-ethnic Church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Assimilation is Spiritually in the Best Interest of Our Immigrant Children.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

“Arturo”

It was Mr. Sanchez, a deacon of the Spanish congregation that rented the fellowship hall of our church for their services. I had just pulled into the church parking lot when he called out to me. 

As I gathered my Bible and Sunday school class notes from the passenger seat, he said to me in Spanish…

“Arturo, I’ve been meaning to ask you, why are you worshiping over there with the Anglos instead of here with your people?”

I was taken back by his question.  The only word’s that came to my mind as I got out of my car and started walking away were, “Because I like it.”

As I crossed the street from the parking lot to the worship building I felt anger swelling up inside of me.  I was upset that someone would use my ethnic heritage as a stick to manipulate me into changing churches. I also objected to the effort made to make me feel disloyal to my Latino roots because I was not worshipping in a Spanish-speaking congregation. And I especially did not appreciate the obvious attempt at proselytizing.

As I entered the worship center I was greeted by a number of other young bi-lingual Latino men like myself who preferred to worship in an English speaking service.

My experience is not uncommon for the 1.5 and 2.0 children of immigrants. When their English language skills increase while their ancestral language skills decrease, they will prefer to attend English-speaking services. 

I’m reminded of a story told by a Pastor of a Spanish speaking congregation who said that his own children and several other high school students from his congregation would sit in the last two pews of the auditorium during the praise time. But they would all get up and leave the service once he got up to preach to sit under the teaching ministry of the English speaking pastor.  The students commented that they preferred the livelier Spanish ministry praise time to the boring English praise time. But they better understood the teaching of the Word in English than in Spanish.

Christians at all levels of assimilation into a host country have the liberty in Christ to attend services in their language and cultural preference.  For the immigrant believer (1.0) to deny his children (1.5 and 2.0) and grandchildren (3.0) the freedom to attend a worship service in the language that best teaches and equips them in their walk with Christ, for the sake of preserving a cultural heritage can hinder their children’s spiritual growth. Believers need to hear the Word taught in their heart language and cultural context, which is not always the same as the language and culture of their ethnic heritage (Acts 2:5-11).

The reality is that you can’t fight assimilation. The immersion of immigrant youth into the educational system, culture and language of the host country will eventually draw 1.5’s and 2.0’s further away from the language and culture of their ethnic heritage.

In the days to come, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled, “Reaching the Nations Among Us,” to discuss how a local church can reach the immigrants in her community at all levels of assimilation. I would like to hear your stories of the issues you faced as a 1.5 or 2.0 descendent of immigrants.

That’s my opinion. I welcome yours. 

Posted in Ethnic Heritage, Immigrant Ministry, Immigrants, assimilation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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December 19, 2008 ~ Interracial Churches | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

This video is about Wilcrest Baptist Church and City of Refuge Church in particular and ethnically diverse churches specifically was posted on PBS.org’s Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. Lucky Severson is the narrator.

more about “December 19, 2008 ~ Interracial Churc…“, posted with vodpod

Posted in Diversity, Intentionality, Multi-ethnic, Multi-ethnic Church, Multi-racial Church, Rodney Woo, Rufus Smith | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Worship In A Multi-ethnic Church: Part 1 The Heart of Worship

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Question: How do you navigate personal preference and kingdom purpose in worship style?

Kingdom purpose in worship style is to be expressed in song. The New testament records that Jesus and His disciples following the last supper “sung a hymn” Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26; Paul and Silas during their imprisonment worshipped God by “praying and singing hymns to God” as the other prisoners listened Acts 16:25; Paul’s desire for the Romans is that God give them “a spirit of unity” as they follow Christ and that unity was to be expressed as they “sing hymns” Rom 15:7-9; To the Ephesians Paul writes “ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” Eph 5:19.

It is clear from these verses that believers are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The source of these expressions of worship is our heart and the motivation behind this heartfelt worship to God is our gratitude for all that he has done for us. Genuine worship is expressed with other believers as evidence of unity, at times in the presence of non-believers, in the midst of our trials, from a heart that is overflowing with faith, trust, thanks giving, and contentment.

Worship should not be an act we reserve for Sunday services but a lifestyle. My wife, Debbie, shared with me the words she penned following a devotional Bible study on worship, Matt Redmond’s book The Unquenchable Worshipper: Coming Back to the Heart of Worship is what led her into this study. She writes.

Worship.

It’s a lifestyle.

It’s how we live each moment

of every day –captivated

by the awareness of

God’s presence.

It’s making choices to bring Him

pleasure and honor.
It’s refusing to allow the struggles

in life to consume us,

but rather to seek contentment

in every situation.

It’s kneeling before a holy God

to praise Him,

For it is only there

that we forget ourselves

and find rest

in His loving arms.

Deborah Lee Lucero 1-21-05

Our purpose in kingdom worship is to draw people into the presence of God through corporate prayer, singing, and the teaching of God’s Word.

As we consider creating a multi-ethnic worship service the focus should not be on instruments, genres, relevancy or contextualization. To do so would be to fall into the trap of pragmatism. These factors are important but not to the exclusion of Biblical worship, instead they should enhance Biblical worship. They should be used to help believers sincerely express their praise, adoration, confession, and thanksgiving to God.

The challenge for a church that has age diversity is that it must deal with those musical styles and genres that are influenced by generational preferences. Add to this the issue of ethnic diversity and we must also deal with musical styles and genres influenced by cultural preferences as well as generational preferences among the individual ethnic groups.

The reality is that all of us have musical preferences influenced by our ethnicity, age, family, and even our church culture. Therefore it is an impossibility to satisfy every ones personal preferences.

How then is it possible to create a worship service for a multi-ethnic congregation whose individual preferences are as diverse as their ethnicities and generations? There are basically three options that I have personally observed. If you know of any others please submit them as a comment.

  1. Keep the worship style of the church and encourage everyone that joins your church to accept your style of worship. This is the assimilationist approach. While it won’t attract a large amount of diversity some members of other ethnicities will attend and join the church. Interviews I conducted among these minorities revealed that they are usually of the same socio-economic, educational and employment status as the church members and they are willing to sacrifice their personal preference in worship style for something else that the church offers, in every case it has been expository Bible teaching.
  2. Find the most common musical genre preferences of your congregation and rotate those styles of worship on a weekly basis. Churches that begin to experience some diversity and desire to reach a larger segment of their ethnically diverse community will recognize the need to offer other genres of worship music. The initial shift has been to move from traditional hymns to contemporary worship music (generational issue). The next phase was to include other genres such as Rock, Gospel, Jazz, Latin Rhythms, etc (cultural issue).
  3. Blend the various genres into your worship service every week. The intent is to offer a little bit of everything on a weekly basis. This option has it’s own challenges which we will discuss in an interview with Gregory Hooper, Pastor of Worship Arts, Sunrise Church, Rialto, CA. in Part 2: Develop A Multi-ethnic Worship Team.

Sunrise Church operates under the third option. Our Senior Pastor Jay Pankratz, in dealing with the issue of personal preference, tells us, and I am paraphrasing, “You have all week to listen to your favorite Christian artist in your favorite style of music. On Sunday don’t expect to hear what you like all the time. Instead, learn to appreciate different musical styles and remember that worship is not about you it’s about God.”

Navigating personal preference and kingdom purpose in worship style can be challenging. The music we use for worship is to help people express a genuine worship of God. As Pastors we need to teach our people to stop thinking about what helps them to worship and start thinking and praying about what musical styles helps others to worship.

That’s my opinion I welcome yours.

Posted in Diversity, Miles McPherson, Multi-ethnic, Worship Arts, Worship Music | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments »

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Miles McPherson: The Challenge of Worship

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Miles shares about one of the biggest challenges to multi-ethnic ministry…Worship styles.

more about “Miles McPherson: The Challenge of Wor…“, posted with vodpod

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Is Multi-ethnic Ministry Biblically Prescriptive or Descriptive?”

Friday, November 14, 2008

“Does the Bible MANDATE the church to engage in multi-ethnic ministry? Or is it best viewed as a matter of strategy (or methodology) to carry out effectively other biblical mandates (like reaching and discipling the lost)?”  - Dave Hall, Escondido, CA


       While there is no absolute Biblical mandate, “Thou shall be a multi-ethnic church” (prescriptive), that does not mean that the concept is not in the Bible.  In fact there is substantial Biblical evidence that supports and illustrates multi-ethnic ministry (descriptive) in the Book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles. 

       Historically the ethno-centric church reflects a prescriptive nature established by society over centuries of practice. The Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. by Emperor Constantine granted equal rights to Christianity. Philip Schaff in his History of the Christian Church, Vol. II, writes that this religious freedom brought about the “conversion of the nations,” during the middle ages. It “was effected or introduced by a few individuals, St. Patrick in Ireland, St. Columba in Scotland, St. Augustine in England, St. Boniface in Germany, St. Ansgar in Scandinavia, St. Cyril and Methodius among the Slavonic Races” (p. 20). In essence these missionary endeavors established mono-ethnic churches aimed to reach a people group in their language and cultural context.

      The Reformation continued to minister to mono-ethnic groups. Lutherans could be found in Germany, Scandinavia and the Reformed in Switzerland, France, Holland, England and Scotland (Schaff, Vol. VII, Modern Christianity, The German Reformation, p. 45). 

      In the New World the racist attitudes of many Northern Europeans justified by the Doctrine of Manifest Destiny toward Native Americans, African Slaves, Mexicans and later toward Chinese and Japanese institutionalized segregation not only at all levels of society but in the church as well. This act gave rise to the necessary formation of ethnic churches and denominations by minority group believers. Giving birth to the Christian version of separate but equal.  Equal within the Body of Christ, just not the local church.

       America has sought to break down segregation in our society through congressional legislation. The recent election of Barak Obama as President of the United States is an indication that we as a nation have made some major advances against institutional racism, prejudice, and segregation. Regrettably the Church still lags behind. This historical fact in no way implies that all ethno-centric churches today are racist. What it does establish is that our ethno-centric churches are such by historical default and not by Biblical precepts.

       Secondly, multi-ethnic ministry is not a strategy or a methodology to help carry out the Great Commandment (Luke 10:27), the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19, 29; Acts 1:8), and the New Commandment (John 13:34,35).  It is the end result of having faithfully carried out these mandates in an ethnically diverse community. 

Jay Pankratz, Sunrise Church Rialto, transitioned into a multi-ethnic church out of a commitment to the mandates of Christ, he states, “I had no vision for ethnic diversity; but, when I began to study God’s Word, the Lord’s mandates, and I looked at the ethnic diversity of our community I came to the conclusion that we could not be anything less.

Mile McPherson, The Rock Church, San Diego, stated that “God wants [his church] to reflect heaven…the more ethnically diverse your church is the more firepower for evangelism you have…”

       These multi-ethnic ministries reflect a biblically descriptive nature as depicted in the New Testament. Once again, not every local church must be multi-ethnic.  If the demographics of a community reflect only one ethnicity then the church will be mono-ethnic. This exemption, as illustrated in the Book of Acts, eliminates a mandate that all churches must be multi-ethnic. For example, seven of the nine church plants listed in the Book of Acts were multi-ethnic; Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:43), Iconium, Acts 14:10, Thessalonica (Acts 17:4), Berea (Acts 17:12), Athens (Acts 17:17), Corinth (Acts 18:4, 8), and Ephesus (Acts 19:8-10). Luke states that these churches consisted of both “Jews and Greeks”, “Jews and Gentiles”, and “Jews and devout converts”.  Only two, Derbe, a small town (Acts 14:20b, 21) and Philippi, a Roman colony (Acts 16:12-40) did not have a multi-ethnic congregation. But in the communities that were ethnically diverse and the Gospel was intentionally proclaimed to all, the church became multi-ethnic.

       If the mandates of Christ instruct us to reach all within our immediate community then expand that Gospel outreach to the outermost parts of the world, and to love one another as he loves us, then ask yourself the following questions.

  • “How is it possible to begin to accomplish the Great Commission by practicing selective evangelism in an ethnically diverse community and growing a mono-ethnic church?”
  • “Does the lack of a mandate for the church to be multi-ethnic nullify Christ’s Great Commission mandate to make disciples of all nations when individuals from those nations live in our community?” 
  • “Should the history and traditions of a local church or denomination exempt it from ministering to all in their diverse community? In other words does the prescriptiveness of history trump the descriptiveness of scripture?”
  • “How can the unity that Christ prayed for and the testimony of the church to the world be achieved in an ethnically diverse community if we remain in segregated churches?”

      The Multi-ethnic Church model, is certainly not the historical model of the church or incontestably mandated in the scriptures, but it is most certainly demonstrated in the New Testament and offers a better reflection of the mandates of the Father and of the Son.

That’s my opinion I welcome yours.


Posted in Changing Community, Diversity, Multi-ethnic | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Jay Pankratz: The Power of Humility in a Multi-ethnic Church

Thursday, November 27, 2008

more about “Jay Pankratz: The Power of Humility i…“, posted with vodpod

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What is the Biblical Concept of Unity?

Thursday, November 27, 2008

What is the biblical concept of unity? This the second of a series of questions asked by David Hall, Escondido, CA

 

The pursuit of unity is not limited to the multi-ethnic church.  Every local body of believers, because of sin, is susceptible to attitudes and behaviors that can lead to conflicts, divisions, and the exclusion of people groups in their ministries.

That is why we are to strive for unity. The following is a brief outline of the biblical teaching on Unity.

·       Unity is the desire of Christ for his disciples, “I pray…that all of them may be one” (Jn. 17:20-21).

·       Unity is based on Word of God, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

·       Unity is lived out among believers, “those who will believe in me” (Jn. 17:20).

·       Unity is a testimony to the world of Christ’s coming, “so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn. 17:21); “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (Jn. 17:23).

·       Unity must be earnestly and sincerely pursued, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).

·       Unity is achieved with love, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34, 35), “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sin” (1 Pet. 4:8),”Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1Jn. 3:18).

·       Unity is contingent upon certain character traits that are the result of spiritual growth: humility, gentleness, patience (Eph. 4:2), unselfishness (Phil. 2:3,4), kindness, goodness, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23), respect (Rom. 12:10; 1Pet. 2:17), and peace (Heb. 12:14; Js. 3:18).

·       Unity is lived out as we intentionally practice the “one another’s” of scripture; love (1Jn. 4:7), devotion (Rom. 12:10), honor (Rom. 12:10), live in harmony (1Pet. 3:8), accept (Rom. 15:17), instruct (Rom. 15:14), admonish (Col. 3:16), greet (Rom. 16:16), agree (1Cor. 1:10), serve (Gal. 5:13), bear (Eph. 4:2), forgive (Eph. 4:32), speak (Eph. 5:19), submit (Eph. 5:21), encourage (1Thess. 5:11; He. 3:13), spur (Heb. 10:24), offer hospitality (1Pet. 4:9), be humble (1Pet. 5:5), have fellowship (1Jn 1:7).

Unity is to be pursued by every member of the body of Christ regardless of the degree of ethnic, socio-economic, or gender diversity in the church. It is best measured by the character and practices of the individual believers toward one another, than by the number of diverse groups, the greater our commitment to character and practice, the broader the diversity of our ministry and its potential for unity.

That’s my opinion I welcome yours.

Posted in Diversity, Intentionality, Multi-ethnic, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

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Healthy Respect

Friday, December 12, 2008

Jay Pankratz talks about respect, the flip side of humility, and its importance in multi-ethnic ministry

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Sunrise Church Worship Team

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

This clip is from a DVD produced by Sunrise Church featuring the Sunrie Worship Arts Ministry. Pastor Gregory Hooper, Worship Leader. To order a copy go to www.sunrisechurch.org

more about “Sunrise Church Worship Team“, posted with vodpod

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The Most Segregated Hour in America

Monday, January 19, 2009

On December 18, 1963, just four months after delivering his ‘I have a Dream’ speech, Dr. Martin Luther King was invited to speak at Western Michigan University’s “Conscience of America” lecture symposium on racial prejudice and race relations. Following a speech on “Social Justice and the Emerging New Age” Dr. King responded to a question by President Miller.

Dr. Miller: Don’t you feel that integration can only be started and realized in the Christian church, not in schools or by other means? This would be a means of seeing just who are true Christians.

Dr. King: As a preacher, I would certainly have to agree with this. I must admit that I have gone through those moments when I was greatly disappointed with the church and what it has done in this period of social change. We must face the fact that in America, the church is still the most segregated major institution in America. At 11:00 on Sunday morning when we stand and sing and Christ has no east or west, we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation. This is tragic. Nobody of honesty can overlook this. Now, I’m sure that if the church had taken a stronger stand all along, we wouldn’t have many of the problems that we have. The first way that the church can repent, the first way that it can move out into the arena of social reform is to remove the yoke of segregation from its own body. Now, I’m not saying that society must sit down and wait on a spiritual and moribund church as we’ve so often seen. I think it should have started in the church, but since it didn’t start in the church, our society needed to move on. The church, itself, will stand under the judgement of God. Now that the mistake of the past has been made, I think that the opportunity of the future is to really go out and to transform American society, and where else is there a better place than in the institution that should serve as the moral guardian of the community. The institution that should preach brotherhood and make it a reality within it’s own body.”

         Dr. Miller’s question appears to be based on the deeply rooted racist attitudes that permeated America in the 1960’s.  When he asked, “Don’t you feel that integration can only be started and realized in the Christian church, not in schools or by other means? He was expressing the resistance of American society at large to allow integration and the duty of the church to pursue it.  The integration of local congregations in the words of Dr. Miller, “would be a means of seeing just who are true Christians.” This comment alone is a powerful indictment on the church which was expected to accept people of all backgrounds yet was no different than the secular institutions that upheld segregation.

         Due to the Church’s failure to be “the moral guardian of the community” Dr. King took his message beyond the Church. That powerful message impacted the lives of millions of American red, brown, yellow, black and white through civil rights legislation that would open the doors of secular institutions to integration. Regrettably the last bastion of segregation is still the “moribound” church.         

         According to the most recent studies, only 7% of all congregations in America are multi-racial.  Sociologist, Michael Emerson, classifies 5% of protestant congregations, 15% of Catholic congregations and 28% of non-Christian congregations as multiracial.  By definition a multiracial church has an ethnic mix where no more than 80% of the congregation is of one dominant group.

It took government legislation to mandate integration under the penalty of temporal legal action. The Church, corporately and individually is under the mandates of Christ and as such is subject to the loss of eternal rewards.  It’s been 45 years since Dr. King made his often used comment that “at 11:00 on Sunday morning when we stand and sing and Christ has no east or west, we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation.”  How much longer must we wait before it can be said that at 11:00 on Sunday morning we stand at the most integrated hour in this nation? The question is, “What are you doing to help make that happen?”

That’s my opinion I welcome yours.


Posted in Dr. Martin Luther King, Segregation | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

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