Survey Says ...

Recently, I came across new findings that confirm what many in multi-ethnic churches already realize from first-hand experience. In a report by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, results of the
Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership’s (CCSP) Faith Communities Today 2005 survey werereleased and determined that “while most congregations in America are composed of a single racial/ethnic group, those that are multi-racial are most likely to have experienced strong growth in worship attendance.” David A. Roozen, director of the CCSP and professor of religion and society at Hartford Seminary said, [The report] tests the continuing salience of long, “taken for granted” principles of [church] growth . . . as well as [those] more recently proposed. Most importantly, it suggests several newly emergent dynamics to consider [including] the potential for growth in downtown areas and within multi-racial/ethnic congregations (emphasis mine). In other words, the multi-ethnic church is favorably positioned for growth in the twenty-first century.

Excerpt from the book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church by Mark DeYmaz (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007).