GLUE

Getting to Know You

Sports have a way of connecting diverse people around a common interest or team. But we should ask, Why has the local church been unwilling or unable to do the same, that is, to connect people of varying ethnic and economic backgrounds around the cross of Jesus Christ?

Today in the United States, diverse people have to go to school together, for according to law, our public schools cannot be segregated. We must also work together with those different from ourselves, for the law mandates a workplace free of discrimination. In addition, homes in our neighborhoods must be sold to anyone with the desire and means to purchase, for, again, the law demands it. Yet have you ever stopped to consider that the local church is the only major institution in our society in which segregation is allowable by law, in light of the judicial principle known as the “separation of church and state?” Indeed, the segregation of the church is not only allowable but seems quite acceptable to the vast majority of believers and church leaders throughout the United States who see nothing at all wrong with this picture. Is it not, however, the law of love (Matthew 22:36–40) that should inform us in the matter?

To experience sincere and mutual respect across ethnic and economic divides and in order for the church to walk worthy of its calling (Ephesians 4:2), we will have to develop cross-cultural relationships with others different from ourselves. And to do so, we should move intentionally, humbly, and lovingly toward diverse brothers and sisters in Christ. With this in mind, we would do well to remember the words of the apostle John, who wrote,

"If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this is the commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:20–21)

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

Show and Tell

You should not expect to integrate your leadership team through random prayer or wishful thinking. Diverse individuals of godly character, theological agreement, and shared vision do not just arrive on waves of whim. Rather, they must be intentionally sought. Like the best of college coaches, multi-ethnic church planters and reformers must continually be on the lookout for potential recruits. When we find them, we should establish a dialogue, mindful that there may be an opportunity for formal partnership together at some point in the future.

In doing this, you should always keep in mind the whole. In other words, while quotas should in no way dictate the diversity of your staff, potential hires must be considered in light of both the current and future composition of your team. In fact, each decision you make concerning additions or replacements to your staff will have an impact down the road. Practically speaking, this means that in saying yes to someone of a particular ethnicity or other valued descriptive (one who is Deaf or Blind, for example), you may have to say no to someone else like him or her later on, in order to maintain the general balance of the team. In so doing, you will safeguard the diversity of your staff and therefore the credibility of your church, mindful that no one people group should become so dominant in number as to undermine the vision.

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

Something Must Be Done

I have no doubt that people in many, if not most, homogeneous churches would sincerely state that they would not intentionally turn anyone away. If asked, they might say something like, “We welcome anyone to become a part of our church,” or point to the fact that “a few families” of diverse ethnicity do attend their otherwise homogeneous fellowship. In fact, some pastors have specifi cally stated, “We would love to have more diversity in our church and have been praying recently that others would get involved.” In other words, these well-meaning people are not doing anything intentionally to turn diverse others away. However, they are not doing anything intentionally to draw them in either.

What we should realize is that while such statements are sincere, they do not accurately reflect the real sentiment below the surface. To be clear, I am not questioning hearts—just the fact that such statements have not been fully thought through. For when we dig deeper, what I find is that these folks really mean that diverse people are welcome to join “their” churches as long as they embrace the majority culture and do not try to bring another culture (namely, their own) with them, that is, as long as they do not try to change “who we are or the way we do things.” In other words most local church leaders (and members too for that matter) are glad for diverse individuals to get involved “as long as they like our music, our preaching style, and our environment. But they should not expect us to change for them.” Therefore, the message being sent, whether directly or indirectly, is that “you might feel more comfortable in another church down the street.”

In pursuit of the multi-ethnic church, we must keep this truth in mind: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). In other words, such a church is not ours to build in the way we see fit. Rather, we are to build it according to God’s blueprint. It is not about us —what we like and prefer or what we are comfortable with. It’s all about God! Consequently, multi-ethnic church planters and reformers must not only “look out for [their] own interests, but also the interests of
others”—and not only for the interests of those in the ethnic majority but for those in the minority as well. Yes, we will have to align ourselves with God’s agenda and abandon our own if we are to see every nation, tribe, people, and tongue worship God together as one in and through the local church, on earth as it is in heaven . And this will require us to take intentional steps toward that goal, ever mindful of our dependence on God.

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

Got Faith?

A healthy multi-ethnic church can be established only where functioning faith is the modus operandi. Given the profound uniqueness of such a church, the inherent challenges related to diversity and, quite often, limited economic resources, there is simply no other means by which it can be built. Like George Müeller, the nineteenth-century pastor in England, who famously trusted God for the needs of orphans in his care, or the legendary Christ-centered musician Keith Green, who was known to distribute his recordings for whatever people could afford, those who would pursue the multi-ethnic church must actively embrace dependence if they expect to see their dreams become reality. Indeed, Müeller said it well:

"God’s plan is that there shall be none of self and all of Christ. The very people who are doing the most for God in saving souls, in mission work, in the care of orphans, are those who are working on short supplies of strength, of money, of talents, of advantages and are kept in a position of living by faith and taking from God, day by day, both physical and spiritual supplies. This is the way God succeeds and gains conquest over His own people, and over the unbelief of those who look on His providences."

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