Psychological experiments are often done with white, middle-class, college-age kids. The problem with this is that it is difficult to determine that results from such studies are applicable to all diverse populations. The same can be said about new church growth models. If you haven't noticed most Purpose Driven churches are maganged by white people. Now the emerging church is coming into it's own. I dare you to try to find an emerging church that A. has an African-American lead pastor or even B. has one African-American pastor on staff. Go aheand I'll wait. I know because I've really looked and have yet to find one.
If this is the case, this movement is in trouble. I'm apart of a new church whose goal is to reach the unchurched. We always talk about the unchurched. The question is, is this only a "white-person" question? Is there a different question we need to ask when attempting to reach 20-somethings from an African-American population who don't go to church? Is it possible to create a diverse church of 20-somethings?
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7 comments:
Karen Ward at Church of the Apostles in Seattle is both African American and a woman.
Up until this Summer, The Church in Bethesda was copastored by an Asian man and a white woman.
My guess is that one of the big problems is the many of the churhces that call themselves "emerging" (most of Acts 29 comes to mind for me) are really just repackaging conservative reformed theology in an indie rock style. When all you do is change the trappings then you just attract consumers of those trappings. Rethinking the theology behind church is the way out. Candles and a sweet webpage do not an emerging church make. Even so, there is not enough color in the emerging church, but my guess is that it is a symptom of the problems that plagued the modern church, there aren't any black people at Saddleback either.
Seth
Glad to see that you have a website David. Having extensive dialogue with postmoderns and attended class with one of the premier idealogues in the movement, I must say, a postmodern's first response to the word "diversity" is to deconstruct it.
A Christian postmodernist as my brother-in-law is (he is a Philosophy prof at Creighton University), might say that we must see that every attempt we make and every sentence we write is subject to the Fall, subject to sin. He would not agree with non-Christian postmodernists, that there is NO Truth whatsoever. He would say that our grasp on such Truth is incomplete at best.
Diversity in itself is laudible for one reason. When "iron sharpens iron" we get beyond ourselves.
But when I put in a Black or a White or a Red or Yellow as if putting them into leadership will create automatically some greatness is an illusion.
One of my close friends, a Black, would be quick to tell you that there are many pitfalls in assuming that those within his ethnicity are without sullied motives.
I guess that is part of my problem with the "Emerging Church" as I see it: many are grasping at the accutrements of diversity without really embracing the idea that other genuine, and completely different people exist in every ethnicity.
How can I find these genuine folks? LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!
I will tune into your website regularly to listen and hope that I will see the diversity that exists in people only when they break from their own ethnicity and find themselves in the embrace of God.
your buddy,
Dr. Angus McDonald
In answer to the two questions you posed about church diversity, I would pose another question. Do we want/need to create a church that those guys would go to?
I agree that everyone should be reached for the gospel, but I don't think a one-size-fits-all church model is workable. People are too distinct and different from each other.
Great to find your Blog David.
I like the questions you are asking.
I don't have any answers other than it seems, at least to me, that when the white church addressess issues of race/diversity it quite often acts as the definer of the conversation.
While i don't have answer I've hated the way these issues expose a hubris that is deeper than i ever had thought.
Some resources i've enjoyed:
Divided by Faith (emerson & Smith). They don't pull punches in their analyzation of the white church.
Todd Waldo's Blog. A friend of mine while on staff with IVCF. He says, thinks, that aren't easy fo me to hear or read. http://toddwaldo.blogspot.com/
Keep it up!
Hey Davy,
This is your little brother Neil. I didn't feel like making an account, so I'm gonna be annoynomous, But YOU KNOW who I am!
Anyway, I'm not going to even attempt to try to answer your question (in theory). It is extremely complicated, and I don't have any information to back myself up, unlike Mr. Fansy pants Seth up there, or Mr. McDonald.
But I will say this. I have heard multiple view points on the matter. Some say that we shouldn't have to alter the practices of traditional services just so it fits non-church goer's style. Some think that the way the church does it's services at the moment are fine, because they are holy and sacred. The same people usually think that spicing up the services and bending over backwards to get nonechurch goers (or a diverse audience for that matter)to attend service is sacrilegious.
LIke I said, I'm not going to ponder too hard on this subject because I am way out of my league. From my naive standpoint though, I think, (and I am totally up to new suggestions) that attempting to get a church started for the people that never felt welcome in the traditional style of worshipping god is totally awesome, and not offending to god whatsoever. AS LONG AS the message is not altered just to attract J.Z or Justin Timberlake look-a-likes to christianity. I think that is deceptive to the new church attendee, and immoral to god's holy scripture... But I'm sure everyone agree's on that.
Of course a diverse congregation would be awesome! But the conflict is how would you go about doing that? I have no idea. If I (or anyone) sat down for long enough and put the time in to really ponder the situation and think of solutions, I'm very sure that a diverse congregation for worship service can become possible.
Shoot, if a group of teenagers can become millionares by selling bottled water with the brandname "Naive" spelled backwards, anything is possible!
But like I said, I at the momment do not feel like putting too much thought into it right now.
Anyone can complain about the problems of the world, and say what the church is doing wrong, but it takes a real man, a muture man to step up and actually go about fixing the problem. I obviously have talked about the problem but not attempted to solve it, so in the end, I guess my blog is pretty pointless huh...oh well, its okay with me :-)
Anyways, I'm just glad that you have a blog thing so that I can read your thoughts. I have always loved, deeply appriciated, and respected your thoughts on various issues. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have you as my brother.
Much love Davy, take care. And I hope your church finds a way to turn this dream into a reality. Then again, it appears you guys are all ready doing it :-)
Love, Neil
I am wondering why you are concerned with wether are not we(black americans)go to church? I mena honestly, I'm just interested. If you are truly interested in diversity why not all races (latino, asians, there are christian latino's and asian's too).
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